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.

St Kilda commenced the NBL’s inaugural season under head coach Brian Kerle with a fully Australian roster headlined by Tony Barnett, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu, Steve Breheny and Robbie Cadee, a core that carried strong state-league continuity into the newly formed national competition.

After a 3–3 opening stretch, the Saints settled quickly and emerged as the competition’s most composed and cohesive side, built around Barnett’s scoring consistency on the perimeter and Sengstock’s growing presence in the paint, supported by a rotation that leaned heavily on local depth and familiarity.

As the season progressed, St Kilda tightened its execution and pulled away from the field, closing the regular season with 12 consecutive victories and completing an unbeaten 9–0 record at home.

That decisive run was anchored by Barnett’s offensive output, highlighted by a 36-point performance against Bankstown and a 35-point showing in a late-season win over Canberra that played a key role in securing top position on the ladder.

The Saints finished the regular season first at 15–3 and advanced directly to the one-game Grand Final against the Canberra Cannons, setting up a clash between St Kilda’s all-local lineup and Canberra’s import-driven attack centred on Cal Stamp.

The championship decider unfolded as a physical, tightly contested battle, with 19-year-old Larry Sengstock delivering a defining performance, scoring 33 points and matching Stamp’s 32 as the centre matchup shaped the flow of the contest.

With the game decided in the final seconds, veteran guard Robbie Cadee broke down the defence before finding Peter Vitols, whose basket at the buzzer secured a 94–93 victory and delivered the first championship in NBL history.

St Kilda’s 15–3 campaign reflected both their adaptability and the depth of their Australian-only roster, a group that also captured multiple state and domestic titles during 1979, reinforcing their status as the country’s benchmark club during that period.

Offensively, the load was shared across a balanced core led by Tony Barnett (22.3 points), Grand Final MVP Larry Sengstock (17.6 points), Danny Morseu (15.8 points), Steve Breheny (13.3 points) and Robbie Cadee (12.3 points at a league-best 89.7 percent from the free-throw line).

1980
With Robbie Cadee, Ian Manson, and Peter Vitols all departing from the 1979 championship roster, St Kilda headed into 1980 needing to reshape its depth around the pieces that remained.

Head coach Brian Kerle added import Rocky Smith to inject extra firepower, while also bringing in Ken Burbridge, Dean Templeton and Gary Favero to strengthen the rotation. Tony Barnett, Danny Morseu, Larry Sengstock, Steve Breheny and Bill McGee all returned as the Saints chased back-to-back titles.

St Kilda opened the season on 3 February at Albert Park with a loss to Illawarra (74–68), but quickly steadied with a win over Canberra (109–70) before edging Newcastle (88–86) and City of Sydney (84–71) to kick off a nice early-season run.

The Saints continued to build momentum with home wins over Brisbane (94–74) and Launceston (90–74), then manhandled Bankstown (100–84) on 1 March before producing a statement performance the next day at Beaton Park, defeating Illawarra 101–83 as Smith (46 points on 21-of-42 shooting) exploded for a season high. Burbridge (21 points) and Barnett (16 points) also produced solid efforts.

With St Kilda sitting 10–3 and in a tight race with West Adelaide for top position, Kerle made the call to add a second import in Mike Slusher (12.3 points), who would play the Saints’ final nine games of the regular season as they geared up for the run home.

The ladder race tightened into the last home-and-away clash on 7 June at Albert Park, where St Kilda fell 88–90 to West Adelaide despite Smith (39 points) doing all he could offensively. Barnett (12 points on 6-of-12 from the field) had a solid game, but the Bearcats rode Ken Richardson (31 points on 14-of-28 shooting) and Rick Hodges (21 points) to seal their victory.

Even with both teams ending the regular season on 17 wins and 5 losses, St Kilda still managed to finish first due to splitting the season series 1–1 and holding the points advantage created by their 104–94 win over West Adelaide at the Apollo Entertainment Centre on 24 May.

Across the season, St Kilda were driven offensively by Rocky Smith (33 ppg), who led the league in scoring and finished second in free throw percentage, alongside Danny Morseu (18.5 ppg) and Barnett (14.9 ppg) as the other primary scorers.

At the end of the season, Morseu earned All-NBL First Team selection, while Smith collected the league’s Most Valuable Player award despite surprisingly missing All-NBL First Team honours, as the Saints carried their regular season form into a Launceston finals series.

In the semi-final on 14 June at Dowling Street Stadium, St Kilda defeated Nunawading 101–77 behind Smith (32 points on 15-of-30 shooting) and a nice game from Barnett (15 points). The Saints got solid production from Morseu (13 points), Sengstock (13 points), Slusher (10 points), giving the Saints five players in double figures, while the Spectres were led by Gary Fox (21 points) and Alan Black (18 points).

The Grand Final re-match with West Adelaide on 15 June turned into a blowout as St Kilda took a 53–39 lead into half-time and went on to win 113–88, with Barnett (14 points) having a great shooting night as part of a balanced double-figure group that included Smith (26 points), Morseu (19 points), Slusher (18 points) and Sengstock (16 points).

West Adelaide leaned on Hodges (27 points) and Richardson (20 points), but St Kilda’s scoring spread proved decisive as the Saints secured back-to-back NBL titles.

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.