NBL EXPERIENCE

Tony Barnett made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 25 years of age. He scored 18 points in his first game.

The Saints lineup began that first season with a 3-3 record but proved they were the best team by finishing the season on a 12-game winning streak.

To crown the first champions of the national league, only the first and second team’s progressed into the postseason, which saw St Kilda (1st) defeating Canberra (2nd) in the Grand Final match.

Cal Stamp (23.8 ppg) was one of three imports on the Cannons roster, the other two being Herb McEachin (23.8 ppg) and Jerry Lee (8.9 ppg). St Kilda, however, had decided to play with a all Aussie lineup, relying on Sengstock (17.6 ppg), Tony Barnett (22.3 ppg) and Danny Morseau (15.8 ppg).

In the Grand Final game, Larry Sengstock (33 points) delivered a career high scoring night while his counterpart Cal Stamp (32 points) top scored for the Cannons, illustrating just how much of the game came down to the centre position in those days. Trailing by one point against Canberra in the NBL’s first Grand Final, Robbie Cadee threaded a super pass to a cutting Peter Vitols for a easy basket and St Kilda became the league’s inaugural championships (94-93). To date, St Kilda (12-6) is the only team to ever win a NBL championship without any import players.

1980
After winning the inaugural NBL title in 1979, St Kilda looked to back it up in 1980. Key talent Tony Barnett, Danny Morseu and Larry Sengstock would all return from the championship winning squad, and import Rocky Smith was added to inject some additional scoring power.

As the team battled it out with West Adelaide for the top position throughout the season, with five rounds to go, the Saints (10-3) added import Mike Slusher (12.3 ppg) would play the team’s last nine games of the season. Adding Slusher to the offensive brilliance of first year import Rocky Smith (33 ppg) and veteran Danny Morseau (18.5 ppg) ensured the Pumas would finish the regular season right alongside West Adelaide, with the team’s facing each other in the final game of the season to decide who would finish in top spot.

West Adelaide rode the offensive talents of Ken Richardson (31 points) and Rick Hodges (21 points) to defeat St Kilda, 88-90, resulting in both team’s ending the regular season on 17 wins and 5 losses. The Bearcats’ win equalled the team’s head to head record (1-1) but with St Kilda having won their first encounter by ten points, they retained first place on the ladder as they headed into the playoffs.

Rocky Smith, who finished the year as the league’s leading scorer, notched up 32 points in the team’s semi-final game to defeat Nunawading (101-77). In the opposite bracket, Rick Hodges (31 points) led the Bearcats to a win over Brisbane (101-94), setting up a grand final matchup with both St Kilda and West Adelaide on one win a piece.

The Grand Final resulted in a blowout, with the Saints fuelled by their end of the regular season loss and controlling the scoreboard (53-39) heading into half-time. Hodges (27 points) and Richardson (20 points) would then do everything they could for West Adelaide, but a well-balanced offensive attack saw Rocky Smith (26 points), Danny Morseu (19 points), Mike Slusher (18 points), Larry Sengstock (16 points) and Tony Barnett (14 points) all finish in double figures, making it impossible for the Bearcats to stop the Saints from scoring.

St Kilda would claim back-to-back NBL titles, winning the Grand Final 113-88.

Danny Morseu was named to the All-NBL First Team, but in a surprise move, Rocky Smith was not, even though he claimed the league’s Most Valuable Player award on the same night. Barnett appeared in 24 games for the Saints, averaging 14.9 points.

1981
With former Olympian Tony Barnett seeing decreasing opportunities on the the loaded Saints team, he chose to leave St Kilda in 1982, signing with Geelong. However after being released from Geelong in the preseason, he was forced to spend the year out of the league as NBL rules at the time stated you couldn’t be contracted by two team’s during the same season. Barnett spent the 1981 season playing in the USA.

1982
Barnett returned as St Kilda looked to replace a huge chunk of their 1980 championship winning roster, after Larry Sengstock and Danny Morseu (both to Brisbane) and star import Rocky Smith (to Europe) all headed elsewhere. The Puma’s replaced the outgoing talent with Barnett, import Bill Runchey, and South Australian Phil Smyth who was convinced to drive 8 hours from Adelaide every weekend to play for club.

Smyth (18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) led the team in scoring, returning import Mike Slusher (17.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) stepped up his game considerably (11.9 points the year prior) and Steve Breheny (16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) rounded out the team’s top scorers. St Kilda would finish the regular season in sixth place (17-9), missing out on making the playoffs by one win.

Barnett (12.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assist) managed to appear in only six games during the season with injuries keeping him off the court for the majority of the year.

GEELONG CATS
1983
James Crawford (24.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists) and player/coach Cal Bruton (19.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists), who had become a naturalised Australian that same year would lead the Cats in scoring this season, as well as both earning selection to the All-NBL First Team.

Barnett would average 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists alongside the team’s two superstars as Geelong finished in finished the regular season in second place (18-4).

With the NBL broken into two conferences of eight team’s this season, the playoff format consisted of a round-robin fixture for the top eight team’s, two semi-final games, and one championship-deciding grand final. In Geelong’s round robin games, the Cats would defeat St Kilda (94–95) by one point, but lost to Canberra (81–86) and Nunawading (74-107) to finish third and fail to qualify for the semi finals.

BANKSTOWN BRUINS
1984
Barnett averaged 17.0 points and 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, and helped guide the Bruins finish with a 10-14 record.

1985
By 1985, the gap between professional and semi-professional NBL clubs had widened considerably. Financially outgunned and facing increasing challenges off the court, the Bankstown Bruins entered the season under pressure. Having lost offensive leaders Eric Claus and Cliff Martin in the offseason, the club retooled with high-scoring imports Vince Kelley and Vince Hinchen, hoping to restore some spark to the lineup.

Bankstown also secured one of the most talked-about domestic signings of the year in Damian Keogh, luring the 1984 NBL Rookie of the Year away from Nunawading. With Keogh looking to expand his role, returning coach Robbie Cadee welcomed a refreshed core featuring Kelley, Hinchen, and second-year contributors like Andrew Svaldenis and Tony Barnett.

The Bruins opened their campaign with a tough matchup against Keogh’s former team. Despite strong outings from Hinchen (36 points) and Kelley (30 points, 13 rebounds), they were undone by Nunawading sharpshooter Robert Scrigni, who erupted for 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting. A narrow 92–89 loss to Canberra followed before Bankstown registered their first win of the year—a thrilling 107–103 result over Geelong. Kelley (37 points, 22 rebounds), Hinchen (30 points), and Keogh (17 points, 9 assists) were dominant, while Tony Barnett chipped in with 8 points and 1 rebound on 3-of-10 shooting.

However, any early confidence was short-lived. The Bruins dropped their next nine games, including a punishing 144–115 loss to Coburg. Bennie Lewis shredded Bankstown’s defense for 43 points and 14 assists. Despite Kelley (30 points), Hinchen (21 points), and Barnett’s efficient 20-point effort on 8-of-16 shooting (plus 6 rebounds and 4-of-6 at the line), the Bruins had no answers defensively.

In another high-scoring affair against Adelaide, Bankstown again fell just short, 117–110. Hinchen (43 points) and Kelley (40 points, 15 rebounds) were explosive, but the team couldn’t complete the comeback. Barnett added 10 points (4-of-9 FG) and 4 rebounds in another solid performance.

Kelley (31.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks) and Hinchen (30.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists) formed the league’s most dangerous import pairing early in the year. Keogh (13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists) brought all-around contributions but couldn’t quite match his 1984 output.

Tony Barnett, a consistent starter throughout the year, averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, while also adding 1.1 steals per game across 26 appearances. A reliable wing defender and secondary scorer, Barnett quietly became one of the more dependable locals on a team that lacked depth and structure. Beyond the imports, other key contributors included Andrew Svaldenis (11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds), Greg Hemmings (6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists), and Mark Cumberbatch (5.1 points, 3.8 rebounds).

After falling to a 2–13 record mid-season, the Bruins parted ways with Hinchen and the Bruins closed the season on a rare high, however, edging Sydney 90–89 in a thrilling finale. Keogh led with 24 points (including 6-of-6 from deep), Kelley added 35 points and 9 rebounds, and Svaldenis contributed 13 points and 9 boards. Barnett provided 8 points and 3 rebounds on 4-of-12 shooting to help seal the win.

Bankstown finished the 1985 season with a 6–20 record, ranking twelfth in the league. Despite possessing two of the most dynamic scorers in the country, a combination of defensive frailties, inconsistent support, and financial limitations proved too much to overcome. At season’s end, Barnett would retire and the club rebranded as the West Sydney Westars, bringing the Bruins’ NBL era to a close.

Tony Barnett played six seasons across three NBL teams. This included the St. Kilda Saints, Geelong Cats and Bankstown Bruins. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 123 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (837 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.