Sharks nominated for Team of the Year

The Team of the Year nominees for this year’s ILT Southland Sports Awards highlight teams who have achievement some memorable performances in their respective pathways. 

The Southland Sharks took the province on a wild ride in 2025. Through the first half of their campaign, they struggled to get the results they wanted under new coach Jonathan Yim and sat rooted at the bottom of the table. That was before the Sharks, inspired by MVP Josiah Allick, went on a nine-game winning streak which ended just short of a national NBL championship title, going down narrowly in the grand final to the Wellington Saints. 

The Sharks qualified for the finals for the first time in eight years and decisively beat the Canterbury Rams in a semi-final in Christchurch, ending the Rams’ hopes of a third-straight win.