BIO: Mason Peatling was born in Melbourne (VIC) where he attended Beaconhills College. He first began playing basketball as a junior with the Dandenong Rangers, and represented his state multiple times at the Australian Junior Basketball Championships, before being recruited to Eastern Washington Eagles in 2015.

Be it as a starter or off the bench, Peatling carved himself a reputation as a enforcer within the NBL. A player who could impact the game at both ends of the floor.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mason Peatling made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game.

Mason Peatling signed a three-year deal as a development player which saw him elevated into the team’s full roster in his second and third seasons.

during his first season with Melbourne United but due to team injuries had worked his way into the starting lineup by season’s end. He made history by being the first development player to start a game during the NBL Grand Final series.

2022/23
Peatling would join the Illawarra Hawks the following season after 87 games and three seasons with Melbourne United, including the 2020-21 season, where he was a valuable contributor to the club’s championship run.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2023/24
After a glut of player injuries, Illawarra compiled their worst record in NBL history (3-25), the Hawks were looking for a fresh start in Jacob Jackomas‘ second year as head coach.

Thanks to Perth wanting to move on from veteran Todd Blanchfield, and being happy to cover part of his remaining contract, the Hawks were able to acquire him in a buy-out. With an eye towards the future, young talent Biwali Bayles (via Sydney) and former Adelaide 36ers development player, Lachlan Olbrich (via NCAA) were signed. At the same time, Korean shooter Hyunjung Lee was signed using the NBL’s ‘Asian player’ rule and NBA prospect AJ Johnson was brought in under the NBL’s Next Stars Program.

Peatling signed a two-year deal with Illawarra after spending free agency as one of the hottest signatures in the league. Hawks GM of Basketball Mat Campbell spoke of his delight in adding the Melbourne native to the roster for the next two seasons.

“The power forward position is crucial in this league, and Mason was one of the first names we identified when free agency began,” said Campbell.

“Mason’s a competitor and a winner, and his best basketball is ahead of him. His skill set meets our roster’s needs, and we are excited to add him to our young and developing front line.”

Import Justin Robinson, who managed just one game before suffering a season-ending injury in 2022, returned to full health, and NBA veteran Gary Clark signed as the team’s third import. Long-serving import Tyler Harvey, captain Sam Froling and guards Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, William “Davo” Hickey and Daniel Grida returned as the Hawk’s core group.

Illawarra showed promising signs during the pre-season, but once the regular season got underway, Illawarra seemed to revert to its old ways, continuing to produce disappointing losses.

Despite solid performances on the court from the likes of Clark (17 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Froling (15.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) and Harvey (15.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals), Illawarra struggled to find its foot early in the season. Hyun-Jung and Peatling began the year under an injury cloud.

By October, the Hawks were sitting at 2-4 with wins against South East Melbourne and Cairns. Illawarra suffered two more brutal defeats in the next month against Sydney and Cairns, which resulted in the team and Jackomas parting ways. Whilst the Hawks looked for a replacement, assistant Justin Tatum stepped up as interim coach.

Once Tatum arrived, they were able to turn things around and won four of their next six games. A knee sidelined Grida (5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists) after ten games, but thanks to the emergence of Will Hickey (5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and the signing of former South East Melbourne guard Kyle Adnam as an injury replacement, the Hawks continued to their winning form without missing a beat.

Despite the challenges, the Hawks continued to deliver wins under Tatum, and a late-season charge saw Illawarra finish the regular season in fourth place (14-14).

Illawarra saw a massive improvement in scoring. In the 2022/23 season, the Hawks ranked last for average points with 80.8 points per game. However, this season, they increased their offensive output to 91.6 points per game, enough to finish fourth in the league.

After making the play-in tournament, Illawarra would lose to Tasmania (92-76) in the opening game but turned things around to defeat New Zealand in a nailbiter (88-85), which earned them a spot in the semi-finals against Melbourne.

In game one, despite a solid first half by the Hawks, United would make a dramatic comeback, forcing the game into overtime and won the opening game 115-106.

Illawarra levelled the series, pushing it to a decider after defeating United in a thriller by five points. However, the Hawk’s dream run came up short, missing a Grand Final berth by six points.

Clark would deliver several big-time offensive performances, including his season-high 38 points against Cairns, which saw him voted as the Hawk’s Club MVP and be selected to the All-NBL First Team.

Peatling would appear in 27 games and average 3.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.

Mason Peatling currently plays for the Illawarra Hawks and has played 119 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists since entering the league in 2021.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Illawarra Hawks – 2 Year Deal (2023-25)

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.