After playing his junior basketball in Tenterfield, 6'8" Power forward Anthony Petrie played for the Canberra Gunners in the Australian Basketball Association from 2005–2007. While with the Gunners he would win the Eastern Conference MVP award in both 2006 and 2007. At the age of 24, Petrie signed his first professional contract when he joined Sydney based NBL club the West Sydney Razorbacks for the 2007–08 NBL season. During his rookie season, Petrie averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in 28 games. After just one season with the Razorbacks, Petrie joined the Wollongong Hawks in 2008–09, playing 27 games and improving his numbers to 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. In 2009–10, Petrie had joined his 3rd NBL club, the Gold Coast Blaze. Under the coaching of 2006–07 NBL championship winning coach Joey Wright, Petrie blossomed with the Blaze, winning the NBL's Most Improved Player Award that year averaging a career high 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Following the Blaze folding due to financial difficulties at the end of the 2011–12 NBL season, Petrie, along with teammates Adam Gibson and Jason Cadee, joined the Adelaide 36ers. After enduring a poor 2012–13 NBL season under Marty Clarke in which the 36ers finished in last place with an 8–20 record, Clarke was sacked and Joey Wright joined as head coach. Wright's impact with the 36ers was immediate and the team finished the regular season in second place with an 18-10 record. After defeating the Melbourne Tigers 2–1 in their Semi-final series, Petrie and the 36ers would take on the Perth Wildcats in the NBL Grand Final series. Perth won the Grand Final 2–1 over the 36ers with Petrie averaging 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in the series. Adelaide reached the playoffs again in 2014–15 but were bundled out in the Semi-finals by the New Zealand Breakers, but failed to reach the playoffs in 2015–16. With the re-admission of the Brisbane Bullets to the NBL in 2016–17, Petrie left the 36ers citing family reasons and joined the Bullets who are coached by the Australian Boomers coach and triple NBL Championship winning coach with the NZ Breakers, Andrej Lemanis. Petrie has openly stated that he took inspiration throughout his career from former team mate Mark Rogers.
International career
Anthony Petrie made his international debut for Australia playing for the Emus in the 2002 Oceania Under 22 Championships where he led the team in scoring. Just prior to his 30th birthday, Petrie was selected to play for the Australian Boomers against China in the 2013 Sino-Australia Challenge. This led to selection in the Boomers squad for the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship.
