The Australian Wombats (men) have gone unbeaten in Bangkok, defeating New Zealand 15–11 to claim the Oceania qualification spot for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Head Coach Ben Ettridge praised the playing group — Jaylen Brown, Lachlin Dalton, Jeremy Tyndall and Luke Pople — for their composure and connection under pressure.
“Any time Australia and New Zealand face each other, no matter the arena, it’s always a great battle,” he said.
“Being our first game and also having to work through a late line-up change with Jaylen Brown replacing Jontee Brown due to logistical issues with his equipment, we knew it would take a little while to get things rolling. Once the boys got out there, we were on point.”
The quartet also defeated India in a dominant 21–1 performance, before rounding out their Bangkok campaign with another strong 15-6 victory over Malaysia to complete a clean sweep.
The qualification highlights the growing success of the 3x3 format, which made Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham 2022.
“It’s another step in the journey for the team. This group is very focused on repeating the success from the World Cup earlier this year and Birmingham 2022,” Ettridge added.
“It’s also such a valuable part of these guys development and maintains the legacy of the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball program.”
The team remains in Bangkok and will now turn their focus to the Rollers’ upcoming Asia Oceania Zone Championships campaign, which tips off later this week as Australia looks to defend its title.
