Matthew Conacher

Nationality: AUS
Date of Birth: 4/01/83
Place of Birth: Sydney (NSW)
Position: FRD
Height (CM): 202
Weight (KG): #N/A
Junior Assoc:
College: None

NBL DEBUT: 15/01/03
AGE AT DEBUT: 20
LAST NBL GAME: 24/03/04
AGE AT LAST GAME: 21
NBL History: West Sydney 2003-04
Championships: 0
None

BIO: Matthew Conacher was born in Sydney (NSW)

NBL EXPERIENCE

Matthew Conacher made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

The Razorbacks entered the 2002/03 season aiming to build on their Grand Final run from the previous year. The team underwent roster changes, bringing in Willie Farley (via Adelaide) and Aaron Trahair (via Sydney), while Sam MacKinnon was set to make his highly anticipated debut after missing the previous season due to injury. John Rillie, a key contributor in the prior season, departed for Greece but returned later in the year.

West Sydney opened the season strong with wins over Adelaide (104-92) and Brisbane (122-106) before struggling with consistency, suffering losses to Sydney (94-122) and Canberra (91-117). Derek Rucker (17.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists) ran the offense, while MacKinnon (15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) and Farley (16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) bolstered the scoring. Simon Dwight (15.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks) remained a dominant defensive force.

A midseason winning streak was halted when Dwight suffered a knee injury, sidelining him for an extended period. His absence created a void in the Razorbacks’ defense, leading to the return of John Rillie (23.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists). However, additional setbacks followed as Rucker fractured his elbow, leaving the team without their floor leader. Despite flashes of strong play, West Sydney missed the playoffs, unable to sustain a consistent run.

As a rookie, Matthew Conacher saw limited playing time, appearing in 10 games for a total of 15 minutes. He finished the season averaging 0.6 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game, gaining experience on a veteran-heavy roster.

2003/04
In his second NBL season, the Razorbacks headed forward in a bold new direction, opting not to re-sign import Willie Farley and veteran duo Derek Rucker and Bruce Bolden. Instead, the team made history by becoming the first in the modern NBL era to field a full lineup of Australian talent. With John Rillie returning after spending half of the previous season in Greece and Sam MacKinnon back from injury, this was also the first season the roster had a clear “runway” to build continuity and challenge for a title.

The Razorbacks started the season strong, winning three of their first four games before hitting a rough patch. With a 3-4 record, the team responded with a dominant 10-game winning streak, reasserting itself as a title contender. John Rillie (20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists), Sam MacKinnon (17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists), and Simon Dwight (15.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks) led the charge.

Matthew Conacher saw limited action, appearing in just 10 games and logging a total of 15 minutes. As a deep reserve, his role was primarily in training and providing depth when needed.

West Sydney finished the regular season in third place (22-11) and carried its momentum into the playoffs, defeating Cairns in the elimination final and sweeping Wollongong in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final. In the best-of-five championship series against Sydney, the Razorbacks pushed the Kings to a decisive Game 5 but ultimately fell short (90-79).

Despite the Grand Final loss, the season was one of the Razorbacks’ most successful. Rillie and MacKinnon earned All-NBL First Team honours, while Steven Markovic was named NBL Rookie of the Year.

Matthew Conacher played two seasons with the West Sydney Razorbacks.

NBL TOTAL STATISTICS

SEASON	AGE	TEAM	TEAM RECORD	GP	MINS	PTS	REB	AST	OR	DR	TO	PF	FGM	FGA	FG%	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TS%	EFG%	HS
2003-04	21	West Sydney	22-11 (3)	10	15	6	1	1	0	1	2	2	1	4	25%	0%	4	6	67%	44%	0%	4
2002-03	20	West Sydney	14-16 (7)	2	5	3	2	0	2	0	2	0	1	2	50%	0%	1	2	50%	51%	0%	2
Totals				12	20	9	3	1	2	1	4	2	2	6	33.3%	0.0%	5	8	62.5%	0%	0%	4

NBL PER GAME STATISTICS

SEASON	AGE	TEAM	TEAM RECORD	GP	MINS	PTS	REB	AST	OR	DR	TO	PF	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TS%	EFG%	HS
2003-04	21	West Sydney	22-11 (3)	10	1.5	0.6	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.4	25%	0.0	0%	0.4	0.6	67%	44%	0%	4
2002-03	20	West Sydney	14-16 (7)	2	2.5	1.5	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	1.0	50%	0.0	0%	0.5	1.0	50%	51%	0%	2
Total				12	1.7	0.8	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.5	33.3%		0.0%			62.5%	0%	0%	4

CAREER HIGHS

POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS	STEALS	BLOCKS	TURNOVERS	TRIPLE DOUBLES
4	1	1	0	0	1	0

STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE

Bankstown 2003 | Manly Warringham 2004 | Norths 2006

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