Geraldton Buccaneers are the champions after claiming victory in the NBL1 West grand final

The Geraldton Buccaneers are the champions of 2023, spurred on by their “sixth man” — their fans.

It’s just the third time in the club’s 34-year history that have claimed the ultimate honour. It was a nail-biting come-from-behind game, but the Buccs prevailed over the Joondalup Wolves 86-80 in the NBL1 West grand final.

It was a salve, or as some would say revenge, to last year’s heart-breaking loss in the championship decider.

Captain Aaron Ralph said they won the grand final for the “whole community”.

“It means a lot, it’s not just winning for yourself or your club or your teammates, you win it for a whole community,” he said.

“To get back to playing at this level, at this stage, it’s pretty special . . . I never thought I’d be back on this stage playing for a grand final, but here we are and that’s why the emotions boil over to the end.”

In a sold-out stadium at Bendat Basketball Centre, it looked like there were more fans in green supporting Joondalup, but it sounded just like a game in Activewest Stadium as the Geraldton fans drowned out any other noise.

Ralph called the Geraldton fans the team’s sixth man, pointing out how important they have been all season.

“They’re a sixth man, when we need to get an edge at the end of the game, they just take us over the edge,” he said.

“Incredible every game all year and once again they showed out tonight.”

Coach Dayle Joseph echoed the sentiment, saying it felt like a home game for the Buccs.

“The crowd was amazing, it was a really good atmosphere to play basketball in,” he said.

“We woke up this morning thinking we were at home, we did the same home routines . . . it helps get the guys get in the right mind-set and having that support behind us makes a difference.”

Joseph has now won his second championship with the Buccs and said the team showed up when it mattered most.

“We contributed from one to 12, even the three dudes that didn’t hit the court, the work they do to be part of this team and they should be rewarded for that,” he said.

“We weren’t in unfamiliar territory, we were still playing well and we figured we could turn things around if we hung in there.”

When it came time to announce the Grand Final MVP, the crowd took it into their hands with chants of “Sparkle Narkle” coming through louder than any microphone could, as hometown hero Johny Narkle was awarded the honour.

While it is still unclear what the future holds for veteran and Buccs legend Mat Wundenberg, the grand final marked his 499th game and perhaps the lure of his 500th could convince him to go around one more time.

While not confirmed at the time of going to print, plans are progressing for an event to let the team celebrate their big win with the community.