Meet the Icons: NBL1 Stars Sari Mowbry & Maja Jurlina

Teammates and best friends who bring out the best in each other, on and off the court.

On the court, Sari and Maja are both shooting guards for the Manly Warringah Eagles in the NBL1. Off the court, they’re best friends who share a love for the Northern Beaches, post-game BBQs, and, of course, a daily phone call on the drive home after training.

They’re constantly learning from each other, picking up little things from the other’s game and pushing each other to improve. They’re competitive when they need to be, but always have each other’s backs, whether it’s a tough training session, game day, or everything in between.

We sat down with the duo to talk game-day preps, the evolution of female sport, and why sticking with your girls is the best advice in the game.

The Q&A

Q: How has women's basketball changed since you both started playing?

Maja & Sari: We grew up playing in boys' teams because there often weren't enough girls to make up a team. Basketball could also feel stereotypically like an aggressive "boys' sport," while girls were often steered towards sports like netball. That's changed so much. Today, girls can be feminine, get sweaty, play aggressively and still feel completely at home on the court. There are more girls' teams and pathways from a young age, and seeing female coaches alongside female players gives the next generation more people to look up to and more opportunities to see what’s possible.

Q: What does your pre-game routine look like?

Maja & Sari: Our games usually tip off around 4:00 PM, so our pre-game routine is heading over to Sari’s place for her dad’s barbecue! He cooks up steak, salad and veggies, so it’s definitely not your typical game-day fuel, but it’s become such a tradition for us. We’re also pretty superstitious, so once something works, we don’t really want to mess with it!

Q: What is on your pre-game hype track?

Sari: My ultimate game-day hype track has to be Lose My Breath by Destiny’s Child. It’s such a classic and always gets me in the right headspace before a game. It’s one of those songs that instantly switches me into game mode.

Q: How did you both get into the sport?

Maja: My older brother played basketball and was super tall for his age. He loved it, so I ended up getting dragged along to every single game and training session! I was always around the sport growing up, and eventually it just became something I loved and wanted to do for myself.

Sari: For me, I was huge when I was in under-12s, so everyone around the club knew me! By under-16s, everyone had caught up and passed me in height, but by then the passion had definitely stuck. I loved being part of the team and being on the court, so I just kept going.