The Southland Sharks are not messing around.
After confirming star centre Sam Timmins was returning for a second NBL season, and revealing Tobias Cameron had also signed, the Sharks yesterday made another significant announcement.
Tall Blacks forward Max Darling will be joining the big fish in the Shark Tank as the Sharks seek to go one better after reaching the NBL final last year and losing by five points to the Saints.
Darling is in the New Zealand Breakers squad and has spent the past five seasons with the Canterbury Rams, where he was an instrumental part of two championship-winning teams.
He has played 12 games for the Tall Blacks, most recently at the 2025 Asia Cup, where he averaged 8.5 points, five rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Darling said he was excited by the opportunity in Southland and the environment surrounding the club.
"I’m most excited to play for Southland because I hear the fans are great," Darling said.
"I see this as a really good opportunity to improve my game, and I’m looking forward to working with coach [Jonathan] Yim and the rest of the team."
He also highlighted the makeup of the group and the role he hopes to play.
"This is a young and talented team, and I’m looking forward to bringing some experience and leadership."
Yim said Darling’s addition brought important versatility and experience to the squad.
"I couldn’t be more excited to be adding Max to our team," Yim said.
"His versatility and skill set add real value to what we’re building. He’s proven himself at the NZNBL level, has championship experience and has competed at the highest levels internationally.
‘‘He understands what winning environments look like and what it takes to be successful." — Allied Media
