Cairns Taipans & Townsville Crocodiles [Archive]

Bergin

October 21st, 2004, 04:16 AM

Gertzy i came across this on the NBL site

Hawks stay top, Crocs drop
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 08:29 PM
Asa Schuster, Sportal

The Wollongong Hawks have outlasted the Townsville Crocodiles 95-83 to extend their perfect start to the Philips Champioship at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

Wollongong held a ten-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter and continued to grind out its fourth win from as many starts.

Steady play from Darnell Mee was the catalyst for the home side, his game-high 25 points and six assists keeping the Crocs on their toes as he earned 12 trips to the free-throw line.

Glen Saville produced another powerful all-round performance, filling his stat line with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

The Hawks’ 95-point total marked the first time this season they have been held under 100, coach Brendan Joyce praised his team’s ability to win in ‘ugly’ circumstances.

"We’ve been scoring pretty well, this became a defensive game tonight and we showed we can win in other ways," Joyce said.

"It got ugly, it got physical and we toughed it out and won the game."

John Rillie's poor success rate - 4-of-17 for his team-high 16 points - told the Townsville tale, as the Crocs were hampered by a 34 percent (27-of-80) shooting clip. Rillie also grabbed a team-best 11 boards as the Crocs were out-rebounded 46-58.

Rookie guard Brad Newley was a rare bright spot for coach Ian Stacker, making the most of his 20 minutes, contributing 13 points and two steals.

"Brad brings a lot to the table, he’s a great talent and he’s still learning the game," Stacker said.

"He certainly can be exciting and put points on the board fairly quickly."

Townsville’s import combination of Robert Brown (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Casey Calvary (12 and 9) were kept relatively quite as a result of the Hawks effective help-defence.

"We did a much better job defensively than we’ve done in our previous games, Wollongong did a good job defensively as well, I think that just made it difficult for both teams to execute well," Stacker said.

Despite losing their fourth consecutive game, Stacker remained upbeat about his team’s chances and room for improvement.

"Robert Brown, Adam Quick, Brad Newley, Casey Calvary, all those guys are playing their very first game in this venue against a team they’ve never played against before."

"The next time you play them, you’re going to do better against them."

"I still think we’re going to be a good team and have a good year."

Both teams shot just 6-of-21 to open the game, Wollongong's nine extra boards (21-12) helping them gain a five-point advantage (24-19), while the Crocs missed five free-throws to compound their early woes.

Townsville briefly held the lead in the second stanza before Wollongong tightened its defensive screws in the final two minutes of the half to eventually regain a three-point edge (45-42).

The visitors once again grabbed the lead with eight-straight points to open the third, but the Hawks quickly closed in with Saville posting eight points in the period to stretch the margin to 10 at the last break (73-63).

The Hawks (4-0) now head to Cairns to take on the Taipans on Saturday, while the Crocs (1-4) return home to face the Brisbane Bullets on Sunday (Crocodiles vs Wildcats scheduled for October 22 has been changed to November 1).

Wollongong Hawks 95 (Mee 25, Saville 23, Campbell 16)
Townsville Crocodiles 83 (Rillie 16, Brown 15, Newley 13)
@ WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, 20/10/2004. Crowd: 3572.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Looks like Hawks are going to be a tough contender for this year's comp. It would be good to beat Sydney Kings though :)

Gertzy

October 21st, 2004, 09:33 AM

Not wrong about that I reckon. Every time we (Crocs) play Hawks, we lose. There have been a couple of moments where we have defeated them. But especially back in 2000 and 2001 how we were in the semis but we ended up vs Hawks and losing.

Bergin

October 24th, 2004, 10:09 AM

http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001142-image.jpg

Snakes bring down Hawks
Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 11:18 PM
Andrew Aloia, Sportal
Cairns Taipans 98 (Stewart 22, Croswell 20, Grabau 18)
The Cairns Taipans, in a powerful home-court performance, brought an end to the Wollongong Hawks' perfect start to the season with a 98-87 win at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

The Taipans led at every interval, starting with a commanding 26-17 advantage at the first break and extending the margin to as much as 13 late in the third.

A controlled mid-court game by Nathan Croswell - playing in only his second home game with the Taipans - was the catalyst for the Snakes. He collected 20 points, five assists and two steals.

“We have a new point guard running the team and I thought that Nate was really sensational tonight,” Taipans coach Guy Molloy said.

“I think he is really maturing. He is only 24-25 playing with some great veterans and for him to have the strength to put people in position… is definitely getting a lot of respect from the veterans.”

Wollongong's in-form star swingman Glen Saville was nullified by the ever-improving Aaron Grabau, effectively forcing him to focus on defence.

Good defensive work by Melvin Thomas put the Hawks offence under constant pressure, while also being able to work well with Croswell to help extend the lead to 13 in the third quarter.

“You really have to complement Melvin. He didn’t score but he played some great D to control Wollongong,’ Molloy said.

Croswell made his mark early in a strong opening stanza, working quickly and effectively out of the Cairns defensive half to score 11 points for the term, emphasised by a coast-to-coast play to hit a two pointer on the buzzer.

The second quarter started well for the visitors, with a steal by Adam Caporn to stem the Snakes' barrage and register two easy points, which was quickly backed up by a pressure three-pointer from the baseline.

The Hawks' dynamic duo of Darnell Mee and Saville, who were both kept quiet in the first period, stood up in defence while Mee assumed his familiar role of attacking linchpin to finish the half with 13 points (5-of-8 from the field).

Early in the third, however, Cairns captain Anthony Stewart, supported by Grabau and big man Chris Burgess, reaffirmed the team's dominance, highlighted by a crowd-pleasing alley-oop.

Grabau continued to shine in attack in the third, hitting two three-pointers (4-of-6 for the game) to keep the Taipans 10 clear late in the term.

Adam Ballinger (19 points and six rebounds) combined with Mee and former Townsville Crocodile Mike Kelly to keep the Hawks within five points (74-69) at the final break.

League veteran Kelly finished the night with 22 points - 17 coming in the second half - and continued to lead the Hawks early in the last term with five unanswered points to close the gap to just one (82-81) with seven minutes to play. But Marcus Timmons and Grabau stepped up in the clutch to seal the match.

Despite the fact the Hawks were denied a fifth-straight win for the season and a new club record, Wollongong coach Brendan Joyce remains positive about his team's early-season form.

“Realistically, if we looked at it at the start of the season, after having played five games against Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand away, Townsville and Cairns away, if we came up with four and one we would be pretty happy,” he said.

Joyce also credited his team's ability to come back rejuvenated in the second term after a first-quarter display that produced few offensive highlights.

“After quarter-time, I though the guys refocused and played good D and did what they could," he said.

Both teams are in action on Wednesday as the Taipans travel to Sydney to play the Razorbacks for the first time since their play-off elimination last season, while the Hawks head to Perth to face the Wildcats.

Round 4 results

Hawks 95 v Crocodiles 83
Box Scores | Match Report

Bullets 111 v Kings 105
Box Scores | Match Report

Taipans 99 v Hawks 87
Box Scores | Match Report

36ers 104 v Breakers 78
Box Scores | Match Report

Razorbacks 97 v Tigers 105
Box Scores | Match Report

Kings 49 v Pirates 47

Crocodiles v Bullets Oct 24

NBL Ladder after round four
P W L
36ers 5 4 1
Wildcats 5 4 1
Hawks 5 4 1
Kings 5 3 2
Razorbacks 4 2 2
Taipans 4 2 2
Tigers 7 3 4
Bullets 6 2 4
Pirates 4 1 3
Breakers 4 1 3
Crocodiles 5 1 4

Bergin

October 24th, 2004, 10:11 AM

Bergin

October 24th, 2004, 10:16 AM

Round 5 (All times local at venue)

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Wildcats v Hawks Challenge Stadium - Perth 07:40PM AWST
Razorbacks v Taipans Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 07:40PM AEST

Friday, October 29, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Kings v Taipans Sydney Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEST
Tigers v Bullets State Netball and Hockey Centre - Melbourne 07:40PM AEST
Breakers v Razorbacks North Shore Events Centre - Auckland 07:40PM NZDT

Saturday, October 30, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Breakers v Razorbacks Trusts Stadium - Waitakere 07:40PM NZDT
Pirates v Bullets Newcastle Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEST
36ers v Taipans Distinctive Homes Dome - Adelaide 07:40PM CST

ferdinand

October 25th, 2004, 06:36 AM

Found this on the Townsville Bulletin website http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au, thought i might post it

By ANTONY STEWART http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001148-image.jpg
BULLETS SHOT BY CRAFTY CROCS
25oct04
THE Townsville Crocodiles laid their early-season shooting demons to rest with an emphatic 21-point National Basketball League drubbing of championship favourites the Brisbane Bullets at the Swamp last night.

The 129-108 victory was the Crocs' second of the season and sees their win-loss record improve to 2-4.

Leading by just one at the halftime break, the Crocs came back with an enthusiasm and commitment that had not been seen so far this season.

The Crocs went on a 19-3 run, with big American Robert Brown the main destroyer.

And with Townsville holding an 11-point advantage at three-quarter time, the final period gave the Crocs a chance to entertain the 4876 spectators at the Townsville Entertainment Centre.

After scoring just four points in the first half, Brown finished the match with the incredible figures of 32 points at 10-from-12 shooting from the field and 12 from 17 from the free-throw line and more than enough feature plays to enter into the end-of-season highlights reel.

And while Brown said he was extremely pleased with his own contribution, he tried to deflect the credit to his teammates.

"It was a team effort, the majority of my points came from the opportunities that were provided by my team," Brown said.

"(Of) course I'm happy with the way that I played, but the team all played well and that's the main thing."

On a night when all the Crocs got on the scoreboard, six made it into double figures.

Townsville's young players Adam Quick (15 points) and Brad Newley (19) had break- out games, while John Rillie came out of his shooting slump with 16 points at five from eight from the field and four from five from three-point land.

Playing in his 200th game for the Crocodiles, captain Robert Rose scored 10 points, collected seven boards and dished out five assists.

Crocodiles coach Ian Stacker said the win proved the team was beginning to gel as a unit.

"I think that we played with great intensity defensively and you can just see that it was coming together at the defensive end," he said.

"I thought against Wollongong the defence was pretty solid, but the offence had a little way to go, whereas tonight we made good decisions offensively.

"The players are starting to understand the offence that we are running and while there is still a lot of work to be done, it is coming together."

For the Bullets, Bobby Brannen was a continual inside threat for the Crocs' defence on his way to 22 points and seven rebounds, while a late flurry from Stephen Black saw him end the match as his team's leading scorer with 23 points.

Trailing 28-19 two minutes before the end of the first quarter, the Crocs scored 12 of the next 16 points either side of the first break to take the lead for the first time since the score was 2-0.

Rillie brought the crowd to life with three-pointers at the end of each quarter and seemed to be rediscovering the form he had lost early in the season on his way to 10 points and five rebounds for the half.

Despite the Bullets scoring four of the final six points in the first half, Townsville went to the main break with a one-point advantage, 56-55.

ferdinand

October 25th, 2004, 07:20 AM

The Cairns Taipans' efforts to turn thier home court into a fortress are paying dividends.
The Taipans' 98-87 win against the Wollongong Hawks on Saturday night was thier second in succession against a presviously unbeaten team and gives them a perfect record at the convention centre this season.
The effort extended the Snakes' unbeaten home record to six games and built on a recent trend which has given them a 13-6 win-loss record at the convention centre since the start of last season.
Coach Guy Molloy said the Taipans had aimed to take the Hawks on physically to establish a dominant home-court presence.
"The way our schedule is we knew our first two home games would be very crucial to our future season performance" he said.
"As it turned out we ended up playing two unbeaten teams at home so they were playing pretty damn good basketball, so that just made it tougher as well"
The Taipans again had stroung contributions from several players, something Molloy believes will be vital all season if the team is to achieve its playoff goals.
Anthony stewart had 22 points an equal match-high with Wollongong's Mike Kelly- including a nine-point contribution in the final quarter, while Nathan Crosswell (20), Aaron Grabau (18), Marcus Timmons (15) and Chris Burgess (14) also made double-digit contributions.
Crosswell exploded out of the blocks, finishing the first quarter with 11 points and leading Cairns to a 26-17 lead at the end of the term.
Melbin Thomas earnt a technical foul and unsportmanslike foul after a clash with Troy Pilan midway through the opening term, but rather than having an adverse effect on the Taipans, it seemed to spark them, and the crowd.
The Hawks chipped away at the lead over the next two periods, with the Taipans seemingly in control but never able to put the result beyond doubt.
Wollongong fought back to within a pointin the final term on the back of consective three-pointers from Kelly, but the Snakes rallied again and when Marcus Timmons hit a three-pointer with less than three minutes to go, the home side had the win in the bag.
Wollongong coach Brendan Joyce said complacency may have been an issue for his team coming into the match witha four-from-four record.
"we've won four in a row, We've beaten some pretty good teams.
Maybe we feel a little too good about ourselves," he said.
"You hope that's not going to happenm but certainly we didnt play with the same determination that we've had at the start of in other games"
Joyce was particularly complimentary about the efforts of Grabau and Crosswell. Grabaus' points contribution was strong, but it was his defensive effort on Olympian Glen Saville that had Joyce raving.
A regular member of the boomer's starting five at the recent Athen's Games, Saville was restricted to just four points on Saturday night and fouled out in the final quarter.
"(The Traipans had) gread performances from Grabau and (Croswell) did a great job running his team and made a contribtution getting to the rim and scoring tonight, played a hell of a game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there are some typo's i apologise as i had to type the whole article out.

Gertzy

October 26th, 2004, 08:11 AM

Great to see that both teams won their matches. My Brother really wanted to go see that Crocs vs Bullets match.

Bergin

October 26th, 2004, 11:23 AM

Cairns Taipans play Sydney kings Friday 29th October @ Sydney entertainment centre. I hope we can win, geez we've never won against sydney yet. Thier like the best team in the league, thier "kings of thier league" :)
anyways good luck to Taipans and thier sydney ordeal :)

Gertzy

October 27th, 2004, 09:03 AM

The next Crocs game is with Wildcats. Nov 1 I think

Bergin

November 1st, 2004, 12:23 AM

http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001167-image.jpg
Kings too good
Friday, October 29, 2004 - 10:28 PM
David Meddows, Sportal

Another final-quarter surge has propelled the Sydney Kings to a 98-82 win over the Cairns Taipans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Saturday, denying the visitors their first victory against the reigning champions in Sydney.

Despite the double-figure final margin, the game was incredibly close throughout with the lead changing hands a number of times in the first three quarters.

But it was the Kings who took charge down the stretch, the home side raising the intensity and producing a last-quarter rally that is becoming a regular feature of their games this season.

The Taipans were still reeling from a disappointing loss to the Razorbacks on Wednesday night and were hoping to break a horrific history they have with the reigning champions. Cairns has never won against Sydney at the Entertainment Centre and only recorded one win in all of their 13 meetings.

Marcus Timmons finished with a double-double, including a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, while CJ Bruton was best for Sydney with 21 points, six boards and eight assists. Bruton was also on target from beyond the arc with four-of-five of his long-range shots finding their mark. Ben Knight and Mark Sanford chipped in with 20 points apiece.

The home side shot at an impressive 50 per cent from the field (35-of-69) while the Taipans struggled to find form with 36 per cent (28-of-76), the Kings also having a slight advantage on the boards, 44 to 42.

Sydney coach Brian Goorjian admitted he was concerned about the team as a whole but was happy with the win and believes they are starting to find the form he is after.

“I think we’re hurting right now,” he said. “(But) we moved forward. I was real pleased to get this one.”

“We’ve positioned ourselves to anything from here. We’re right where we want to be. We don’t have a tradition anymore of being the violet crumbles.”

Sanford kicked the game off in style with a huge reverse dunk but, apart from a single free-throw, was to remain scoreless for the remainder of the term.

Timmons was a constant threat to the Kings, the big forward landing a long-range bomb early in the quarter to kick-start a Taipans surge that saw them establish an eight-point (17-9) lead.

But has been the case in previous weeks, the home side rallied and hit back hard and quickly closed the gap. Bruton was brutal with seven points and when Knight made a simple basket in the dying seconds, the Kings had evened up the scores (21-21).

The second quarter was again a contest between two key players – Timmons and Bruton. Both were producing some brilliant basketball, especially from outside the arc where Timmons was on target with four-from-four and Bruton not far behind with four-from-five for the half.

While it seemed the Kings were gaining the upper hand in the arm-wrestle, the Taipans were able to stay with the home side until a Bruton-inspired 8-0 run saw Sydney carve a seven-point buffer midway through the period. It was the visitors’ turn to fight back.

Stewart stepped up with a big three-pointer and with another three from the charity stripe, closed the gap to just two points before a massive pressure three from Cairns guard Gary Boodnikoff on the buzzer allowed them to overtake the home side for a narrow one-point (47-46) lead at halftime.

The game remained close throughout the third period, neither team taking advantage of small opportunities - the lead changing hands five times over the twelve minutes.

Sanford, who had been successfully kept at bay during the first half with just five points, began to make his presence felt with seven third-quarter points, while Bruton continued to lead by example, adding another five points.

Just three points separated the teams heading into the final 12 minutes with Sydney holding the small 69-66 advantage.

Cairns (4-2) has no opportunity to recuperate from the loss, heading to Adelaide on Saturday for a clash with the inform 36ers at the Distinctive Homes Dome. The Kings (5-2) also face Adelaide in their next game, the 36ers travelling to Sydney on Wednesday night.

Sydney Kings 98 (Bruton 21, Knight 20, Sanford 20)
Cairns Taipans 82 (Timmons 29, Stewart 17, Grabau 9)
@ Sydney Entertainment Centre, 29/10/04. Crowd : 4143

Gertzy

November 1st, 2004, 07:28 AM

Tonight.

Crocs vs Wildcats, 1st November, Challenge Stadium, Perth WA. I think its on about 7:30pm AEST/5:30pm AWST.

Gertzy

November 2nd, 2004, 01:12 AM

Bitter Defeat. Wildcats beat Crocs 117 - 111.

Bergin

November 2nd, 2004, 05:17 AM

Hey Gertzy lets make a deal to post winning stories of the teams not losing? i think it would be more exciting to read and not have to be constantly reminded of the pain (lol)

Bergin

November 2nd, 2004, 05:18 AM

Round 6 (All times local at venue) Prev Round | Next Round

Monday, November 1, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Wildcats v Crocodiles Challenge Stadium - Perth 07:40PM AWST

Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Kings v 36ers Sydney Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEDT

Friday, November 5, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Hawks v Taipans WIN Entertainment Centre - Wollongong 07:40PM AEDT
Razorbacks v Bullets Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 07:40PM AEDT

Saturday, November 6, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Pirates v Hawks Newcastle Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEDT
Wildcats v 36ers Challenge Stadium - Perth 07:40PM AWST
Crocodiles v Tigers Townsville Entertainment Centre 06:40PM AEST
Bullets v Taipans Brisbane Convention Centre 07:00PM AEST
Breakers v Kings Trusts Stadium - Waitakere 07:40PM NZDT

ferdinand

November 18th, 2004, 03:01 AM

http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,396995,00.jpg
CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC ... Townsville's Adam Quick meets Sydney's Jason Smith during the Crocodiles' impressive National Basketball League win last night

Kings dethroned
By ANTONY STEWART
in Sydney
18nov04

TOWNSVILLE took advantage of the Sydney Kings' terrible luck with injuries to record an 18-point National Basketball League win in the harbour city last night.

The Crocs withstood some measly first-half defence from Sydney to finish all over the Kings with a 109-91 win.

Coming back from the final change trailing by seven points, the Kings were always going to be in trouble after their bench was reduced to three with match-ending injuries to CJ Bruton and Luke Kendall.

Townsville's Brad Newley and Robert Brown each scored eight points in the final term and were in special form, answering any attempt the Kings made to get back into the game.

Casey Calvary finished the match as the top scorer for the Crocodiles with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while five other Townsville players finished in double figures.

For the Kings, captain Jason Smith played a lone hand on his way to a game-high 28 points at 11-fom-15 shooting from the field.

Townsville coach Ian Stacker said he was happy that the team did not take the foot off the pedal after the Kings' injury problems.

"I think Sydney did a very good job to hang in there - obviously losing CJ and Kendall was a bit of a blow for them, but they still had plenty of talent out there," Stacker said.

"We did a good job defensively to reduce their opportunities and do what we needed to do to win."

Both teams struggled to find any rhythm in the early stages, conceding easy misses and turnovers, but it was the Kings who settled best with the sweet shooting of Bruton and Smith.

Despite some miserly defence from the Kings, Townsville did well to only go into the first-quarter break down by seven (29-22).

If the Crocs thought their night would get easier when Bruton left the court with ligament damage to his right elbow, they were sadly mistaken.

Smith took on the role as main scorer, netting eight of Sydney's opening 13 points as they jumped out to a 41-32 advantage midway through the term.

And while the Kings were clearly playing the better basketball in a scrappy encounter, the Crocs forced their way back within four points with less than a minute remaining.

From there the Crocodiles of the past fortnight returned when Adam Quick banged a three-point effort off the glass and Casey Calvary jammed as the buzzer went in the background to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the match (49-48).

Stacker said he was proud of how the Crocodiles reacted under the first-half pressure from the Kings.

"I thought we turned it over a few too many times in that first quarter, but we did a good job to hang in there," he said.

Calvary repeated his dunking effort as soon as he hit the floor in the third quarter and when Quick made it a double act with a triple, Townsville had their biggest lead at six points.

Smith again helped the Kings back into the game, but with the Crocs leading by 76-69 Kendall went down clutching at his knee and Sydney's bench was reduced to three.

The win was the Crocodiles' third in succession and lifts them to a 5-5 win/loss record.

* Cairns scored a convincing 104-87 win over Melbourne at the Cairns Convention Centre last night.

Cairns had six players in double figures, with Chris Burgess the best with a game-high 33 points, Aaron Grabau 16 and Anthony Stewart 16, while for Melbourne only Andrew Gaze with 28, Dave Thomas 20 and David Stiff 12 made double figures.

CAIRNS TAIPANS 104 (C Burgess 33 A Stewart 16 A Grabau 16) d MELBOURNE TIGERS 87 (A Gaze 28 D Thomas 20 D Stiff 12) at the Cairns Convention Centre.

ferdinand

November 18th, 2004, 03:03 AM

http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001157-image.jpg
Taipans cruise home
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 - 11:34 PM
Andrew Aloia, Sportal

A dominant second-half performance has sealed an important 104-87 home win for the Cairns Taipans against the Melbourne Tigers at the Cairns Convention Centre on Wednesday night.

The Taipans led by 12 points at the main break, but the Tigers clawed their way back into the contest, closing within six (75-69) at the final break, before the home side romped home to seal its commanding 17-point win.

Chris Burgess asserted his dominance on the game with a game-high 33 points and 15 rebounds but emphasized his presence in the league with a phenomenal defensive game defined by his block on league legend Darryl McDonald in the third period.

While it was Melbourne’s emerging youngster Daryl Corletto that helped the team to a home-court win when the sides met previously on Saturday, the Snakes' resident up-and-comer Gary Boodnikoff chipped in with 11 valuable points to emerge as an important piece of the wining puzzle for the Taipans' 2004/05 Philips Championship season.

The Snakes sealed the match in the fourth term as Burgess continued to penetrate and put up easy points under the basket while Anthony Stewart, Tony Rampton and Aaron Grabau pried Melbourne’s defence open to seal the game with 15 unanswered points at the start of the last quarter.

Cairns coach Guy Molloy was quick to admit that the team was able to play a more physical game in the absence of Mark Bradtke but adds that the game was robbed of an epic face-off as a result.

"I think Chris was disappointed that Bradtke wasn’t out there tonight. He was disappointed about his performance on Saturday night because he didn’t think he had a good game in Melbourne and he wanted to put the record straight," he said.

Despite the absence of Bradtke, Molloy is adamant that Burgess will continue to improve as the pre-eminent player in the league capable of leading the team to greater glory.

"One-on-one at the post no-one can challenge him in the league and that is what our offence has to manufacture," Molloy said.

Tigers coach Lindsay Gaze agrees with his counterpart about the sheer offensive power that Burgess asserted in the game.

"We always knew it was going to be tough without Mark and with Chris as their main man," Gaze said.

"My prediction that they would exploit us were correct … the emphasis was to go to Burgess and he had his way with us tonight."

Burgess was kept quiet early as the visitors started the game at full throttle, opening up a nine-point lead by the halfway mark of the first quarter, courtesy of the athletic prowess of Dave Thomas.

At 12-3 the visitors were dictating play before Burgess, with nine points for the period, and Rampton (14 points for the game) asserted their physical presence under the basket to lead the Snakes' comeback and reduce the difference to one point at the first break.

Making his 350th NBL appearance, McDonald took charge of centre court to lead play as the team’s main creative option during the first half.

Despite the team’s inability to match it physically with the home side, Gaze was satisfied with the effort put in by the veteran.

"He is still as quick as he ever was," Gaze added. "North, south up and down he is as quick as anyone in the league, he is the spark and is what we needed to keep the pressure on the ball."

McDonald was Melbourne’s strongest contributor off the bench with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists while the incomparable Andrew Gaze led with 28 points.

In the second quarter Marcus Timmons (10 points and eight rebounds) took over where Burgess left off to snatch the lead within seconds of the buzzer.

Timmons’ early thrust was the spark that inspired captain Stewart, who came to the fore with a trademark long-range three-point bomb.

The hosts restricted Melbourne’s offensive options to effectively shut Thomas out of the game and keep Gaze to four points for the period, but to the veteran's credit, he persisted and was the focal point of his team's attack.

Thomas returned after the main break to get an upper hand against Boordnikoff in defence and score 20 points as the Tigers lifted.

With a 102-80 lead late in the game, the Taipans were afforded the opportunity to bring on local product Debba George for his home court debut.

With a 4-8 record, the Taipans hit the road again with a trip to New Zealand for their Friday match against the Breakers before returning to Cairns on Sunday to play the Brisbane Bullets while Melbourne (4-7) returns home to take on the Adelaide 36ers on Friday.

Cairns Taipans 104 (Burgess 33, Stewart 16, Grabau 16)
Melbourne Tigers 87 (Gaze 28, Thomas 20, McDonald 10)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 17/11/2004. Crowd 3, 207

ferdinand

November 18th, 2004, 03:09 AM

www.nbl.com.au

Round 8

Taipans 104 v Tigers 87
Box Scores | Match Report

Kings 91 v Crocodiles 109
Box Scores | Match Report

Next Scheduled Matches
Breakers v Taipans Nov 19

Hawks v Crocodiles Nov 19

Wildcats v Pirates Nov 19

Tigers v 36ers Nov 19

Razorbacks v Hawks Nov 20

Pirates v Crocodiles Nov 21

Taipans v Bullets Nov 21

Kings v Razorbacks Nov 21

36ers v Wildcats Nov 21

NBL Ladder as at 18th November 2004
Team Pld Won Lost Last 5 Streak Home Away % Pts % Won

Wildcats 10 8 2 4-1 won 4 4-1 4-1 107.2 80
Hawks 9 7 2 3-2 won 1 5-0 2-2 112.4 78
36ers 9 6 3 3-2 won 1 5-0 1-3 109.9 67
Kings 12 8 4 3-2 lost 2 5-2 3-2 105.7 67
Crocodiles 10 5 5 4-1 won 3 4-1 1-4 102.3 50
Bullets 12 5 7 3-2 won 1 1-2 4-5 94.5 42
Pirates 8 3 5 2-3 lost 1 3-2 0-3 96.4 38
Tigers 11 4 7 2-3 lost 1 3-2 1-5 96.2 36

Taipans 12 4 8 2-3 won 1 3-1 1-7 93.7 33
Breakers 9 3 6 2-3 lost 3 3-4 0-2 91.0 33
Razorbacks 10 3 7 0-5 lost 5 2-3 1-4 95.1 30

ROUND 9 SCHEDULED MATCHES(All times local at venue)

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Bullets v Wildcats Brisbane Convention Centre 06:40PM AEST

Friday, November 26, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Pirates v Hawks Newcastle Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEDT
Tigers v Breakers State Netball and Hockey Centre - Melbourne 07:40PM AEDT
Crocodiles v Wildcats Townsville Entertainment Centre 08:00PM AEST
Razorbacks v Kings Sydney SuperDome 08:45PM AEDT

Saturday, November 27, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Taipans v Wildcats Cairns Convention Centre 08:00PM AEST
36ers v Tigers Distinctive Homes Dome - Adelaide 08:10PM CDT
Bullets v Pirates Brisbane Convention Centre 07:00PM AEST

Sunday, November 28, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Breakers v Crocodiles Trusts Stadium - Waitakere 03:00PM NZDT

Gertzy

November 18th, 2004, 08:36 AM

Good, to hear both teams won their matches. I'm Glad the crocs beat Sydney.

Gertzy

December 6th, 2004, 02:22 PM

Information on what I know about the last Two Crocs Matches, They both ended in shockers losing to both the Breakers and Pirates.

ferdinand

December 21st, 2004, 10:25 AM

Crocs hold off Sixers
Sunday, December 19, 2004 - 06:27 PM
Jason Phelan, Sportal
courtesy of www.nbl.com.au
http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001353-image.jpg

Townsville has ended Adelaide's run of home victories with a hard-fought 110-107 win over the Sixers at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Sunday afternoon.

The Sixers were missing their inspirational captain, Brett Maher, and the Crocs took full advantage with a superb team effort that saw seven players reach double figures in points scored.

Townsville led for most of the game and held off a late surge by the Sixers to record the win – Willie Farley missing the opportunity to force overtime in the dying seconds when his three-point attempt rimmed out.

Robert Rose top-scored for the Crocs with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Kelvin Robertson was also important with 20 points (9-of-15).

Farley led the Sixers with a game-high 35 points on 10-of-24 shooting and Dusty Rychart played well in support with 20 points and 12 boards.

With Maher succumbing to a back injury, Adelaide was forced to reorganise its back court and as a result its offence lacked cohesion early.

The Sixers shot at 36 percent in the first quarter while the Crocs established a handy early lead on the back of some good work from Rose and John Rillie.

Townsville was up by eight points at the first break (33-25) but Adelaide turned up the heat on defence in the second to get itself back into the game.

ferdinand

December 21st, 2004, 10:26 AM

Snakes snip Hawks
Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 11:05 PM
Duncan Watts, Sportal
courtesy of www.nbl.com.au
http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00001347-image.jpg

The Cairns Taipans have completed a thrilling final-quarter comeback to beat the Wollongong Hawks 80-78 at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday.

The Hawks led at every break, but an 18-4 final quarter run, led by Taipans guard Gary Boodnikoff (17 points, 8 rebounds), brought the home side back into the contest.

Cairns also received a strong performance from centre Chris Burgess (15 points, 17 rebounds), while Hawks forward Adam Ballinger (22 points, 4 rebounds) was the standout for the visitors.

The Taipans had been behind by as much as 12 points earlier in the game, but outscored the Hawks in the final two quarters 18-13 and 25-21 to complete the comeback.

Taipans coach Guy Molloy said his team’s focus, even when behind by nine points with three minutes to play, was a main factor in the win.

“You have to give credit to our guys, they stuck to the task and got the ‘W’,” Molloy said.

“Having the guys manage to keep their heads up has been a good bit of progress.”

Wollongong suffered a double blow before tip-off with starting forward Andrew Rice sidelined through injury and star guard Darnell Mee on the way home to the US for his grandfather’s funeral.

The Taipans looked untroubled by the Hawks early in the first quarter, until Ballinger got hot, scoring the Hawks’ first 8 points, and 10 of their first 11.

Anthony Stewart (13 points) led the home side with eight points for the term, but the Taipans’ offence lacked strength as Burgess struggled to score past double and triple teams under the basket.

The early difference between the Taipans and Hawks was accuracy from the perimeter, the Hawks shooting at 40 percent (4-of-10) compared to the Taipans’ 0-of-5, as the visitors jumped out to a 22-17 first-quarter lead.

The teams traded baskets early in the second quarter, but the Hawks capitalised on 13 first-half Cairns turnovers to extend their lead to as much as 12 points.

A 9-0 Hawks run helped the visitors stretch their advantage and win the half 44-37.

The home side started the third quarter with renewed intensity, as Burgess scored six of the Taipans’ first 10 points, sparking a 12-4 run.

Wollongong’s first-quarter sharp shooting from the perimeter left them behind in the third stanza, as Cairns responded to the visitors’ accuracy by increasing defensive pressure on the perimeter, forcing the Hawks to shoot 29 percent (11-of-37) from the field.

An unlikely off-balance Aaron Grabau jump-shot continued the home team’s momentum, as they closed to 57-55 at the final break.

A 6-2 start to the final period looked to have the Hawks back on track for victory, but a Glen Saville technical foul shifted the momentum to the home side.

Boodnikoff was the star of the Taipans comeback, scoring five of the team's final nine points, including a clutch three-point play, to finish with 13 points for the half.

A missed Boodnikoff layup with 10 seconds left in the game presented the Hawks with an opportunity to win the game, but Saville’s layup attempt rimmed out, forcing the Hawks to foul.

Anthony Stewart then calmly sank four consecutive free-throws with less than three seconds left to seal the Taipans win.

Wollongong coach Brendan Joyce said his team’s performance in Rice and Mee’s absence showed the depth of his side.

“Obviously with two starters out it made it tough, but tonight showed how good we can be without those guys,” Joyce said.

“We were very unlucky to not come away with the win – very unlucky.”

The result sees the Taipans move from last position on the ladder (7-12), while the Hawks remain in the top four (11-7).

The Hawks head home to face the Adelaide 36ers on Wednesday night, while the Taipans have two weeks to prepare for a New Year’s Eve match-up at home against the West Sydney Razorbacks.

ferdinand

December 21st, 2004, 10:28 AM

Information courtesy of www.nbl.com.au
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Kings v Breakers Sydney Entertainment Centre 07:40PM AEDT
Wildcats v 36ers Challenge Stadium - Perth 07:40PM AWST

Friday, December 31, 2004
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Tigers v Hawks State Netball and Hockey Centre - Melbourne 07:40PM AEDT
36ers v Kings Distinctive Homes Dome - Adelaide 08:00PM CDT
Bullets v Wildcats Brisbane Convention Centre 07:30PM AEST
Crocodiles v Breakers Townsville Entertainment Centre 08:00PM AEST
Taipans v Razorbacks Cairns Convention Centre 08:00PM AEST

Sunday, January 2, 2005
Match (Home v Away) Venue Time TV
Breakers v Wildcats Trusts Stadium - Waitakere 03:00PM NZDT
Pirates v Taipans Newcastle Entertainment Centre 05:00PM AEDT
Hawks v Razorbacks WIN Entertainment Centre - Wollongong 05:00PM AEDT
Kings v Crocodiles Sydney Entertainment Centre 05:00PM AEDT

Gertzy

December 22nd, 2004, 08:10 AM

I see that Crocs are 4th last and Cairns are 2nd last on the ladder from the weekend
W P L
Sydney 12 17 5
Adelaide 11 17 6
Wollongong 11 18 7
Perth 12 20 8
Brisbane 9 18 9
Melbourne 8 17 9
W Sydney 8 18 10
Townsville 8 19 11
Hunter 7 18 11
Cairns 7 19 12
NZ Breakers 6 17 11

Gertzy

January 10th, 2005, 09:15 AM

Good News, The Last two games for the Crocs have been a sucess, They beat the Kings and the Razorbacks, We've taken down Sydney.

ferdinand

February 11th, 2005, 07:54 AM

Townsville crocs have been doing so good lately, i have slim hopes that the Cairns Taipans will make it into the finals... But there's always next year and despite the rivalry the majority of Cairns people will be shifting their support to the Crocs for the finals

Gertzy

February 11th, 2005, 11:13 AM

They are now 5th which is quite good. Infact the finals are happening in April but the Qualifying matches are happening next month and the crocs may just reach the finals.

Gertzy

March 2nd, 2005, 07:42 AM

Townsville is in the Semis, I think they won last nights match against Hawks.

Wezza

March 2nd, 2005, 09:06 AM

Townsville plays their 1st game against the Hawks in Wollongong tonight. It's the best of 3 series. Game 2 is to be played in Townsville on Saturday.

Gertzy

March 15th, 2005, 09:01 AM

Well, the season was good while it lasted, Farewell till October, Crocs.

Cairnsinite

January 10th, 2007, 12:53 PM

Cairns Taipans vs Singapore Slingers
Friday 12 January, Cairns Convention Centre, 7:40pm (local)

Projected Starters
Taipans: Darnell Mee, Anthony Stewart, Gary Boodnikoff, Martin Cattalini, Kevin Owens
Slingers: Brad Davidson, Mike Helms, Marquin Chandler, Ben Knight, Ben Melmeth

Bench
Taipans: Luke Martin, Damon Thornton, Aaron Grabau, Kane Oakley, Matt Smith, Scott Cook
Slingers: Aaron Trahair, Pero Vasiljevic, Larry Davidson, Jeremy Kench, Eban Hyams

Current Record
Taipans 13-11, 6th; Slingers 8-14, 9th

Recent Form
Taipans: Won 112-106 (OT) vs Breakers @ Cairns
Slingers: Lost 85-110 to Dragons @ Singapore, Won 114-103 vs Crocodiles @ Singapore, Lost 116-131 to Bullets @ Brisbane

Season Series
Taipans lead 2-0

The Snakepit in Cairns is a tremendous venue, and one of the hardest places for opposing teams to get a W in the Philips Championship. In the past two seasons, the Taipans have a 24-6 record at home, including an outstanding 11-1 mark to date in 2006/07, and although they haven’t been at their best recently they still found a way to get past the Breakers in overtime last Saturday. But there still should be some concern in the tropical north because you’d have to say this is a unit that doesn’t look like a championship contender right now. They still have the tools to get there, starting with the outstanding Martin Cattalini, who is making a strong case for Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. The 6’7” forward was once again the difference in Cairns’ victory last week, and his performances will ultimately determine how far the Taipans progress in 2006/07. Coach Alan Black would also be happy with the effort of swingman Aaron Grabau this season, because the defensive specialist has upped his numbers in scoring and rebounding significantly from the previous season and is giving the team an option they haven’t had previously. Once Gary Boodnikoff gets on track, and Damon Thornton has a few more games under his belt, the Taipans can still do some damage. For their part, Singapore is in a desperate situation as they strive to reach an unlikely playoff berth in their inaugural season. They have been terrible on the road – not surprisingly – and coming into the furnace that is the Snakepit is never an easy task. But you look at the roster and see they do have plenty of talent – it’s just that they haven’t been able to put it all together consistently. Mike Helms will go for big numbers one night, the others might struggle. Or the two Bens – Knight and Melmeth – will dominate inside yet receive no help from the perimeter guys. When they are all on the same page, look out. They have played Cairns tough in both losses this season and that’s encouraging, and if they can get stops have enough firepower to make things interesting. But the issue as always is the travel. The team hasn’t quite figured out how to overcome those problems of jetlag and other physical ailments common with extensive long distance international travel, and until they do, I can’t see them getting another win outside Singapore. I think the Taipans will play with passion and fire at home, and although the Slingers will give a good account of themselves, Cairns will be just too strong.
Matt’s Prediction: Taipans by 11

Townsville Crocodiles vs Singapore Slingers
Saturday 13 January, Townsville Entertainment Centre, 8:00pm (local)

Projected Starters
Crocodiles: EJ Rowland, John Rillie, Brad Newley, Larry Abney, Greg Vanderjagt
Slingers: Brad Davidson, Mike Helms, Marquin Chandler, Ben Knight, Ben Melmeth

Bench
Crocodiles: Daniel Egan, Kelvin Robertson, Andrew Rice, Drew Williamson, Michael Cedar
Slingers: Aaron Trahair, Pero Vasiljevic, Larry Davidson, Jeremy Kench, Eban Hyams

Current Record
Crocodiles 15-10, 5th; Slingers 8-14, 9th

Recent Form
Crocodiles: Lost 103-114 to Slingers @ Singapore, Won 113-94 vs Breakers @ Townsville
Slingers: Lost 85-110 to Dragons @ Singapore, Won 114-103 vs Crocodiles @ Singapore, Lost 116-131 to Bullets @ Brisbane

Season Series
Tied 1-1

Townsville’s ordinary road record came back to bite them on the backside in their last encounter with the Slingers when they couldn’t slow down a potent Singaporean attack and were rolled in a minor upset. But at home, they are a completely different proposition, and they ran New Zealand right off the floor Sunday night. John Rillie said after the win over the Breakers that he “went into his shell” in Singapore and wanted to ensure he made an impact against the Kiwis. Did he ever. JR went for a game-high 33 and shot the ball at an incredibly high percentage, and that’s what this team needs consistently if they are going to challenge for a Top Four spot. Rillie also admitted the Crocs needed to beat every team below them to be considered a legitimate postseason threat, so you’d expect Townsville to come out strongly against a team that has been a non-factor on the road – with this game even tougher than usual given it is on the backend of the notorious Sunshine Swing. Three losses this round would surely end any hope Singapore has of making the playoffs so if they are going to take a stand, the time is right now. Their win over the Crocs last week was full of merit and should give them some confidence heading in, because Townsville is not a standout defensive team and can be gotten at, especially on the fast break. That said, the Crocs are tremendous on their home floor – a great shooting gym tailor-made for their perimeter-oriented attack. Look for JR and Brad Newley to weave their magic and EJ Rowland to bounce back after a couple of mediocre games. The key for Townsville is securing boards and running as often as possible against what will be the fatigued legs of Singapore; Singapore in turn must find a way to slow down the Crocs in transition and take advantage of their big people inside. The Slingers will give it their best shot, but so long as the Crocodiles maintain their focus and commitment they should win this comfortably.
Prediction: Crocodiles by 19

Cairnsinite

January 10th, 2007, 12:57 PM

Ladder

Team Pld Won Lost Last 5 Streak Home Away % Pts % Won

Bullets 24 19 5 5-0 won 9 12-1 7-4 112.19 79.17
Wildcats 24 17 7 4-1 won 1 11-1 6-6 108.36 70.83
Tigers 24 17 7 3-2 won 1 11-2 6-5 104.73 70.83
Kings 24 15 9 3-2 won 2 10-2 5-7 103.89 62.50
Crocodiles 26 16 10 4-1 won 2 11-1 5-9 102.47 61.54
Taipans 25 14 11 3-2 won 3 11-1 3-10 101.02 56.00
Dragons 26 12 14 3-2 lost 1 6-6 6-8 97.66 46.15
36ers 25 10 15 2-3 lost 1 6-7 4-8 95.75 40.00

Slingers 22 8 14 2-3 lost 1 7-5 1-9 97.29 36.36
Hawks 22 8 14 0-5 lost 5 4-7 4-7 95.64 36.36
Breakers 24 7 17 0-5 lost 9 6-5 1-12 94.97 29.17
Razorbacks 24 2 22 0-5 lost 20 2-10 0-12 88.34 8.33

Wezza

January 10th, 2007, 03:49 PM

Crocs played the Pigs tonight & spanked the crap out of them.......39 points!

Cairnsinite

February 15th, 2007, 04:39 AM

Crocs sling Singapore
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 09:22 PM
Zane Bojack, Sportal
http://nbl.com.au/_content/image/00003287-image.jpg http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,5388798,00.gif

The Townsville Crocodiles have eliminated the Singapore Slingers from the Philips Championship Finals Series with a 106-93 victory at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

The Crocs now face the Kings in Sydney on Friday night after some dramatic moments against the Slingers, who made a strong charge in the third term after trailing by 18 points at half-time.

American import Larry Abney (30 points, 12 rebounds) and skipper John Rillie (26 points including five-of-nine triples, nine rebounds and five assists) were once again the stars for the home side as the fifth-placed Crocs showed their superior experience in NBL play-off games.

However it was the performance of American point guard EJ Rowland which proved the ultimate difference, becoming the first player since Sam Mackinnon to score a triple-double in the finals with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as well as five steals.
Crocodiles coach Trevor Gleeson said his point guard did a great job in marking Slingers danger man Mike Helms and was a silent killer in many aspects.

"I didn't realise he had so many boards," Gleeson said. "He did a hell of a job getting five steals as well and did a great job on Helms defensively who only shot six-of-20 and had a hand in the face all night and put pressure on him when he was dribbling."

"He has been an added bonus for us and we need his energy out there and he gets a good crack at Sydney on Friday night."

Gleeson said he was happy with the effort against a team which the Crocs believed they should beat after finishing much higher on the ladder.

Rillie echoed those sentiments and said all eyes will now be on his side's match up with last season's beaten grand finalists.

"Goorj (Brian Goorjian) will have those guys pretty amped up and they will probably be peeling paint off the walls right now but you just have to combat their intensity early on," Rillie said.

"If we can get into some sort of flow we will be fine, with both teams having some team changes since we last played and it's been a long time between drinks but it will definitely be a feel out session."

The Slingers were playing their first finals game in their inaugural season in the Philips Championship and it was left to their most experienced players to get the job done.

Ben Knight was magnificent with 21 points, 17 boards and two assists while Helms (20 points, eight rebounds four assists), Brad Davidson (17 points including five-of-eight triples) and Aaron Trahair (14 points) worked hard to keep them in the contest.

Slingers coach Gordie McLeod said Singapore fans had plenty to cheer about in coming years with his side showing tremendous character in the match as they had throughout the season.

"You are always disappointed when you lose but the pleasing thing is the guys sort of showed what they have showed all year," McLeod said.

"We got behind through being poor in a couple of areas and the guys showed they are fighters by toughing it out and making a run at it, we had our opportunities, and if we had taken those it could have been a different thing."

The former West Sydney mentor said his players have had to change their way of life and get used to long hours of traveling to compete in the Philips Championship.

"I am so proud of the guys and the way they have approached everything this year," McLeod said.

"People back in Australia just don't understand what these guys have been through with regards to the basketball season and pre-season and those who are there know they are warriors."

Townsville was allowed to put on a clinic early on as both teams tried to fire up in front of a small crowd at the Swamp.

The Crocs shot out of the blocks in the opening minutes with the ease of Abney's jumper in the first minute an indication of what was to come.

The game seemed to lack intensity in the first term with first Townsville and then Singapore taking turns at making scoring runs.

The Crocs shot out to an early seven-point lead thanks to the hot hand of Rillie with the score at 16-9 after four minutes.

However, this seemed to spark Trahair into action with the Singapore sharp shooter jacking two triples in his 10 points for the term as the Slingers recovered to be only five points down at quarter-time (26-31).

The home side looked like it was again going to run away from its opponents in the second stanza with the Crocs racking up a 16-5 run to lead 49-35 with three minutes remaining.

Singapore continued to rely on Trahair and Helms for its baskets while Knight made his presence felt but the Crocs were on fire leading into the main break.

They outscored the Slingers 29-16 in the second quarter and took a commanding 60-42 lead into half-time.

The Crocs went cold in the third quarter and let the Slingers back into the contest with the Asian NBL franchise outscoring them two-to-one in the first seven minutes thanks to four consecutive triples from former Croc Davidson.

The Slingers scored 26 points in quick time as the Crocs clung to a 74-66 advantage with four minutes remaining until the last break.

Knight continued to impress with strong drives to the basket as the Slingers lifted their shooting percentage and cut the margin to just six points but Townsville registered a late flurry to push the score out to 82-73 at three-quarter time.

The Slingers never allowed the Crocs to get away in the final term but struggled to peg back the home side's double-digit lead.

Helms went to the foul line to complete a three-point play with four minutes left and the Slingers trailed by only eight points before a Knight jam shortly after saw the margin cut to only six (97-91).

But Townsville steadied through a double to reserve shooter Daniel Egan (14 points, four rebounds) and then another to Rillie before finally coasting home to a 13-point victory.

Footnote: EJ Rowland became just the 5th player ever to record a triple-double in the NBL playoffs behind Sam Mackinnon (twice), Darryl McDonald (twice), Ricky Grace and Robert Rose.

Townsville Crocodiles 106 (Abney 30, Rillie 26, Newley 19)
Singapore Slingers 93 (Knight 21, Helms 20, Brad Davidson 17)
@ Townsville Entertainment Centre, 14/02/06. Crowd: 3964

Cairnsinite

February 16th, 2007, 02:17 PM

DRAGON SLAYERS

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2007/02/16/dragon_slayers.gif http://nbl.com.au/_content/image/00003281-image.jpg

16Feb07

High flyer: An airborne Darnell Mee hits his straps on the way to 27 points during the Taipans’ rollicking playoff win against South Dragons in Cairns last night.
Taipans victory books trip west

The Cairns Taipans head into tomorrow’s elimination quarter-final against Perth high on adrenalin and confident they can push further into the National Basketball League playoffs.

The manner of last night’s win against the South Dragons at the convention centre, rather than the victory itself, determined the Snakes’ mood after the match.

Against one of the best attacking teams in the league, the Taipans’ frugal defence allowed few chances and shut the Dragons out for all but the opening seconds of the game.

The tone was set in a dynamic opening period where 61 points were scored and the Taipans took a potentially match-winning 15-point lead to the first break.

They were not to have things all their own way though, with the Dragons reducing the margin to four points at halftime and threatening to steal the home team’s thunder.

But any cockiness the Taipans may have had was erased at halftime when coach Alan Black reminded his charges they could not just expect the league’s newest team to lie down.

"If we thought we were just going to walk into the gym and they would lie down, that was never going to happen," Black said.

After shooting at better than 63 per cent in the opening period, the Snakes slipped to less than 40 in the second as the Dragons fought back.

"I thought about halfway through the second we fell in love with our offence and we stopped really getting down and doing the defensive things we’d done at the start," Black said.

"We re-focussed after halftime and our second-half defence was terrific."

Aaron Grabau was outstanding on Dragons shooting guard Kavossy Franklin and Darnell Mee restricted Shane Heal’s opportunities, although the captain-coach landed several long-range bombs as he urged his team to fight back in the second half.

Perth finished the regular season in third place, although the Taipans head into the game with a 2-1 record against them this season and a win in their most recent clash in Darwin a fortnight ago. While the Taipans face a tough task to back up, Black fancied their chance heading into the game with momentum.

Heal, who was disappointed at his team’s exit from the playoffs although chuffed with his players’ show of character, said Cairns was a chance in Perth "for sure".

"They’ll have to shoot the ball well … Cattalini will have to step up and get probably 25-30 on the road for a win but he’s certainly capable of that and I think Perth are a little bit vulnerable as well right now, they haven’t had a great couple of weeks."

Cairnsinite

February 17th, 2007, 08:00 AM

Kings end Crocs' dream
Friday, February 16, 2007 - 09:50 PM
Ben Collins, Sportal[/SIZE]

http://nbl.com.au/_content/image/00003248-image.jpg http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,5391277,00.gif

The Sydney Kings have booked their place in the semi-finals of the Philips Championship after romping to a 122-89 victory over the Townsville Crocodiles at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

A devastating performance from Mark Worthington ensured Sydney advances to the semi-finals to face the Brisbane Bullets and keeps the Kings in the hunt for their fifth successive Grand Final appearance.

The Boomers forward claimed 19 of his game-high 28 points in the first half as the three-time champions streaked to a 66-39 half-time advantage.

Townsville had a 2-1 record against the Kings this season but the Kings have lost just once at the Kingdome and blew away the Crocs with a 22-2 surge in the second quarter.

Captain Jason Smith, playing his 350th NBL game and his 51st play-off game, kept Sydney in control, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the third quarter, while BJ Carter finished with a career-high 20 points and was 6-of-8 from the arc.

The Kings had a total of six players in double figures, shooting 54% to the Crocs' 44% and out-rebounding the Crocs 58-34.

"We were good all the way around and we got contribution from everybody," said Kings coach Brian Goorjian, who has now led a team to the NBL semi-finals for 18 successive seasons.

"I think the consistency came from the defensive end of the floor for us. We talked about the traditions of the Kings over the last four years in defense, rebounding and looking after the ball, and this team has had to be better.

"It turns an entry into a chance and we want to savour that moment for a minute. We feel real good about the win tonight and getting a day's rest, but we're here to win this thing (the championship)."

Kelvin Robertson finished strongly for the Crocs, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the final quarter, and coach Trevor Gleeson felt the result did not match the team's achievements over the campaign.

"It wasn't a reflection of our season at all," he said. "It was a disappointing way to finish. We came here with a quiet confidence, we've been playing well, but hats off to the Kings.

"They pushed us out of the stuff we were trying to do and we didn't do a good job of countering that. They seemed stronger and every open shot they got was dropping."

Townsville took an early advantage but five straight points from Russell Hinder (17 points) gave Sydney a 7-6 lead, before Luke Kendall's three-pointer capped a 12-0 run that put Sydney up 19-9.

Worthington took his tally to nine points for the quarter as Sydney led 31-22 at the end of the first term while Smith passed 1,000 points at the Kingdome.

Hinder, who scored a team-high 18 points in the last game of the regular season, then added another five points as Sydney charged clear at the start of the second stanza.

Worthington hit consecutive baskets and Carter drained two three-pointers as Sydney's lead ballooned to 53-27 before Cameron Tovey's second straight basket stretched the lead to 32 (64-32) just before the long break.

Brad Newley (14 points) and former Kings guard EJ Rowland (17 points) battled to get the Crocs back into it but the hosts were never troubled, Smith hitting 11 straight points for the Kings as they led 92-60 into the final term.

The Kings heaped the misery on the Crocs, putting on a 14-1 run at the start of the fourth to lead by 43 (106-63), although the Crocs rallied late on to add a sliver of respectability to the scoreline.

http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/kings-header.gif 122 (Worthington 28, Carter 20, Hinder 17, Smith 16) Def
http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/crocodiles-header.gif89 (Robertson 21, Rowland 17, Abney 14, Newley 14)
@ Sydney Entertainment Centre

Cairnsinite

February 17th, 2007, 08:10 AM

http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/wildcats-header.gif VS. http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/taipans-header.gif 5:40pm AWST at Challenge Stadium, Perth

Cairnsinite

February 17th, 2007, 11:57 AM

Taipans upset Wildcats
Saturday, February 17, 2007 - 09:41 PM
Sportal

http://nbl.com.au/_content/image/00002910-image.jpg

http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/taipans-header.gif 82 http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/wildcats-header.gif 78

The Cairns Taipans have set up a semi-final clash with the Melbourne Tigers after upsetting the Perth Wildcats 82-78 in their quarter-final at Challenge Stadium in Perth.

The Taipans led by one point with a minute remaining in the match, but Gary Boodnikoff sunk a killer three which gave his team the edge - which it did not relinquish.

Darnell Mee top-scored with 19 points for Cairns, and was well backed up by Boodnikoff with 15.

For the Wildcats, Shawn Redhage poured in 24 points to lead his side, but fouled out with 39 seconds to go as Perth tried to claw back into the game. Paul Rogers added 18 for Perth.

Perth Wildcats 78 (Redhage 24, Rogers 18)
Taipans 82 (Mee 19, Boodnikoff 15)
@ Challenge Stadium

Cairnsinite

February 17th, 2007, 12:08 PM

http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/tigers-header.gifVS. http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/club/taipans-header.gif Wednesday Feb 21, 7:40pm at State Netball Hockey Centre, Melbourne

Wezza

February 19th, 2007, 03:40 AM

The Crocs were woeful the other night. I started to watch the match, but got sidetracked pretty easily after a while when i knew they had no chance of coming back. It was just one of those nights when nothing could go right for them & everything Sydney touched turned to gold. I guess it happens from time to time, bugger of a time for it to happen though! lol Anyways, c'mon Bullets, get some revenge on Sydney. All Qld GF series would be cool.

Gertzy

February 20th, 2007, 01:02 AM

I remember in the 2000 quarter-finals, when they had the Crocs and Wildcats game which was held here in Townsville, all the Commentators kept saying was that a Cyclone Warning was issued for the region, and it turned out to be Tessi.

Cairnsinite

February 21st, 2007, 10:27 AM

Sydney and Melbourne are old timers...so i say out with the old and in with the new...ps. i would love to see an all Qld finals...:)

Wezza

February 21st, 2007, 10:59 AM

I'm hoping for a Bullets championship! Sorry Cairns guys! :) I was a Bullets supporter well before Townsville or Cairns had teams. Plus it's been good to see the game being revitilised in Brisbane. They played their 1st match at Boondall in years last night. Got a decent crowd as well. (5400 people) I think if they beat Sydney to make the GF, they'll get 10,000 or so to the championship matches. I still want the Taipans to make the GF though.

Cairnsinite

February 21st, 2007, 12:23 PM

all i want is for the old guns: sydney and melbourne to bow out and let some new kids on the block battle it out :)

Wezza

February 22nd, 2007, 04:27 AM

I'm sure Cairns can rattle Melbourne up there in the next game to take it to a decider. Brisbane should down Sydney tonight hopefully. :)

Cairnsinite

February 23rd, 2007, 06:55 AM

Taipans draw strength from defeat and fans

Emma Greenwood

23Feb07

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2007/02/22/STORY5.gif

Just the tonic: Gary Boodnikoff is greeted by undaunted Taipans fans on his arrival with the team in Cairns yesterday.
THE Cairns Taipans have examined Wednesday night's horror second half against the Melbourne Tigers to find out exactly where their offence broke down and how to remedy it ahead of tonight's vital semi-final.

The Taipans had little time to turn their fortunes around but coach Alan Black was confident it was possible, even taking some positives out of the opening NBL semi-final encounter in Melbourne.

"We’ve got to regroup," Black said.

"We’ll have a look particularly at that third quarter and see how our offence broke down and have a look at what we did.

"But I thought – two three-minute periods aside – our defence wasn’t too bad, the zone worked pretty well, we were able to force them into some perimeter shots and were able to contain their penetration.

"(But) in that third quarter they got too easy baskets, they were getting to the paint, they snuck under the rim like they do and we just didn’t have an answer for it.

"The Taipans have drawn strength from their home crowd all season, yet tonight will be the first convention-centre sellout.

Black hopes more than 5300 screaming fans will be just the tonic his players need.

"It’s a semi-final. The way it’s supposed to go in a semi-final is the home team wins the first one, the home team wins the second one and away you go," he said.

"I think there’s some technical things that we have to do with our offence to try and get better and get some easier shots but I think that we can turn this around pretty quickly.

"Sport’s a funny thing. You look down-and-out one minute and the next minute you’re up and running.

"That’s the beauty of it and I think particularly at home, with a home crowd and the noise they make and the adrenalin you get from that I think you’ll find we won’t have any problems getting up for the game.

"Obviously the Tigers are a great team. They beat us (on Wednesday night) but Friday’s a different game."

Black refused to blame the Taipans’ heavy schedule over the past couple of weeks or their tiring trip to Perth for Wednesday’s loss and while many of the Snakes are carrying slight injuries he will not hear of that being used as an excuse either.

"I think most players are banged up a little bit (at this stage of the season)." he said.

"I just think there are no excuses in a semi-final. You play with what you’ve got and with the bangs and niggles you’ve got knowing other people are the same and you put it all out there and see what happens.

"Like I said, it’s game one of a best-of-three, if it was game one of an elimination, you’d be walking home with your tail between your legs.

"But it’s not, so we’re going to go after it and see what we can get done."

Centre Kevin Owens, who has not had his happiest two games of the season in the past two playoff matches, said the Taipans had to bounce back.

"That’s what the semi-finals are about. You can’t sit there and dwell on the loss," he said.

Tonight's Game

http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/taipans-header.gif VS. http://nbl.com.au/_content/club/tigers-header.gif at http://www.architectureaustralia.com/resources/aa/1996/09/5proj_1.gif

Cairnsinite

February 23rd, 2007, 06:56 AM

Cairnsinite

March 1st, 2007, 11:33 AM

i would just like to say good on ya Taipans for a very exciting year...Hopefully next nbl season you will go one better!! :)
ps. may joe blake retire a happy snake :)

http://www.ticketsplus.com.au/Images/taipansbackyard160.jpg
http://www.taipans.com/dimages/Joe_Blake_17_11_200531_th.JPG

Cairnsinite

April 18th, 2007, 12:56 PM

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2007/04/17/STORY5.gif
In full flight: Larry “The Birdman” Abney caught in a tug of war between the Taipans and Townsville Crocodiles.

Taipans firm as Abney's new Home
'Birdman set to fly north to Cairns'
18Apr07

CAIRNS Taipans general manager Denis Keeffe is making no apology for his efforts to assemble the strongest possible National Basketball League team.

Given a directive from his board to put together a team capable of bettering the Taipans’ semi-final finish of the past two years, Keeffe and coach Alan Black have placed "an emphasis on recruiting" during the off-season.

Keeffe confirmed yesterday the Taipans had made an offer to import forward Larry "The Birdman" Abney but said he had not been signed despite a press release from Townsville claiming Abney was likely to sign with the Crocs’ "arch rivals".

Townsville chief executive Ian Smythe said despite the Crocs’ offer to Abney being "the most substantial in our club’s history" it had been rejected and he believed the import would most likely sign with Cairns.

"We were simply out-bid," Smythe said.

GoTroppo

April 19th, 2007, 02:53 AM

Taipans firm as Abney's new HomeCongrat's Taipan's - Larry's a huge pickup if you can nab him. The Crocs are increasingly looking like cannon fodder with Newley and now Abney off the roster.

Actually, all credit probably needs to go to Keeffey - he's an impressive General Manager and was key to the early success of the Crocs and certainly was pivotal in turning around the Cowboys. Our loss is certainly your gain!

Cookies18

July 23rd, 2007, 02:09 PM

WK1 Thursday, 20 September 2007: New Zealand Vs Cairns
North Shore Events Centre - New Zealand

WK1 Saturday, 22 September 2007: Cairns vs Townsville (Brownsville)
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK2 Saturday, 29 September 2007: Cairns vs Gold Coast
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK3 Friday, 5 October 2007: Wollongong vs Cairns
Win Entertainment Centre - Wollongong

WK3 Saturday, 6 October 2007: Sydney vs Cairns
Sydney Entertainment Centre - Sydney

WK4 Wednesday, 10 October 2007: Cairns vs Melbourne
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK5 Sunday, 21 October 2007: Perth vs Cairns
Challenge Stadium - Perth

WK6 Saturday, 27 October 2007: Cairns vs Brisbane
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK7 Wednesday, 31 October 2007: West Sydney vs Cairns
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre - West Sydney

WK7 Sunday, 4 November 2007: Gold Coast vs Cairns
Gold Coast Convention Centre - Gold Coast

WK8 Saturday, 10 November 2007: Cairns vs Wollongong
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK9 Saturday, 17 November 2007: Cairns vs New Zealand
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK10 Thursday, 22 November 2007: New Zealand vs Cairns
North Shore Events Centre - New Zealand

WK10 Sunday, 25 November 2007: Cairns vs Sydney
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK11 Saturday, 1 December 2007: Cairns vs South Dragons
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK12 Saturday, 8 December 2007: Cairns vs West Sydney
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK13 Sunday, 16 December 2007: West Sydney vs Cairns
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre - West Sydney

WK14 Friday, 21 December 2007: Cairns vs Singapore
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK15 Thursday, 27 December 2007: Melbourne vs Cairns
State Netball & Hockey Centre - Melbourne

WK16 Monday, 31 December 2007: Cairns vs Brisbane
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK17 Wednesday, 9 January 2008: Cairns vs Perth
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK17 Saturday, 12 January 2008: Brisbane vs Cairns
Brisbane Convention Centre - Brisbane

WK18 Sunday, 20 January 2008:Singapore vs Cairns
Singapore Indoor Arena - Singapore

WK19 Friday, 25 January 2008: Townsville (Brownsville) vs Cairns
Townsville Entertainment Centre - Townsville (Brownsville)

WK19 Saturday, 26 January 2008: Cairns vs Adelaide
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK20 Friday, 1 February 2008: Cairns vs Gold Coast
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

WK21 Wednesday, 6 February 2008: South Dragons vs Cairns
Vodafone Arena - Melbourne

WK21 Saturday, 9 February 2008 Adelaide vs Cairns
Distinctive Homes Dome - Adelaide

WK22 Wednesday, 13 February 2008 Wollongong vs Cairns
WIN Entertainment Centre - Wollongong

WK22 Saturday, 16 February 2008: Cairns vs Townsville (Brownsville)
Cairns Convention Centre - Cairns

http://www.violencenoway.org/images/Cairns_Taipans_logo.jpg VShttp://www.djrod.com.au/Crocs.jpg http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00000538-image.jpg BRING ON THE GRUDGE MATCHES: 22/09/07 Cairns, 25/01/08 Townsville, 16/02/08 Cairns

TomA4

July 24th, 2007, 12:02 AM

well Cairns just about has the best roster on paper in the leauge. Hoxever it will be interesting to see if they gell together as a team.

GoTroppo

July 24th, 2007, 07:17 AM

Alas, I don't hold out much hope for the Crocs this year. Our roster has been decimated and I think Larry's comments (that he left because he wanted to win a championship) sums up the sad state of the club.

The perception is that they're unwilling to spend the dollars and they've been doing their best to reign in costs (fewer assistant coaches, support staff, etc). Which is strange because the club has always been a "going concern" so there's been some speculation it reflects the level of confidence in the viability of the league.

Cookies18

July 24th, 2007, 08:47 AM

you're doubting your team already...oh dont be a sad sport :?
The season hasnt started yet and who knows people like pepper might make a statement in the games

Cairnsinite

September 4th, 2007, 06:24 AM

went to the Basketball challenge over the weekend and it was awesome...Cairns Taipans, Brisbane Bullets, Gold Coast were there....oh and so was Townsville...
Good game between Taipans and Crocs....feels kinda strange seeing Larry Abney in Taipans colours :nuts: anyways the Taipans injected venom into the Crocs....cant wait till the NBL season starts....will definitely be in Cairns and Townsville for the grudge matches :)

||-GOB-||

September 4th, 2007, 02:19 PM

One of the things I like about the NBL is the number of Queensland teams in it, now that Brisbane are the champs and with the Gold Coast joining they might aswell rename it the QBL. :lol:

Cairnsinite

September 16th, 2007, 01:32 PM

http://www.canz.com.au/images/billboards/taipans/Taipans-logo.jpg VS. http://www.nbl.com.au/_content/image/00000538-image.jpg Athttp://www.2007isscr.org/images/CCC%20Hero%20final.jpg
7:30PM Saturday 22nd September, 2007 (Round 1)
Cairns Convention Centre

Cairnsinite

October 3rd, 2007, 05:42 AM

as it stands Taipans are 2nd on the ladder behind Melbourne and Crocs are 9th behind new Queensland franchise Gold Coast

Theville01

October 3rd, 2007, 05:55 AM

^^ Are you trying to make the crocs sound shit?

GoTroppo

October 4th, 2007, 02:54 AM

^^ Are you trying to make the crocs sound shit?I don't think he needs to make it "appear" like anything - they are playing lousy. I watched the game against Sydney last week. We blew a 15 point lead in the 2nd in about 3 mins flat and poor Rillie missed an open 3 pointer with 10secs on the clock in the 4th that would've tied up the game - there was no-one within Cooee of him, had all the time in the world to line up and he missed the hoop by a couple of feet.

Mind you, we also lost one of our imports for the rest of the season the day before and he'll only be replaced this week - so I'm willing to cut them some slack. But then again, that's just one person - and if we're that reliant on an individual, it's going to be a dismal season...

Cairnsinite

October 4th, 2007, 01:33 PM

^^ Are you trying to make the crocs sound shit? mate its just random updates from time to time.....and its also a "friendly bragging thingy" nothing personal

Cairnsinite

October 5th, 2007, 04:35 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/e/eb/Wollongong_Hawks.jpgVS http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bc/150px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg
Friday 5 October (Tonight), WIN Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm (fox sports)

*images courtesy of: http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bc/150px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/e/eb/Wollongong_Hawks.jpg

Theville01

October 5th, 2007, 05:09 AM

I rekon Cairns has a good chance this year to be honest but iam dissapionted that larry abney (sorry about spelling) went to cairns :lol: But Townsville may make it to the pre lims this year but I doubt they would win this year, If cairns play good this year as they have than there a chance

Theville01

October 6th, 2007, 04:09 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/e/eb/Wollongong_Hawks.jpg84-89 http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bc/150px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg
Good win for the taipans, Looking good!

Cookies18

October 6th, 2007, 11:10 PM

Kings rule over snakes

Glen Saville The Sydney Kings have held off a fast-finishing Cairns Taipans on their way to a 92-85 victory at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

Forward Mark Worthington once again led the way for the Kings (20 points - 13 rebounds), while Glen Saville also recorded a double-double (18 points - 13 rebounds) to steer the Kings home.

Sydney saw their 18 point half-time lead all but evaporate in the third quarter and led by just three points at the final break, but the home side hung tough to record their third straight win of the season against the previously unbeaten Taipans.

A superb shooting display from guard Stephen Black (8-of-14 from long range), along with a strong all-around game from Nathan Jawai (22points - 18 rebounds) was not enough to give Cairns their fifth win of the season.

"We did what we had to do to get the win and I'm excited at where this club can go to," a relieved Worthington said at the post game press conference.

"We're winning games on heart at the moment and I think we can build offensively with our structure and executing well and defensively just getting more stops."

"We were all a bit tired but I think that shows how big the hearts are on the team right now."

The Kings got the early jump to lead by 14 points after just five minutes of action - Jason Smith providing the initial spark with back-to-back bombs from beyond the arc to open proceedings.

Sydney showed no sign of fatigue despite only returning from their whirlwind tour of China on Thursday.

Instead it was the visitors who were sluggish on the back of their 89-84 victory over the Hawks on Friday night - with the exception of Rashad Tucker (four points - seven rebounds).

For the hosts Mark Worthington led the way with eight points - Jason Smith and Glen Saville chipping in with six apiece.

The Kings had no intentions of slowing down in the second quarter, extending their lead to as many as 19-points towards the end of the half.

Explosive Kings point guard Dontaye Draper came alive with seven points while Glen Saville led all scorers for the half with 12 - Luke Kendall was also busy with six first-half assists.

Eleven first-half turnovers told the story for the Taipans who went into the main break down 48-30.

Big-man Nathan Jawai led the visitors with eight points (3-of-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds - seven at the offensive end.

Cairns came out firing in the third quarter with a 6-0 run and got to within six points with four minutes remaining, thanks largely to four Stephen Black long-bombs.

The home-side steadied to again lead by double digits before the Taipans mounted another charge to draw within three points at the final break, 66-63

The Kings (3-0) play the South Dragons away next Sunday while the Taipans (4-1) host the Melbourne Tigers on Wednesday night.

Sydney Kings 92 (Worthington 20, Saville 18 , Smith 17 )
Cairns Taipans 85 (Black 24, Jawai 22, Tucker 16)
@Sydney Entertainment Centre, 06/10/2007. Crowd: 4224

Cairnsinite

October 10th, 2007, 02:01 AM

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bc/150px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg VS http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/8/83/150px-Melbourne_Tigers.jpg

at Cairns Convention Centre. Tonight: Tip off 7:30pm (fox sports 2)

Theville01

October 20th, 2007, 04:56 PM

Couldnt be botherd typing :D

http://i22.tinypic.com/sglank.jpg

Theville01

October 22nd, 2007, 04:40 AM

:D

http://i24.tinypic.com/qn017p.jpg

Cairnsinite

October 22nd, 2007, 10:10 AM

ok now i feel there are tough times ahead for Taipans.....oh well thats life :)

Makka

October 23rd, 2007, 11:36 AM

^^True True look at the crocs at the start of the season, now theve got the ball rolling, still alot of hope for Cairns this year!

Cairnsinite

October 28th, 2007, 10:48 AM

http://www.canz.com.au/images/billboards/taipans/Taipans-logo.jpg112 DEF http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/5/56/Brisbane_Bullets.jpg90

The Cairns Taipans have broken their three-game losing streak with a 112-90 triumph over the Brisbane Bullets at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

The Taipans never looked troubled after shooting out to a 14-point lead at half-time as they cruised to their fifth win of the NBL HUMMER Championship season.

Import Larry Abney hit back to top form with a 26-point, 16-rebound night, while Nathan Jawai (17 points, 14 rebounds), Martin Cattalini (17 points) and Aaron Grabau (14 points) were all crucial in the win.

For the visitors, Ebi Ere (18 points), CJ Bruton (15 points) and Craig Bradshaw (15 points) contributed to the cause but it wasn’t enough to match the high-scoring Taipans.

The Bullets shot 39 per cent from the field (32-of-82), while the Taipans were more on target - 45 per cent on 37-of-83 shooting.

But it was the boards where Cairns really stamped its authority, pulling down 52 rebounds to Brisbane’s 39.

The home side made a blazing start to the contest, racing out to an 11-3 lead inside the opening four minutes before some cool shooting from Ere ensured Brisbane entered the first break just three points adrift (33-30).

The Bullets hit the lead early in the second stanza but their stay in the sunshine was brief as Cairns wrested control of the contest.

Cattalini popped up for a pair of long range bombs and Jawai chipped in with some important baskets as the Taipans entered the long break with a dominant 63-49 advantage.

The third quarter was more of an arm-wrestle as the teams traded baskets early on.

Cairns stretched its lead out to 22 points late in the stanza, but seven points from Bruton in the final 82 seconds of the quarter closed the deficit back to 16 points (88-72) at the final change.

Brad Williamson’s long-range bomb closed the gap to 10 points four minutes into the final quarter, but the challenge was brief.

Cairns simply had all the answers, extending the margin back out to a more comfortable 16 points before closing out the win.

Cairns (5-3) will look to make it back-to-back wins when it confronts the Razorbacks in Sydney next Wednesday, while Brisbane (6-2) takes on the Breakers in New Zealand on Thursday.

Cairns Taipans 112 (Abney 26, Jawai 17, Cattalini 17)
Brisbane Bullets 90 (Ere 18, Bradshaw 15, Bruton 15)
@ Cairns Convention Centre; 27/10/07.

JnR

October 28th, 2007, 11:08 AM

http://i20.tinypic.com/i3gbac.jpg

JnR

October 28th, 2007, 01:03 PM

^^Wins for NQ :D

Cairnsinite

October 31st, 2007, 06:03 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0c/West_Sydney_Razorbacks.jpg/150px-West_Sydney_Razorbacks.jpg VShttp://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bc/150px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg
at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Center
Live 6:30pm foxsports 1

JnR

November 3rd, 2007, 03:09 AM

http://i16.tinypic.com/5xhppqe.jpg

Cairnsinite

November 17th, 2007, 12:13 PM

http://www.4cafm.com.au/listen_online.html
http://www.violencenoway.org/images/Cairns_Taipans_logo.jpghttp://www.cbwc.org.au/images/4ca.gifhttp://www.lakopacific.com/content/Image/Resellers/WOW.gifCall team

Wezza

November 18th, 2007, 12:17 AM

Cairns got a little spanking last night huh? Looks like you've hit a little rough patch! Townsville must have stolen your form, they won easily again last night. ;)

Cookies18

November 20th, 2007, 07:00 AM

sadly the casualty ward is filling up with Cairns players.....kudos to Townsville for thier win but they played an easy team and we had to deal with an in form breakers :)

Wezza

November 20th, 2007, 09:06 AM

^^
Townsville won 3 in a row now.

Cairnsinite

November 29th, 2007, 05:29 AM

great win to Townsville over Melbourne Tigers :)
wish Cairns can bloody beat tigers:bash:

Wezza

November 29th, 2007, 09:05 AM

Townsville are on a bit of a streak now, thought they are playing Brisbane Bullets tonight who seem to be finding form. Corey Williams seems to be a good find for the Crocs. Will be interesting to see who wins.

**EDIT** Bullets 120-113 Crocs

TomA4

December 2nd, 2007, 06:41 AM

crocs are looking really good for the second part of the season, mostly home games now. good win over perth last night too :banana:

Cairnsinite

December 21st, 2007, 07:44 AM

Yay Cairns has moved to fourth on the ladder even though the team has injury woes...also have noticed a 3-way Queensland affair with Brisbane-Cairns-Gold Coast (as at 21 December) ^^:banana:

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff48/cairnsinite/nbl.jpg

Wezza

December 21st, 2007, 11:58 PM

Bit of a shock loss to Singapore last night for Cairns!

Cairnsinite

January 2nd, 2008, 04:54 AM

http://www.wivenhoe.gov.uk/images_various/Clip_Art/fireworks.jpgTaipans welcome new year with a "bang"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/thumb/c/c4/Cairns_Taipans.jpg/114px-Cairns_Taipans.jpg 120 DEF http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/5/56/Brisbane_Bullets.jpg 112
The Cairns Taipans have celebrated the end of 2007 in style by slam dunking the defending premiers, the Brisbane Bullets, 120-112 in their HUMMER Championship NBL match at the Cairns Convention Centre on Monday in front of a near capacity crowd of 4970.

Stephen Black led the Taipans with a game high 30 points and was ably supported by Jared Newson who gave the fans a taste of his aerial ability with some big dunks amongst his 22 points.

In an explosive start to the match 20 points were scored in the opening three-and-a-half minutes as the Taipans lead 12-8. But defence dominated the rest of the quarter as both teams had to work very hard for points. A Larry Abney free throw right on the buzzer extending the home sides advantage to two points at the break, 23-21.

The Snakes came out for the second stanza on fire and blew their lead out to 12 points by scoring the first ten points of the period. But the visitors again turned to their trusty defence and a very effective full court press to close the gap to the solitary point before the Taipans fired again.

Abney exploded with nine points in the final four minutes of the term as the Taipans shot out to a 56-46 lead on the back of a 15-6 run. A Brad Williamson three-pointer the only thing able to stop the onslaught as the Bullets trailed 56-49 at the half.

Abney and Stephen Black led the way for the Taipans with 14 points apiece as Williamson and Adam Gibson had nine each for a Bullets side who went into half time with foul troubles for their key big-men Dillon Boucher (4) and Craig Bradshaw (3).

The big crowd was in full voice as the Taipans onslaught continued from the opening moments of the third. The home side took full control with a 30-18 third stanza to lead 86-68 at the final break. The visitor's aggressive defence, meanwhile, had ended up hurting the Bullets as they conceded 30 fouls, sending the Snakes to the line 19 times in the third quarter alone.

The lead blew out to as many as 22 in the final term before Brisbane launched a barrage of three pointers to get back to within single figures at the death.

The Taipans are now at 11-9 for the HUMMER Championship NBL season and have a nine day rest before hosting the Wildcats next Wednesday. The Bullets slip to 14-7 but have a chance to return to the winners list when they host the Dragons on Saturday night.

Cairns Taipans 120 (Black 30, Newson 22, Jawai 21)
Brisbane Bullets 112 (Williamson 27, Rychart 18, Bradshaw 14)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 31/12/2007, Crowd: 4790

----------------MEAN WHILE IN TOWNSVILLE-----------------------------

http://www.thakral.com.au/oasisshop/img/logo/Gold%20Coast%20Blaze.jpg 87 DEF http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg 79

The Gold Coast Blaze have succeed in their first venture to The Swamp, ending the Townsville Crocodiles' year in a losing fashion with a 87-79 point win at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night.

Led by James Harvey (21), Jason Crowe (16) and Pero Cameron (16), the visitors outdid a Crocodiles outfit relying on captain John Rillie (16) Ben Pepper (15) and Daniel Egan (12) but lacking any spark from match-winner Corey Williams.

The Blaze came out the better after a close first quarter to accelerate to a 10 point lead at half time and then a 13 point lead mid-way through the third, which would ultimately prove unassailable for the home side.

Blaze coach Brendan Joyce said it was a vital win: "It's pretty pleasing, where both teams sat tonight it was about who was going to move forward," he said.

"If we loose we are still in a pretty good position but, if we win, we have a buffer and if we keep doing what we are doing we should get a home final."

Joyce praised the efforts of his players.

"I though Jason Crowe did a fantastic job on Williams and Harvey did a fantastic job on Rillie," he said.

"Collectively our guards did a great job on defence and that was where the game was decided."

The start of the first quarter was staggered by the refs whistle until Rillie found the net and Jason Crowe sank a three for the Blaze.

The whistle continued to sound, Williams quickly racking up two personal fouls and Juaquin Hawkins, Scott McGregor and Casey Frank one each.

Crowe then sank another from beyond the arc to keep the score 10 all.

The Blaze then crept ahead before Michael Cedar hit a three-pointer to lock the scores up once again.

A Ben Pepper lay up and his 11th point of the game kept the Crocs ahead 22-21 at the first break.

Crowe continued to lead the Blaze in the second, scoring his 12th point with a twirl past the Crocs defence and then a seemingly easy two.

Lightning dribbling by the import then set up Hawkins for three to give the Blaze a four-point, 34-30 lead.

Pepper tried to lift the Crocs but the side struggled for cohesion, something Cameron didn't lack, sinking a three and helping the Blaze to an unlikely 45-35 lead at half-time.

Rillie began the Crocs fight back in the third with a three-pointer to recommence proceedings.

A quiet Williams then found the net with only second scoring shot of the night.

But the Blaze kept their noses in front by outdoing the Crocs in the paint, none better than Cameron with his sixth defence rebound.

The lead looked like blowing out but free throws from Daniel Egan kept the margin respectable and the home side retained some hope.

Egan then slashed the deficit again, this time with a thee-pointer to bring the crowd to life and end the quarter trailing 57-66.

Egan continued his sudden dominance to start the final quarter by taking his scoring tally into double figures.

The sides then exchanged points, the margin lingering on 10 points.

With that, Harvey stepped up, sinking a three and making the unlikely Blaze appear likely to walk away as victors.

The Crocs fought hard to cut the margin to single figures, Young fouling out in his struggles.
But the Blaze held on for an unlikely 87-79 victory.

The Townsville Crocodiles host the South Dragons on Friday night while the Gold Coast Blaze visit the Melbourne Tigers.

Townsville Crocodiles (RiIlie 16, Pepper 15, Egan 12)
Gold Coast Blaze (Harvey 21, Crowe 16, Hawkins 16)
@Townsville Entertainment Centre 31/12/07 Attendance 4843

Cookies18

January 10th, 2008, 03:39 AM

Taipans fend off Wildcats

https://www.livingincairns.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/image/Taipans-Logo.jpg 93 Def http://nttcatdw.itnu.com.au/multimedia/NTTC/perthwildcats_ev_1a_p.gif89
Cairns Convention Centre

CAIRNS coach Alan Black says the Taipans will need to maintain concentration if they are to be a National Basketball League force this season.

The Taipans held a 17-point quarter-time lead after a near faultless opening period in the 93-89 win against the Wildcats last night but blew much of it in the second term, adding just 10 points to their score – the club’s lowest second-quarter contribution.

The four-point halftime margin allowed the game to become a half-court slog and while the Snakes’ ability to win such a contest was a good sign overall, Black was disappointed his side had allowed last night’s game to become so mired.

"The thing that probably upset us was that we didn’t go on with it and we just lost our focus," Black said. "If we’re going to make a splash this year then we’ve got to be able to keep going and keep our foot on the throttle – I think the better teams in the league are able to do that."

Black said the aberant second quarter came about when the Taipans moved away from the things that had been successful.

"Our defence in that first quarter was sensational … and I thought we let ourselves down defensively in that second quarter," he said.

"We get a lot of our baskets out of our defence.

"In the third quarter, Darnell (Mee) made a couple of really great steals and got us going again. Disappointing from a discipline standpoint to say that we played so well, and defended so well in that first quarter, and then we weren’t able to keep it going."

While Stephen Black top-scored with 26 points and Larry Abney had 25, Mee was one of the Snakes’ best in his return, the five-time defensive player of the year helping turn the tide back in Cairns’ favour with five steals and a block.

With the game in the balance midway through the third quarter, a Gary Boodnikoff three gave the Taipans a five-point break and some breathing room before Paul Rogers’ continued complaint at a call that went against the Wildcats led to consecutive technical fouls being called against him.

Fifty-one fouls were called in a physical match, with both coaches seemingly puzzled by some of the calls.

But Perth’s Scott Fisher insinuated media reports about the Wildcats’ style had influenced the referees.

"It’s in the paper every single time we come here – headline: ‘Physical Cats’... blah, blah, blah, every single time we come here" he said.

******in the meantime its back to a three-way Queensland affair with Brisbane-Cairns-Gold Coast on the nbl ladder******

§æµ

January 27th, 2008, 08:42 AM

CROCS HAMMER TAIPANS

http://i32.tinypic.com/ffd4qb.jpg

WHO needs Larry Abney? We've got Kelvin Robertson. The pint-sized point guard proved good things come in small packages last night as he turned out his best game ever in Crocs colours with 37 points to lead Townsville to an upset 120-113 win over the Cairns Taipans in front of a sellout crowd.

He completely overshadowed the return of former Croc Abney who put in an average performance after injurying his ankle at training on Thursday.

The 180cm Townsville junior also equalled his record of seven three-pointers in a game that he set against the West Sydney Razorbacks last year.

"There's always been a rivalry (between Townsville and Cairns), whether it's ABA or NBL it's always a game I look forward to playing," he said.

"Everything was clicking, I've been working on my shots since pre-season and at the start of the season it was working great.

"Then I went into a bit of a (slump) and I just had to keep sticking at it and the rewards came tonight."

The Crocs came out slow at the start, but exploded out of the blocks in the second quarter with a massive 42-point term which propelled them to a 62-50 halftime lead.

But they were made to work for their win as they held off a ferocious Snakes' charge in the final quarter that cut the lead back to just six points with two minutes left to play.

And they were forced to endure it without star centre Ben Pepper who fouled out early in the term, forcing his young replacement Greg Vanderjagt to survive the daunting task of guarding NBA hopeful Nathan Jawai with five fouls to his name.

Fans at The Swamp had their hearts in their mouths as Stephen Black put up a three-pointer with a minute to go which would have cut the lead to just three, but the shot fell short.

They will leapfrog the Gold Coast to sixth position on the ladder should the Blaze lose to the Wildcats tonight.

Neither team set the world on fire in the opening term in a tight defensive struggle, but it was the Taipans who opened up their account first through consecutive baskets to Stephen Black.

And the visitors shot out to a seven-point lead as NBA hopeful Jawai found his range with three long jump shots.

Townsville product Robertson helped cut the lead back to just three but fellow local junior-turned Taipan Dwayne Vale helped himself to a quick five points to blow the lead back out to eight.

Townsville's own Michael Cedar decided to join the party with a buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Crocs clawed back to trail 27-20 at the first break.

But if the Crocs were looking for confidence, they found it in the form of Robertson who went on a second-quarter rampage which included four three-pointers for a total of 16 points for the term.

In a stunning turnaround the Crocs rained down 42 points to the Taipans' 23 with Brad Sheridan also chiming in with eight points to give the home team an unlikely 62-50 lead heading into the second half

The Crocs will next play the West Sydney Razorbacks in Sydney on Thursday night.

Wollongong celebrated captain Mat Campbell's 400th NBL game with a thrilling 91-89 win over South Dragons at WIN Entertainment Centre last night.

Campbell, who holds the games record for the club, had 17 points as his side sent the Dragons to a 12th straight defeat on the back of a Kavossy Franklin three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.

Former Phoenix Suns (NBA) guard Gerald Brown orchestrated a rare win over Brisbane on their home court with Perth upsetting the reigning NBL champions 105-95 at the Brisbane Convention Centre last night.

TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 120 (Kelvin Robertson 37 points including seven three-pointers, Corey Williams 28 points, five rebounds, John Rillie 13 points, five assists, Galen Young seven points, 16 rebounds, seven assists) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 113 (Nathan Jawai 28 points, 15 rebounds, Stephen Black 24 points, nine assists, Martin Cattalini 14 points, six rebounds). Crowd: 5257 at the Townsville Entertainment Centre

Wezza

January 27th, 2008, 10:20 AM

No Taipans fans were in too much of a hurry to post the score up from Friday night i noticed? ;)

Sean, what is the sig at the bottom of your page all about?

Cairnsinite

January 29th, 2008, 05:20 AM

No Taipans fans were in too much of a hurry to post the score up from Friday night i noticed? ;)

Maybe cos most of us wer still travelling back from Townsville at the time......not to worry the Taipans will give the crocs a hard time in Cairns.....lets see how the crocs and thier fans fare in front of a Cairns home crowd:lurker:

Cairnsinite

February 1st, 2008, 02:30 PM

Taipans snatch thriller

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:07 PM

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00118564-image.jpg

A Martin Cattalini ten-foot jumper with 4.3 seconds on the clock has given the Cairns Taipans a thrilling 87-85 victory over the Gold Coast Blaze in their vital HUMMER Championship NBL clash at the Cairns Convention Centre on Friday.

Cattalini starred down the stretch scoring nine points in the final term as the Taipans desperately fought to snap a two game losing streak and keep their home play-off hopes alive.

The win was a double bonus for the Snakes who have now secured the series 2-1 over the Blaze, but it all looked like coming undone after key big man Nathan Jawai was tech fouled out of the game with 1:43 to play, the costly blow-up saw a two point Taipans lead turn into a two point deficit 85-83.

But enter the Cat who scored the final four points of the match to steer his side home.

The Taipans had the better of the opening quarter leading for the majority until a pair of Jason Crowe threes leveled things up at 22 a piece at the break.

The Taipans scored consistently early in the second and extended their lead out to as many as nine. The Blaze only keeping themselves in the contest with strong three-point shooting. It took almost eight minutes for the visitors to add anything other than a three to their tally and when Daniel Joyce landed their sixth three of the quarter right on half time the Blaze had somehow snatched a 50-49 lead.

The Blaze had ten three-pointers in their 50 points with Jason Crowe leading the way for the visitors with 11 points while Cattalini had just as many for the Snakes in limited minutes.

Nathan Jawai opened the third with nine straight points as the Taipans threatened to open the game up again but Pero Cameron and James Harvey continued with the three point barrage to keep the visitors level pegging.

Gold Coast took a 73-71 lead at the final break with Crowe leading the way with 15pts and Cameron’s four of five three-pointers giving him 14pts. Jawai had 19pts and eight boards for the home side.

The Taipans now join the Blaze on 14-12 and prepare to travel to Melbourne to take on the Dragons on Wednesday night as part of three matches on the road in seven days.

The Blaze will jet back down to the Gold Coast to take on Adelaide on Sunday.

Scorecard
Cairns Taipans 87 (Cattalini 22, Jawai 21, Black 15)
Gold Coast Blaze 85 (Harvey 18, Crowe 15, Cameron 14)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 1/2/2008, Crowd: 3099

§æµ

February 1st, 2008, 02:55 PM

Townsville won last night!

Wezza

February 2nd, 2008, 12:53 AM

Pretty low crowd in Cairns??? Do they usually get more than that?

Sean: what brand of chassis is that go-kart?

§æµ

February 2nd, 2008, 01:22 AM

Lol one of my mates:

http://i31.tinypic.com/npjhnt.jpg

Cairnsinite

February 7th, 2008, 04:55 AM

Pretty low crowd in Cairns??? Do they usually get more than that?
Townsville and Cairns have higher crowd numbers than the other teams in the nbl...i think a major deterant for the crowd numbers could be blamed on the dwindling performance the Taipans have been displaying lately (especially between Townsville, Adelaide and now the South Dragons)....I can guarantee you that next week's Cairns-Townsville clash should be close to a sell out....alot of Townsville fans generally make the pilgrimage north and because its the final home game before finals, alot of Cairns fans will come out in force. i just hope we can hang in there and still make the finals as Adelaide are nipping at our heels for a finals berth :bash:

Wezza

February 7th, 2008, 09:40 AM

Yeah you guys are hanging on for dear life at the moment.

Cairnsinite

February 7th, 2008, 12:20 PM

but i feel Cairns will still make the finals berth and Adelaide mathematically have very slim hopes...unless they can pull out the impossible?

Wezza

February 7th, 2008, 10:29 PM

Adelaide did manage a miracle thrashing of Brisbane. I feel Brisbane are still the best team in the comp, but they're just not clicking like they did last year. Plus with McKinnon being injured most of the year hasn't helped.

Cairnsinite

February 8th, 2008, 04:40 AM

anyways im still staying positive that Cairns will make the finals berth and besides Adelaide would need to keep winning all thier games to be in the hunt whilst Cairns would need to win just one game to keep them out :)

will be a tough contest tomorrow when Townsville take on Brisbane.....i will definitely be watching that match on fox sports. Im gona tip the bullets for this one :banana:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg VS. http://eventphotos.com.au/assets/images/nbl/bullets-logo.gif
Townsville Entertainment Center Saturday 9th February 6:35pm tip off

http://www.kab.org.au/_dbase_upl/36erslogo.gif VS. http://www.justpurple.com.au/pre/taipans-logo.gif
Distinctive Homes Dome, Saturday 9th February tip off 8pm (Adelaide time)

GoTroppo

February 9th, 2008, 11:36 AM

Game just ended - so this is hot off the presses.

Crocs 117 defeated Brisbane 100

Crocs led from the opening and never looked back ... remarkably easy win actually.

cool_dude69

February 9th, 2008, 11:48 AM

Game just ended - so this is hot off the presses.

Crocs 117 defeated Brisbane 100

Crocs led from the opening and never looked back ... remarkably easy win actually.

The crocs website said the score is 116 to 100. http://www.crocodiles.com.au/

§æµ

February 9th, 2008, 01:10 PM

http://i31.tinypic.com/20tjor8.jpg

36ers beat home Taipans

MARCUS WILSON, SPORTAL

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:12 PM

The Adelaide 36ers still have a slim chance of making the HUMMER Championship NBL play-offs after beating the Cairns Taipans 113-104 at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Saturday.

After trailing by one point at the long break, the Sixers came to life with Adam Ballinger and Julius Hodge the key players in the sometimes flashy but always desperate second half.

The Sixers need to win their next game against the Slingers and rely on the Taipans losing their remaining two games to progress to the major round.

The game had extra significance for the team and the 7000-strong crowd, with Phil Smyth and his assistant Steve Breheny unlikely to coach at the Dome again. It was also Lanard Copeland's last home game.

It was a disappointing effort by the Taipans who battled hard for most of the contest but couldn't drop the critical buckets when the game was in the balance.

Ballinger and Hodge scored 31 points each (Hodge also compiled 14 rebounds and nine assists) while Copeland's performance was a reminder he is one of the competition's all-time greats.

Martin Cattalini was composed and top scored with 27 points, Stephen Black dropped 25 points while Nathan Jawai and Jared Newson chipped in with 13 points each.

It was a tight first quarter with both teams applying plenty of pressure in defence.

Cairns had the upper hand for most of the quarter with Cattalini proving a steady competitor.

But Adelaide had some early contributors too, with Adam Ballinger standing up in the opening minutes while back-to-back three pointers from Copeland saw the home side momentarily in front.

However the Taipans took the honors and a 27-23 lead into the first change.

The Sixers came out of the blocks in the second quarter and scored 11 unanswered points in the opening minutes.

They held a small buffer for most of the stanza but couldn't shake the Taipans despite their new-found momentum.

Cairns continued to work hard and regained the lead as the points continued to flow for Cattalini.

The visitors took the smallest of margins into the long break (52-51) but Adelaide did finish the half on a high - a turnover allowed Hodge to spin 180 degrees and dunk in the final minute.

Adelaide caught Cairns napping again and went on a 10-4 run stretch in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter.

The third term followed a similar script to the second with the Taipans challenging their opposition thanks to some enterprising offensive work by Scott Cook and Black.

But this time the home side managed to keep their noses in front - Brett Maher chipped in for his first points of the clash to give his side a five-point lead at the final break.

Ballinger put the Sixers on the front foot by scoring his side's opening eight points. His purple patch opened up a match-high 11 points and left the visitors with a tough task ahead.

They weren't up to the challenge with Hodge and Ballinger continuing to inspire their team mates and the excitable crowd.

Cairnsinite

February 10th, 2008, 06:18 AM

looks like the Taipans finals berth has just been put on life support

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd275/ticketnews/red_arrow_graph_small.jpg

but not to be alarmed just yet....we would still need to be Wollongong which shouldnt be much drama

Wezza

February 10th, 2008, 11:44 AM

The crocs website said the score is 116 to 100. http://www.crocodiles.com.au/
It was definitely 117-100, though it's funny, cos i asked Corey Williams if they won last night when i saw him & he said they won by 15 points. :lol:

§æµ

February 10th, 2008, 12:01 PM

Were did you see corey williams? Hes a champ fav player!

Wezza

February 11th, 2008, 04:12 AM

I saw him at the Consortium.

Cookies18

February 12th, 2008, 03:17 AM

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
http://www.careerone.com.au/webdav/site/jobs/shared/BullyLogo_new.JPG
Croc arrested

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/02/12/galen_1_usual.jpg
12Feb08

STAR Townsville Crocodiles import Galen Young's future with the team lays in the balance after he was charged by police for dual driving offences last week.

The National Basketball League club confirmed Young had been arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning in front of the Railway Avenue Caltex petrol station.

He was charged with driving while disqualified and with failure to supply a specimen when asked for a breath sample to test his blood alcohol level.

Young, who could not be contacted yesterday, is likely to contest the latter charge when he appears in court later this month.

The incident occurred about 4.50am.

Under Queensland law, failure to supply a specimen to police results in an individual automatically being charged with being over the serious blood alcohol limit of 0.15.

Young was driving a car registered to the club at the time of the incident, which has since been reclaimed.

The Memphis native had his driving licence suspended for an unknown offence in December.

Crocs chief executive Ian Smythe, who picked the 32-year-old up from the police station, said Young would be represented by club legal sponsor Roberts, Nehmer McKee.

"The club has always had a philosophy of supporting their players. We will continue to support Galen and ensure that he is represented well in this case," he said.

"But the club is not in two minds on its perspective that it in no way supports what happened and is very, very disappointed with Galen's decision to drive."

Mr Smythe said a decision on how Young would be disciplined by the club had not been made.

However, he did not rule out sacking him from the club at the completion of the season, depending on the outcome of his court appearance.

"The club is extremely disappointed, but we're waiting for an outcome before we make a decision," he said.

"I have not had the chance to talk to any members of the board yet.

"The club would not want to put the team or the fans in a position that would take focus away from the playoffs, so we're not making a decision until the playoffs are complete.

"The club at some stage in the future will certainly be sitting down with Galen and working through the action that the club will take.

"But at this stage the number one priority for him and the club is to ensure that he has good legal representation."

Mr Smythe confirmed the club had imposed a midnight curfew on its players since the incident, but said it was coincidental to Young's case.

"The discussions between (coach) Trevor (Gleeson) about the curfew and what we were going to do coming into the playoffs revolved around our schedule at the end of this week," he said.

"We have got a road double and the chances that we could have to back up again within four days for another playoff and then another two days after that.

"So it was already on the cards (and) very much a coincidence."

GoTroppo

February 12th, 2008, 07:41 AM

The crocs website said the score is 116 to 100. http://www.crocodiles.com.au/Yeah I know, we had a problem with the scoring system - the scoring program they use missed Corey's first free throw for some reason and it was out by a point from then on. We have a backup system we can fall back on but sometimes it works it out during the game. However, once it was obvious it wasn't happening, and as the score wasn't close, I decided to leave it rather than bringing down the web-scoreboard in the middle of the game.

Cairnsinite

February 13th, 2008, 10:35 AM

Taipans fans stand firm

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 4:59 PM

http://www.nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00118577-image.jpg

Skytrans Cairns Taipans co-captain Martin Cattlini has praised and thanked Taipans fans for their support during a tough period for the club.

“It has been well publicised about our injuries this season and I know more than anyone the frustration sitting on the sidelines and not being to help the team," said Cattalini. "It has been really pleasing for me to see a our younger guys such as Dwayne Vale and Nathan Jawai step up and fill the gaps left by our injuries this season. I am really proud to be a part of our player group as I think we have shown a lot of guts through adversity this season as they just got on with the job and didn’t complain."

"The scenario hasn’t changed for us. We still have to win one of our last two games to secure our third year in a row appearance in the finals and two wins should see us secure a home quarter final. We truely believe we can get it done. When a sporting club is going through a tough period it is the supporters that can really make a difference. We have no doubt we have the best supporters in the league and we will get there.”

Cattalini said the club's recent supporter’s trip to Adelaide really hit home to him how passionate Taipans fans were about their club.

“We had a supporter group of about 40 people down for the game and they nearly cheered themselves hoarse. After the match, even though we lost, it was very humbling for us to hear from our fans how much they love the club and that they support us through thick and thin. They presented us with a scrap book made up of well wishes, messages and words of encouragement for the next two games. I know Blackey (coach Alan Black) and a lot of the boys have been receiving encouraging texts and phone calls during the week and I can tell you it has really helped lift the players. We have two games to go and will be taking them one at a time and doing everything we can to get the wins on the board.”

The Skytrans Cairns Taipans also take on archrivals the Townsville Crocodiles on Saturday night in the club's last regular season home game of the year. The game is shaping up as one of the biggest matches of the season for both teams, said Skytrans Cairns Taipans star Larry Abney, who was the target of Crocs fans in the clubs recent trip to Townsville.

“The Townsville crowd gave it to me down there so I am really looking forward to being home, playing in front of a big crowd and getting some of their own medicine dished back at them," said Abney. "As a player it’s these big games that you love playing in and our next two matches are the biggest ones we will play so far this year. We just simply have to win starting this Wednesday against Wollongong.”

Skytrans Cairns Taipans Sales & Marketing Manager Brad Tassell said the Crocs fans were very vocal in their support of their team in Townsville.

“I went down with a supporters group to the Townsville match recently and it was pretty intimidating for us and let’s say an interesting experience," said Tassell. "Townsville brag about their crowd support and atmosphere at home games but I can honestly say that Cairns fans can match and better their passion and support any day. Our venue at full capacity has an unbelievable atmosphere – unlike any other venue I have been to. We would love to pack out the Convention Centre, raise the roof cheering for our team and drown out any Crocs supporters who come up for the game. We want the crowd support and noise to be as intimidating as possible on Saturday night for the Crocs players.”

A family BBQ and activities will start from 5pm this Saturday night at the Skytrans Cairns Taipans vs. Townsville match before the main game kicks of at 6.35pm due to Fox Sports live television coverage.

Tickets for the Skytrans Cairns Taipans vs. Townsville Crocs match are available from the Taipans shop, Stockland Cairns, phone 1300taipans or online at www.ticketsplus.com.au.

------------------------------------------------------------
Exit Adelaide

http://www.justpurple.com.au/pre/taipans-logo.gif 116 DEF http://www.logoserver.com/basketball/WollongongHawks2.GIF 95

Win Entertainment Center
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff48/cairnsinite/exit.jpg

Cairns clinches playoff place against Hawks
Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:25 PM
Asa Schuster, Sportal

http://www.nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00118691-image.jpg
Nathan Jawai
The Cairns Taipans have booked their place in the playoffs following a 116-95 comeback win over the Wollongong Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

Cairns overcame a 13-point deficit at halftime with a blistering 38-14 effort in the fourth quarter, clinching the eighth and final playoff spot behind a 20-2 run after the scores were locked at 85-85.

Nathan Jawai punished the hoop with eight dunks in a brute show of force, while in contrast Jared Newson glided and soared through the air for the bulk of his haul of 24.

The Hawks shot 56 per cent in the first half, but their clip dissolved into 25 per cent in the second, while the Snakes drained an incredible 72 per cent of their shots in the second.

Larry Davidson fuelled the Hawks with 17 points and an infectious effort on the defensive end in the first half, but once he hit foul trouble he and the Hawks clearly faded.

Kavossy Franklin poured in a game-high 29 points, Cam Tragardh and Aaron Trahair each added 15.

Jawai powered in the visitors first six points, but Wollongong was able to absorb the big man's impact and after he was called for a technical for throwing the ball at Ben Castle, the Hawks mounted a stinging run.

Wollongong hit the lead at 9-6 on the back of five straight points from Davidson and when Franklin found his stroke the Hawks had opened up a 16-point gap (33-17).

Franklin and Davidson combined for 17 in the quarter, while Jawai had 11 as the Hawks led 33-22.

After six unsuccessful attempts from deep in the first, the Taipans were able to chip away at the deficit with a pair of key threes.

Martin Cattalini's triple pulled them within 10 before Jawai closed the gap to eight with one of his key-clearing slams.

Tragardh steadied the ship with a three-point play in the lane and the Hawks led by as many as 18 before heading into halftime in front 62-49.

Jawai and Stephen Black linked up to help build a 13-5 run, capped by consecutive slams by Newson as Cairns closed within five 72-67.

Franklin relived some pressure with a triple but in the final minute Dwyane Vale posted seven straight points for the Snakes, including a buzzer-beating triple, to reduce Wollongong's edge to three (81-78) with 12 minutes to play.

Vale connected on another three early in the fourth, before Black's jumper gave the visitors their first lead since the first quarter at 85-83.

Jawai's go-ahead slam at 87-85 paved the way for Cairns as it ran out the remainder of the game 26-10.

The Taipans (15-14) now play the Townsville Crocodiles at home on Saturday, while the Hawks (9-20) finish their season when they play the Bullets in Brisbane on Saturday.

Cairns Taipans 116 (Newson 24, Jawai 20, Black 19)
Wollongong Hawks 84 (Franklin 29, Davidson 19, Tragardh 15, Trahair 15)
@ WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, 13/2/2008. Crowd: 3064.

**sorry peoples but i just had to brag since its been soooo long for the Taipans to have a bloody win! this now makes looking forward to the Townsville Crocs game in Cairns more the worth while. Bring on the Crocs :)
And who cares if we get knocked out in the first week of finals, at least we made the top 8 :banana::banana:

Wezza

February 13th, 2008, 12:01 PM

“I went down with a supporters group to the Townsville match recently and it was pretty intimidating for us and let’s say an interesting experience," said Tassell. "Townsville brag about their crowd support and atmosphere at home games but I can honestly say that Cairns fans can match and better their passion and support any day. Our venue at full capacity has an unbelievable atmosphere – unlike any other venue I have been to. We would love to pack out the Convention Centre, raise the roof cheering for our team and drown out any Crocs supporters who come up for the game. We want the crowd support and noise to be as intimidating as possible on Saturday night for the Crocs players.”
Lol
Likely story! :)

Whats with the, "we would like to pack out the convention centre"? In Townsville it would be a definite sell out.

Cairnsinite

February 13th, 2008, 12:33 PM

Lol
Likely story! :)

Whats with the, "we would like to pack out the convention centre"? In Townsville it would be a definite sell out.
any crowd about 4000 is good for Cairns....remember Townsville has over 20,000 more people than Cairns...thats why you guys get more bums on seats :)
I went to the crocs vs taipans game in Townsville and i have to say i did see a few empty seats even though the game report said it was a "sell out crowd"

ps you should come to the game....i need someone from Townsville to annoy :lol:.... i bet it will be 98% full as lots of Townsville fans will come up to help crocs get into top 4 berth and boy will i be giving hell them just like they did to Taipans fans in Townsville :bash:

§æµ

February 15th, 2008, 02:22 PM

Crocs secure home final with Blaze win

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/04/27/JTNEWLEY_narrowweb__300x474,0.jpg

By Ben Galvin 23:45 AEST

Fri Feb 15 2008Text size

The victory ensures the Crocodiles will finish at least fifth while the Blaze suffered their third straight loss and limp into the playoffs in eighth position.

Galen Young laid the foundations for the Crocs victory with another MVP performance of 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Young didn't do it all alone with Drew Williamson (16 points), Kelvin Robertson (14), Corey Williams (12) and Michael Cedar (10) all reaching double figures.

Gold Coast were right in the match up until Townsville erupted away with a 32 point third quarter.

James Harvey netted 17 points to be the best performer for the Blaze while Ben Melmeth (13) and Casey Frank (12) also contributed.

Young posted seven first quarter points to give Townsville a six point buffer at the first break while Ben Melmeth's six points kept the Coast in the hunt.

Young and Williams continued the Crocs early momentum extending the lead to 10 before Harvey's 12 first half points halted the local's run and put Gold Coast back in the contest 49-45 at the main break.

The Crocs surged again after the half racing to a 24-point lead with Drew Williamson lighting up from beyond the arc and some strong work from Ben Pepper under the basket.

Townsville's 32-point third quarter explosion sealed the Gold Coast's fate with the fourth quarter little more than a chance for Townsville to tune up for a home final berth.

Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson praised his side's all-round performance and the impact of Young.

"The bigger the game the better Galen plays, he has a lot of experience and he is bringing that to the table and the other guys are feeding off him," said Gleeson.

"The guys played well, especially after halftime they really knuckled down so I was pretty pleased with our defence intensity.

Then the offence started to flow when we were moving the ball.

"We have been playing like that for the last month or so. It was good that we got that consistency level.

"We have got the inner belief in ourselves that when we play the right way we can compete with anybody in this league."

Blaze coach Brendan Joyce conceded his side had some work to do in the lead up to the play-offs.

"We would have liked a better performance. We played two quarters of basketball and obviously the third quarter was a huge discrepancy for us.

"Looking at the offence end we need better ball movement, we need to share the ball. We got a little too much one-on-one happening and things stagnate and we were easy to guard.

"We have to address our offence and that's something that is fixable and we have just got to have the discipline to get it done."

Cairnsinite

February 17th, 2008, 12:58 AM

Taipans tame Crocs

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 9:25 PM , Jamie Townsend, Sportal

The Cairns Taipans have ripped the Townsville Crocs apart with a dominant 108-88 win in their HUMMER Championship NBL at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday.

In front of a raucous full house the Taipans not only maintain the pivotal North Queensland bragging rights after taking the series 2-1 but the win gives them a great chance of hosting a home play-off next Thursday.

Larry Abney, Stephen Black and Nathan Jawai lead a strong team performance from the Snakes with 21 points. Corey Williams carried the Crocs on his back for much of the night posting 37pts but he needed more support from his teammates with only Daniel Egan the only other player in double figures with 10pts.

Coach Alan Black was thrilled with the result that turned around the Taipans seven point loss last month.

"I thought we were the team that had the passion and aggression," he enthused.

Black now finds himself unexpectedly cheering on his former club to secure the important home final.

"Go the Wildcats, who’d have thought I’d have said that."

The Taipans had the better of a tight opening quarter getting out to a seven point lead before the Crocs fought back to trail 20-23 at the first break.

The visitors edged the gap back to two early in the second quarter before the Taipans exploded with a 31-10 run to finish the quarter. Abney was on fire with 11 for the quarter and 15 for the half to lead the Snakes as they took a dominant 59-36 lead into the main break.

Williams had 11 for the Crocs who bled 16 fouls in the half including 11 in the second term as the Taipans went to the charity stripe with monotonous regularity.

The home side continued to dominate in third stanza opening their lead out to 30pts before a couple of Kelvin Robertson free-throw’s on the buzzer reduced the lead to 28pts – 85-57. Williams was the only player keeping the Crocs scoreboard ticking as he scored 11 straight midway through the term.

The Crocs never found their three-point shooting groove nailing only one from beyond the arc in the first three terms and they gave up far too many points to turnovers.

Crocs coach Trevor Gleeson conceded that securing their home final with last night’s win over the Blaze may have lead to a drop in intensity from his team.

"I don’t think our concentration levels were where they needed to be," he said,

"Maybe the foot went off the gas."

Victory gives the Taipans every chance of hosting the 6th v 7th playoff on Thursday night while the loss will see the Crocs finish anywhere from fourth to sixth depending on the Wildcats v Breakers result.

The Taipans will be desperately hoping the Wildcats do them a favour because they are a completely different team playing in front of a vibrant screaming 5000 strong sea of orange.

Cairns Taipans 108 (Abney 21, Black 21, Jawai 21)
Townsville Crocs 88 (Williams 37, Daniel Egan 10, Kelvin Robertson 6)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 16/2/2008, Crowd: 5201

i have to say it was the bessssssssssst game everrrrrrrrrr!!!! seeing Townsville go down to Cairns!!! the atmosphere was amazing....the commentator certainly gave it to Townsville and rub it in just as the Townsville commentators did 3 weeks ago :bash:
anyways we rule NQ for now.....bring on the finals :)

brisbanite

February 17th, 2008, 02:41 AM

I watched the game on tv last night and yeah it was a good game. What about the crowd, they would give the team such a lift! Great to see all 4 Qld teams in the finals.:okay:

TomA4

February 21st, 2008, 01:58 AM

Crocs end season of brave Blaze

A determined Townsville Crocodiles kept their championship hopes alive by defeating the Gold Coast Blaze 97-89 at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.

An even game for much of the night turned the Crocs way when fresh faces off the bench shot them to a 14-point lead, which would become unassailable for the visitors.

Star trio John Rillie (30 points), Corey Williams (20), and Galen Young (11) provided the bulk of the points for the home side, while James Harvey (27) led the way amd Luke Whitehead and Ben Melmeth chipped in with 12 apiece for the visitors.

But it was the Crocs all-round effort that made the difference with all players getting on the board compared to the Blaze who had five players, including the influential Jason Crowe, scoreless for most of the night.

Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson commended his side's all-around team performance, in particular the bench.

"I think the bench came up big time again," he said.

"The starters got a bit of momentum and soon as we put the bench in they ran with it and got that double figure lead."

"I think we missed what we were supposed to be doing defensively early and left a fair amount of easy shots."

"In our third quarter we got more focused and a little smarter defensively."

Gold Coast coach Brendan Joyce was left to rue the period his team let the game and its season slip.

"We were still in that game in the last quarter, the effort of the boys defensively was very good, but we probably had that little period where we allowed penetration too easily with Williams in the paint and he opened it up," he explained.

"Our guys never gave up, we were hanging around four to six but every time we get within that we are giving up an open look and you just can’t do that."

"We hit a good three, we get within seven or six and we allow Rillie to hit one straight back at us, you just don't allow that to happen in any game let alone a playoff."

The Gold Coast began in a blaze courtesy of a straight-shooting Harvey who sank four in a row from beyond the arc.

But what Harvey could do, so could Rillie, nailing three straight three-pointers to keep the scores tight.

It took the lightning Williams with eight for the quarter to give the Crocs a 29-27 lead at the first break.

Imports Williams and Young gave the Crocs an early 10-point buffer in the third, the biggest lead of the game.

Williams showed his speed with two quick darts to the rim while Young nailed a three-pointer followed by a shot from the free throw line.

Their hard work earned them a spell on the bench as the Crocs rotated their entire starting line up.

The support act was just as impressive, Brad Sheridan and Michael Cedar landing three-pointers each to close the quarter 75-65.

The understudies continued to shine in the fourth quarter, Cedar again sinking from beyond the arc to give the Crocs a 14-point lead.

It earned them admiration from the crowd the bench as they went to a timeout.

The Blaze began to slash the margin through triples from Scott McGregor and Pero Cameron.

But when the stars Young, Williams and Rillie returned the Crocs began to stamp their authority and a showdown with the Perth Wildcats on Friday night was booked.

Townsville Crocodiles 97 (Rillie 30, Williams 20, Young 11)
Gold Coast Blaze 89 (Harvey 27, Whitehead 12, Melmeth 12)
@Townsville Entertainment Centre 20/2/08 Attendance 3618

bring on the wildcats!

Cairnsinite

February 23rd, 2008, 09:20 AM

Cairns & Townsville have officially bowed out of the finals.....the good news is we can still cheer Brisbane on the sidelines :lol:

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff48/cairnsinite/nblexit.jpg

Wezza

February 24th, 2008, 02:53 AM

C'mon Brisbane! :) It's a shame they're missing Sam Mackinnon though.

Cairnsinite

April 21st, 2008, 05:40 AM

Crocs re-sign Cedar

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00118635-image.jpg

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:42 AM
Local Townsville product Michael Cedar has officially re-signed with the Crocodiles for the next two seasons.

Cedar has spent the past three seasons with the Crocodiles improving each season. Cedar has formed a vital part of to Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles bench unit, providing that much needed spark each game.

“We’re very happy to have Michael back for the next two seasons, we have seen him greatly improve under Coach Trevor Gleeson and we look forward to him contributing more this season” Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles CEO Ian Smythe said.

“It’s important for the club to continue to foster the growth of the local Townsville talent, we’ve seen Kelvin become a pivotal part of this club and we hope that Michael can continue his growth as a player and continue his years here as a Croc” he added.

During the off-season the 21 year old, 190 cm guard will be playing for the Townsville Heat in the QABL this year, keeping him active and ready for the challenge in the 2008/09 NBL championship.

“It’s great to have signed back up with the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles, for me it’s exciting to be playing for my home town in the national competition. I’m close to my family and friends and the supporters here are the best in the league” Michael Cedar said.

“I’m also looking forward to continuing to strengthen my game under coach Gleeson, and continue to improve my performance on the court each night”

“The Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles is great club to be a part of and I know that we are all going to be working hard to improve on our position last year” he added.

With the re-signing of Michael Cedar the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles are one step closer to finalising their roster for the 2008/09 NBL season.

The 2008/09 roster currently includes John Rillie, Ben Pepper, Daniel Egan, Kelvin Robertson, Brad Sheridan and Michael Cedar.

==================================================

Crocs pass on Young

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00119112-image.jpg

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:55 AM
Source: Townsville Crocodiles

Getty Images The Townsville Crocodiles released the following statement via their website on Monday, confirming that import Galen Young would not return:

Today the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles have officially amnounced that import Galen Young will not be renewing his contract with the club.

After a slow start to the 2007/08 NBL Season, Galen came into his own and became a leader on the defensive end, while also getting into a rhythm around the basket with some solid scoring contributions.

An off-court decision late in the season had unfortunately dampened his improvement and cast a shadow over his future playing career with the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles.

“Galen was a terrific player, with some outstanding credentials. He played with the utmost professionalism and was a leader on the defensive end for the club this season,” Townsville Crocodiles CEO Ian Smythe said.

“The decision not to resign Galen was based on a number of issues. The team clearly has to add scoring punch and athleticism to the roster if we are going to improve our championship chances and this would not be achieved by retaining Galen.”

“The club and the board were also very disappointed in Galen’s off-court decision making and believed that he had been less than honest with us about the events that transpired. It is important for us that our players understand the important role models they are in the community and adjust their behaviour accordingly,” Smythe added.

“The club wishes Galen the best in his future playing endeavours, but now we must look to the future and work towards building a team that can challenge for the 2008/09 NBL Championship,” Smythe said.

With six players currently contracted with the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles for the upcoming season, head coach Trevor Gleeson is busy recruiting and scouting the talent across the country and the world.

“We’ve got some big decisions to make, Trevor has been actively scouting and recruiting players over the past few weeks. We look forward to hopefully having the complete team put together within the next three weeks.”

“We’re very positive that the Townsville McDonald's Crocodiles for 2008/09 will be a team that will be exciting to watch and very competitive,” Smythe added.

The 2008/09 roster currently includes John Rillie, Ben Pepper, Daniel Egan, Kelvin Robertson, Brad Sheridan and Michael Cedar

--------------------------------------------------------
Lets not forget Basketball even though we are in the midst of footy season.....good to see Mick Cedar re-sign with Crocs, he was instrumental in Townsville's upset of Cairns at the swamp and full credit to him also sad to see Galen Young being given the flick but hey you know the deal drinking + driving dont mix....

Cairnsinite

April 28th, 2008, 03:00 AM

http://www.careerone.com.au/cached/webdav/site/jobs/shared/CompanyProfileImages/ntn-logo.jpg
NBL Franchise? you decide

DO YOU want the Territory to have a National Basketball League franchise of its own?

THE Territory Government has been told an NBL franchise in Darwin is there for the taking but for the lack of a 4000-seat stadium.

For five years, which has included the design and architectural phase of the $144 million-plus Darwin Convention Centre, the Territory Government has ignored the call from both the Northern Territory News and a leading NBL ambassador to build a multi-purposed facility on the waterfront.

The Northern Territory News has continually lobbied the Territory Government to examine and re-examine the possibility of incorporating permanent and semi-permanent seating to accommodate a bid for an NBL franchise.

These attempts have fallen on deaf ears

But now we are offering you our readers and the voters of the Territory the chance to have your say, to finally answer the question once and for all.

Do you, the people of the Northern Territory, want your own NBL side?

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/global/sign-petition.jpg
DO you want a NBL side based in the Northern Territory?
SHOULD the NT Government incorporate a permanent 4000-seat facility into the $144 million-plus Darwin Convention Centre?
WOULD you go to games and support a Territory NBL side?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dont know, i think an afl team would do much better up there in Darwin whereas Cairns & Townsville have the versatility to support alternative sports other than one dominant on the other hand having a third Northern team would be good :) .....but only time will tell......although i find it quiet strange that Darwin is opting for a 4000 seat stadium, isnt the nbl's minimum requirement is a 5,000 seat stadium? im sure i read some where that before Cairns was approved they had to have a 5,000 seat stadium available.....which ultimately lead to the upgrade of the Cairns Convention Center.

Cairnsinite

May 9th, 2008, 05:44 PM

does anyone know whats happening with the Townsville Thunder bid? im just curious...seems it lost momentum ever since Townsville Bulletin made "grand statement" they wer gonna start 2008/2009 season....can someone please shed light on the subject...im very interested in how Mr Gage and other burghers are progressing

Burden

May 10th, 2008, 01:15 AM

Wezza would be the man to ask, He seems to know what he's on about :).

Cairnsinite

May 10th, 2008, 12:23 PM

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/mdm.jpg
Defender kicks on for spot in A-League expansion

May 09, 2008

FOOTBALL: Troy Mundy might not have made the big time with the Queensland Roar but the 31-year-old hasn't given up hope of one day making an impact in the A-League.

The rugged central defender had two stints in Brisbane trying to force his way into the Roar squad but now Mundy is back in his home-town and gunning for the Whitsunday Miners in the inaugural Queensland State League.

It's through the state league that Mundy could mount a resurgent bid at a football career.

"This new competition is going to be a very good stepping stone to the A-League," he said.

Mundy hopes to force his way into one of two new Queensland teams planning to enter the national competition.

"I've had talks with the Gold Coast and have spoken to people involved with Cairns," he said.

"If the opportunity came up to play for them I'd certainly put my hand up I'm fit enough."

Mundy was invited for an extensive trial with the Roar last year but wasn't able to break into the squad and instead was flown to Sydney on a regular basis to play with Sydney United in the New South Wales league.

After winning a grand final with Rochedale in the Brisbane competition last year, Mundy decided to return to Mackay intent on making a statement with the Mastermyne Whitsunday Miners.

He was strong against Townsville and Bundaberg and looms as a key figure in coach Danny Beerhalter's squad.

The ever-committed back believes he has plenty to offer.

"I give 110 percent every time I play," he said.

"I set very high standards for myself.

"I'm looking forward to taking on a leadership role here," he said.

"I can pass on a lot of my experience to the younger guys after learning a lot of things at the Roar."

He expects the Miners to pose a fierce challenge to rivals but admits a finals appearance would be a minor shock.

"It's always going to be hard to beat the sides from Brisbane because they've got a bigger base but it would be good to become the top regional side and build from there," he said before predicting a possible top five or six finish.

His team, which has claimed two wins, two draws and two losses, faces its toughest test on Saturday when it takes on competition favourites Redlands at Cleveland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
sorry to be a bitch but it may as well be based in Cairns if southerners like Mr Mundy instantly recognised Cairns over Townsville :)

zacharih

May 11th, 2008, 05:04 PM

^^or he failed geography either or

Cairnsinite

June 1st, 2008, 01:53 PM

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Taipans solid in shaky NBL

http://www.justpurple.com.au/pre/taipans-logo.gif
The Cairns Taipans have guaranteed thier long-term position in the NBL..which means more whipping and torture arch enemy Townsville Crocs :banana:

The Cairns Taipans have guaranteed they will be part of a "strong" NBL competition in 2008-09.

Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe and executive director Juanita O'Brien moved yesterday to reassure fans the league was in a viable position despite the woes of Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings.

The Bullets released almost thier entire playing roster earlier this week, While NBL interim CEO Chuck Harmison said yesterday the Kings, who have failed to pay players on time still had problems.

"The Kings still have some serious issues to be resolved and thier position remains precarious," Harmison said in an interview on the NBL website.

While he would not disagree with Harmison's comments earlier this week that the league was at a low ebb and an "embarrassment" Keefe said he viewed the situation, in Cairns especially, in a different light.

I'm not concerned at where we are in this city," he said
"As far as the NBL is concerned, with one or two exceptions, we're also in a healthy state.
"A lot of franchises in this country are doing very well with memberships going up, with corporate support going up.

"We reflect those trends. Basketball in this city has never been stronger.
As far as we're concerned with the Taipans, any measurement we'd like to make with our product is positive and going in the right direction."

The Taipans still do not make a profit though despite several very promising trends.
OBrien, whose father John OBrien bought the club with businessman Lui Garozzo in 2004, said a long-range plan had been put in place at that time to ensure the Snakes moved forward.

"When we put in place long-term plan for the Taipans three or four years ago, thats exactly what it was (long-term)" she said.
"Coming from that position, our membership's grown, our corporate support's grown, our sponsorship- we've got very strong sponsors and stakeholders and supporters - our basketball program's improved.
"As far as what we've achieved, we're on track and we're very much looking forward to the future.

"The Taipans will be in the league for a long time"

While some clubs are strong, the league itself has to work to do, with no broadcast partner or major sponsor yet signed for the coming season.

"Thats a subject matter for the NBL right now" Keefe said.
"I know the discussions with a broadcast partner, actually a couple of potential broadcast partners and also major sponsors are ongoing".

--------From NBL.com.au http://www.prowess.com.au/images/philips_nbl_logo.jpg----------

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00119411-image.jpg
Taipans stronger than ever: Okeefe

Basketball in Far North Queensland and the support of the regions only National Sporting team has never been stronger, according to Cairns Taipans CEO Denis Keeffe.

“We have an absolutely wonderful organisation and in my years in the sporting industry the Taipans are one of the best clubs I have been fortunate to be associated with," said Keeffe. "We have strong ownership, front office and coaching structure and a fantastic roster. All the ingredients are there for the club to do something very special over the next few seasons.”

Participation in the game has never been higher with schools and clubs fielding record numbers of youth in the region wanting to play basketball. The recently formed super league competition in Cairns is now in its second season and growing rapidly and initiatives such as midnight basketball in Cairns is overrun on Friday nights with basketball mad teens.

The Taipans have made the NBL finals in four of the past five seasons and have been semi finalists in two of the past three seasons, proving the basketball program is on track. The club's Academy program is regarded as one of the best in the country with a number of players produced through the Taipans Academy having played or currently playing in the US college system proving the value of the club to the community according to Keeffe.

“The Taipans are a true community club and we are active in our community through a number of initiatives we run. The Academy is just a fantastic program and gives talented kids in our region the chance to not only pursue a basketball career but also obtain a higher level of education. Our academy members are provided with a thorough training program similar to our NBL players and we actively source scholarships through the college system in the US which provides an amazing opportunity for these young adults. I think it is a phenomenal achievement that through the academy and the Taipans a young man by the name of Nathan Jawai from a small community on the cape is now on the cusp of making the NBA – the biggest sporting show on the planet. Cairns should be extremely proud of what Nathan has achieved; that we have that type of talent in our own backyard and that the Taipans are providing a pathway for that talent to develop. I don’t know whether most people can truly grasp how big this is for our region to have a kid possibly playing in the NBA – the only word I can use to describe it is miraculous.”

Keeffe said the negative publicity about the NBL in recent days hasn’t dampened the Taipans enthusiasm and belief in the club or the league.

“The majority of clubs in the league are very strong financially, have great ownership and operate responsibly. There is not a sporting code in the country that doesn’t have clubs who run into financial problems including the AFL, NRL and the A-League. The teams in the NBL have a great rapport with each other, work well together and have a very strong belief in the league. We believe the future looks exceptionally bright and with the commercial review of basketball in Australia and the NBL nearly completed we will have solid plan to move forward and continue to develop and grow this great game. We feel we are in the middle of an exciting era of basketball in this country. We have some very exciting younger players coming through who are regarded as world class, we have one player – Andrew Bogut in the NBA and likely to have more in the coming years and our national team is choc full of talent. People forget that we are one of our nations only national league team sports competing in the Olympics who are a chance of medaling in both the men’s and the women’s competitions. Basketball is second only to soccer on the world stage. Australia is among the top five basketball nations in the world, which is a pretty amazing statement about basketball in Australia, so as you can see there are a lot of great things happening in basketball in this country which should be talked about.”

The Taipans have enjoyed rapid growth over the past two seasons and expect further growth for the clubs 10th year anniversary season said Cairns Taipans Executive Director Juanita O’Brien.

“The media reports certainly fly in the face of the Taipans growth over the past two seasons. In fact across the league there has been an increase in crowd attendances at NBL games. We have sold out our corporate boxes for the past two years and have had an over 30% increase in membership. Our home game attendances have increased and we are now the third highest in the league for average home crowds, in the smallest market in the league. Teams such as Townsville, Perth, Gold Coast, and Melbourne are exceptionally strong and the product is fantastic. Our fans love to wear our colours and there is a buzz around town every year leading into and during the season. I think what the Taipans have achieved is given the community a team they can be proud of and take ownership of. It is very humbling to be a part of it and see that support. I can tell you I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now but right here with the Taipans and I am really looking forward to this season.”

Cairnsinite

August 5th, 2008, 10:07 AM

NBL season tips-off 13 September

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:26 PM

Getty Images The highly-anticipated schedule for the 2008/09 National Basketball League season has been released, with the new campaign set to tip-off on Saturday September 13.

The opening game of the season will see two pre-season favourites got head-to-head when Brian Goorjian’s South Dragons play Alan Black’s Cairns Taipans in Cairns.

The season will conclude on Saturday 14 February and, with eight teams in action on that date, berths in the top-six NBL Finals may well come down to the final night of competition.

NBL interim Chief Executive Officer Chuck Harmison said he was excited at what promised to be an enthralling season.

“Whilst the process we have gone through for the drafting and redrafting of schedule this year has been the most challenging we have ever undertaken, we are ultimately very pleased with the overall outcome,” said Harmison. “One bonus in the new 10-team schedule is that we he have been able to add in an additional local derby in Victoria between archrivals, the South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers, as well as another clash between traditional foes Perth and Adelaide. We have maintained a 30-game schedule with the 15-home, 15-away format at the request of the vast majority of our clubs and open the season with a bumper split round over two weeks featuring all ten teams in action.”

“The standard on the court will be higher than ever, with our teams having been able to strengthen significantly their rosters due to the League’s contraction to 10 teams. That will ensure that fans will be able to continue to see truly world class players in action in what is widely regarded as one of the top five basketball leagues in the world.

“There is also the intense interest surrounding the anticipated debut of some fantastic new local players like young Australian stars Luke Schenscher and Aaron Bruce that should help make this a truly memorable season for all the right reasons,” Harmison added.

There are 22 rounds in the 2008/09 competition, with each team playing each other either three or four times. The top six teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the 2009 NBL Finals, with the revised system of play for the post-season due to be unveiled shortly. Specific Finals dates will also be released at a later date

----------2008/2009 Schedule-----------

2008/09 NBL SCHEDULE

2008/09 NBL SCHEDULE

1 13/09/2008 Saturday Cairns VS. South at Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
1 14/09/2008 Sunday Sydney VS. Melbourne at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 2:30PM
1 17/09/2008 Wednesday South VS. Adelaide at Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
1 18/09/2008 Thursday New Zealand VS. Wollongong at North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
1 19/09/2008 Friday Adelaide VS. Townsville at Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
1 19/09/2008 Friday Gold Coast Cairns Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
1 20/09/2008 Saturday Melbourne Gold Coast State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
1 20/09/2008 Saturday Wollongong Sydney Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
1 21/09/2008 Sunday Perth South Challenge Stadium 4:00 PM
2 24/09/2008 Wednesday Adelaide Sydney Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
2 25/09/2008 Thursday New Zealand Melbourne North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
2 25/09/2008 Thursday South Townsville Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
2 26/09/2008 Friday Perth Gold Coast Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
2 27/09/2008 Saturday Townsville VS. Cairns Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
2 27/09/2008 Saturday Sydney Adelaide Canberra 7:30 PM
3 1/10/2008 Wednesday Perth Wollongong Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
3 2/10/2008 Thursday Gold Coast South Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
3 2/10/2008 Thursday New Zealand Adelaide North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
3 3/10/2008 Friday Cairns Melbourne Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
3 4/10/2008 Saturday Townsville Perth Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
3 4/10/2008 Saturday Wollongong South Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
4 8/10/2008 Wednesday Melbourne Perth State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
4 9/10/2008 Thursday New Zealand Cairns North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
4 10/10/2008 Friday Gold Coast Sydney Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
4 10/10/2008 Friday Wollongong Perth Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
4 11/10/2008 Saturday Melbourne Adelaide State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
4 11/10/2008 Saturday Sydney Perth Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
5 15/10/2008 Wednesday Perth Wollongong Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
5 16/10/2008 Thursday New Zealand Gold Coast North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
5 17/10/2008 Friday Townsville Perth Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
5 17/10/2008 Friday Sydney South Sydney Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
5 17/10/2008 Friday Wollongong Adelaide Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
5 18/10/2008 Saturday Cairns Gold Coast Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
5 18/10/2008 Saturday South Melbourne Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
6 22/10/2008 Wednesday Cairns New Zealand Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
6 22/10/2008 Wednesday Townsville Sydney Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 6:30 PM
6 24/10/2008 Friday Wollongong Gold Coast Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
6 25/10/2008 Saturday Adelaide Perth Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
6 25/10/2008 Saturday Gold Coast New Zealand Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
6 25/10/2008 Saturday Melbourne Townsville State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
6 25/10/2008 Saturday South Cairns Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
6 26/10/2008 Sunday Sydney Wollongong Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 2:30 PM
7 29/10/2008 Wednesday Wollongong Cairns Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
7 30/10/2008 Thursday New Zealand Perth North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
7 1/11/2008 Saturday Cairns Wollongong Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
7 1/11/2008 Saturday Melbourne Gold Coast State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
7 1/11/2008 Saturday South Sydney Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
7 1/11/2008 Saturday Townsville New Zealand Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
7 2/11/2008 Sunday Adelaide Sydney Distinctive Homes Dome 6:00 PM
8 5/11/2008 Wednesday Gold Coast Townsville Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
8 6/11/2008 Thursday New Zealand Adelaide North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
8 7/11/2008 Friday Sydney Melbourne Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
8 8/11/2008 Saturday Adelaide Cairns Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
8 8/11/2008 Saturday Melbourne New Zealand State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
8 8/11/2008 Saturday Perth Townsville Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
8 8/11/2008 Saturday South Gold Coast Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
9 12/11/2008 Wednesday South Perth Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
9 12/11/2008 Wednesday Sydney Gold Coast Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
9 12/11/2008 Wednesday Cairns New Zealand Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
9 14/11/2008 Friday Wollongong Gold Coast Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
9 15/11/2008 Saturday Perth Cairns Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
9 15/11/2008 Saturday Townsville New Zealand Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
9 16/11/2008 Sunday Gold Coast Adelaide Gold Coast Convention Centre 2:30 PM
10 19/11/2008 Wednesday Melbourne Cairns State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
10 20/11/2008 Thursday New Zealand South North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
10 21/11/2008 Friday Sydney Adelaide Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
10 22/11/2008 Saturday Adelaide South Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
10 22/11/2008 Saturday Cairns Perth Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
10 22/11/2008 Saturday Townsville Wollongong Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
11 26/11/2008 Wednesday South Cairns Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
11 26/11/2008 Wednesday Townsville Melbourne Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 6:30 PM
11 27/11/2008 Thursday New Zealand Perth North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
11 29/11/2008 Saturday Adelaide Wollongong Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
11 29/11/2008 Saturday Cairns VS. Townsville Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
11 29/11/2008 Saturday Gold Coast New Zealand Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
11 29/11/2008 Saturday Perth Melbourne Darwin - Marrara Stadium 7:00 PM
11 29/11/2008 Saturday Sydney South Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
12 4/12/2008 Thursday New Zealand Townsville North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
12 5/12/2008 Friday Cairns Sydney Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
12 6/12/2008 Saturday Adelaide Melbourne Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
12 7/12/2008 Sunday Gold Coast Perth Gold Coast Convention Centre 2:30 PM
12 6/12/2008 Saturday South Wollongong Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
12 6/12/2008 Saturday Townsville Sydney Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
13 10/12/2008 Wednesday Wollongong South Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
13 10/12/2008 Wednesday Adelaide Townsville Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
13 13/12/2008 Saturday Gold Coast Cairns Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
13 13/12/2008 Saturday Melbourne South State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
13 13/12/2008 Saturday Perth Adelaide Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
13 13/12/2008 Saturday Townsville Wollongong Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
14 17/12/2008 Wednesday Gold Coast Wollongong Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
14 17/12/2008 Wednesday Cairns Melbourne Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
14 18/12/2008 Thursday New Zealand Sydney North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
14 20/12/2008 Saturday Adelaide Gold Coast Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
14 20/12/2008 Saturday Melbourne Wollongong State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
14 20/12/2008 Saturday Perth New Zealand Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
14 20/12/2008 Saturday South Townsville Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
14 21/12/2008 Sunday Sydney Townsville Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 5:00 PM
15 26/12/2008 Friday South Gold Coast Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
15 27/12/2008 Saturday Melbourne Adelaide State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
15 27/12/2008 Saturday Perth Townsville Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
15 27/12/2008 Saturday Wollongong Sydney Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
16 31/12/2008 Wednesday Cairns Wollongong Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
16 31/12/2008 Wednesday Gold Coast Adelaide Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
16 31/12/2008 Wednesday Townsville South Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 6:30 PM
16 2/01/2009 Friday Wollongong New Zealand Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
16 3/01/2009 Saturday South Perth Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
16 3/01/2009 Saturday Sydney New Zealand Whitlam Centre - Liverpool 7:30 PM
17 7/01/2009 Wednesday Adelaide Wollongong Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
17 9/01/2009 Friday Perth Cairns Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
17 10/01/2009 Saturday Adelaide Cairns Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
17 10/01/2009 Saturday South New Zealand MSAC 7:30 PM
17 11/01/2009 Sunday Townsville Gold Coast Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 3:00 PM
17 10/01/2009 Saturday Sydney Wollongong Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
17 11/01/2009 Sunday Melbourne Perth State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
18 14/01/2009 Wednesday Melbourne Sydney State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
18 15/01/2009 Thursday New Zealand Townsville North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
18 16/01/2009 Friday Cairns Adelaide Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
18 16/01/2009 Friday Gold Coast Melbourne Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
18 17/01/2009 Saturday Wollongong Melbourne Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
18 17/01/2009 Saturday Perth Sydney Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
18 17/01/2009 Saturday Townsville Adelaide Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
19 21/01/2009 Wednesday Adelaide Gold Coast Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
19 22/01/2009 Thursday New Zealand Melbourne North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
19 24/01/2009 Saturday Melbourne New Zealand State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
19 24/01/2009 Saturday Cairns Sydney Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
19 24/01/2009 Saturday Perth Gold Coast Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
19 24/01/2009 Saturday Wollongong Townsville Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
20 26/01/2009 Monday Melbourne South State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
20 28/01/2009 Wednesday Sydney Perth Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
20 29/01/2009 Thursday New Zealand South North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
20 30/01/2009 Friday Wollongong Melbourne Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
20 31/01/2009 Saturday Adelaide Perth Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
20 31/01/2009 Saturday Gold Coast Sydney Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
20 31/01/2009 Saturday Townsville VS. Cairns Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
21 4/02/2009 Wednesday South Adelaide Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
21 4/02/2009 Wednesday Sydney Cairns Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
21 6/02/2009 Friday Townsville South Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre 7:30 PM
21 6/02/2009 Friday Wollongong New Zealand Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
21 7/02/2009 Saturday Adelaide New Zealand Distinctive Homes Dome 7:00 PM
21 7/02/2009 Saturday Cairns Gold Coast Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM
21 7/02/2009 Saturday Perth Sydney Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
21 7/02/2009 Saturday South Melbourne Hisense Arena 7:30 PM
21 8/02/2009 Sunday Gold Coast Townsville Gold Coast Convention Centre 2:30 PM
22 11/02/2009 Wednesday Melbourne Townsville State Netball Hockey Centre 7:30 PM
22 12/02/2009 Thursday New Zealand Cairns North Shore Events Centre 7:30 PM
22 13/02/2009 Friday Wollongong Adelaide Wollongong Entertainment Centre 7:30 PM
22 14/02/2009 Saturday Gold Coast Wollongong Gold Coast Convention Centre 7:30 PM
22 14/02/2009 Saturday Perth Melbourne Challenge Stadium 7:00 PM
22 14/02/2009 Saturday Sydney New Zealand Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre 7:30 PM
22 14/02/2009 Saturday Cairns South Cairns Convention Centre 7:30 PM

Bring on the NQ Derby grudge matches
http://www.justpurple.com.au/pre/taipans-logo.gif VS. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg

Cairnsinite

August 5th, 2008, 10:21 AM

Hey Sean will be in Townsville next month for Crocs vs. Taipans game....where will you be? i will be venturing into enemy territory :bash:

Burden

August 5th, 2008, 11:41 AM

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/SEanll/d7ebe6eb5ceara7.gif

Cairnsinite

August 25th, 2008, 06:47 AM

Taipans launch major tournament!

http://taipans.com/site/_content/Image/00120033-image.jpg

The Skytrans Cairns Taipans have today officially launched the Queensland Country Credit Union Qld Cup Basketball Tournament.

The annual event which is part of FESTIVAL CAIRNS is in it’s second year since being introduced by the Taipans and will feature two full NBL matches per day over a three day period against visiting Queensland based NBL teams the Townsville Crocs and Gold Coast Blaze. The newly renamed Sydney Spirit will also be competing in the tournament along with the Skytrans Cairns Taipans.

Skytrans Cairns Taipans CEO Denis Keeffe said the tournament had become very popular with fans and visiting teams;

“It is a fantastic concept and was very well supported by the local community when we introduced the tournament last year. It is unique in the league and gives fans a chance to see four NBL teams competing in full NBL games only a couple of weeks out from the start of the official NBL season. The tournament also features a Subway Hoops coaching clinic attended by all of the players and a function on the Saturday night midway through the tournament. Queensland Country Credit Union has come on board this year as major sponsors of the event and we thank them for assisting in making the tournament possible, along with supporting partners Blue Sky Brewery, Cairns Colonial Club and Skytrans.”

Queensland Country Credit Union Marketing & PR Manager, Carly Dengate added:

“The opportunity to support this popular basketball tournament is one that we are pleased to have accepted. We wanted to show our dedication to the NBL and also to the Cairns community after having opened a branch in Smithfield 18 months ago. Supporting the Qld Cup Basketball Tournament aligns well with our focus on making a real difference in the lives of our members and their communities which we achieve through offering local sponsorship as well as community grant funding each year. To coincide with the tournament we’re also giving away $1,000 in fuel for all new members who join within the next couple of months so be sure to visit our branch in Smithfield to find out how to win.”

Head Coach Alan Black said the tournament was valuable to his team’s preparations;

“It is a marvelous event and really provides us and visiting teams with a valuable platform to get in shape for the start of the NBL season. All the teams generally field their strongest lineups and the games become pretty intense, especially with our Queensland rivals the Crocs and the Blaze. I also think it’s great for fans to have a chance to see the newly named Sydney Spirit before the start of the NBL season. All four teams have excellent lineups and some quality talent and it should be a real treat for fans.”

Tickets for the Queensland Country Credit Union Qld Cup Basketball Tournament can be purchased at the Taipans shop, Stockland Cairns, ph: 1300taipans or at the match. Corporate boxes can be purchased by contacting Jacqui Nolan at the Skytrans Cairns Taipans on 40307555 or email sales@taipans.com
-------------------------------------------------------
Snakes bite in reptile rumble

http://tools.cairns.com.au/images/gallery/2008/08/19/83945.jpg
http://tools.cairns.com.au/images/gallery/2008/08/19/83965.jpg

The Cairns Taipans have turned the tables on the Townsville Crocodiles in their second NBL pre-season clash in a week, winning the Reptile Rumble 107-89.

The Snakes led at every change but received a slight scare when the Crocs won the third term 29-18 to get within five points at the final break.

Taipans fans had their first glimpse of new import Dave Thomas, who lined up in his first home game since gaining an immigration clearance.

Thomas finished with 20 points on six-of-11 shooting from the field and added nine rebounds in just 26 minutes, his time on court restricted after he picked up five fouls.

Gary Boodnikoff top scored for the Snakes with 25 points – 17 of them coming in the first half – as he looked to have regained his shooting groove. Boodnikoff made six of his 10 three-point attempts and the Taipans were 11-of-31 overall from long range in a game in which the Taipans shot at 50 per cent from the field.

"We let ourselves down a little bit in intensity," Black said.

"The first half we were doing it pretty comfortably. I thought they hit a couple of big shots to stay in the game, otherwise we could have stretched (the lead) to 20.

"But you’ve got to learn from that, every team is here to play and compete and no one’s going to go away and die. They’re going to really put out and be a threat.

"We’ve just got to do a better job in that third quarter of putting the rest of the nails in the coffin instead of allowing them to make comebacks like they did."

The Taipans jumped out to a 31-25 lead at the opening break on the back of some strong outside shooting.

The margin blew out substantially early in the second term when the Taipans started the period with a 12-0 run, holding Townsville scoreless for more than three minutes.

The Crocs turned the tables on the Taipans to start the second half, opening with an 8-0 run and continuing to bridge the gap, briefly taking the lead when John Rillie hit a three-pointer four minutes from the final break.

The Taipans edged ahead again at the final break though, Dave Thomas ensuring an 81-76 buffer when he hit a buzzer-beating three.

Cairnsinite

August 30th, 2008, 06:42 AM

http://www.prowess.com.au/images/philips_nbl_logo.jpghttp://www.stageworks.com.au/images/p_venue_ccc_logo.gifhttp://my247.com.au/247venue_images/-2008327-townsville%20entertainment%20logo.jpghttp://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg
**All Taipans & Crocs NBL single game tickets go on sale Monday 1st September**

Cairnsinite

September 10th, 2008, 12:29 PM

http://www.aussport.com.au/Art/TaipansLogo200.gifhttp://www.stageworks.com.au/images/p_venue_ccc_logo.gif
Taipans launch opening home game!

The Skytrans Cairns Taipans will launch the clubs opening home game in style this Saturday night with a pre-game entertainment spectacular and a special presentation to celebrate the clubs 10th season in the National Basketball League.

The Taipans naming rights partner Skytrans have made the event possible, funding the opening nights entertainment, which according to Skytrans Cairns Taipans CEO Denis Keeffe shows the significant contribution Skytrans makes to the Taipans;

“In my many years as a sports administrator I have never come across a more supportive and better naming rights partner than Skytrans. They are truly local and support the club to the hilt in anyway possible right throughout their entire organisation. I want to personally thank Simon Wild and the staff of Skytrans for their contribution to the club and without their support we would not have been able to present the opening home game show to the people of Cairns.”

The match will feature a pre-game blackout, including a live performance of the Taipans club song “Feel the Bite” by internationally renowned artist David Hudson. Hudson, who wrote and produced the original song, will perform a special updated version at the match. Well known dance troupe 365 will also dance as part of the opening, which will include spotlight introductions of the Taipans players. Rose Chenard who sang the National Anthem at the first ever Taipans home game 10 years ago will also repeat her performance this Saturday night as part of the clubs 10 year celebrations.

Skytrans CEO Simon Wild said the regional airline was 100% behind the Taipans and wanted to mark the clubs opening home game in its 10th year in a special way:

“It is a significant year in the club’s history and we wanted to make sure it would be a night to remember for everyone in Cairns community. The Taipans are our only National Sporting team and we want them to be successful both on and off the court. It would be fantastic to have a bumper crowd at the opening home game to celebrate the clubs wonderful achievement of 10 years in the league and we encourage everyone to get there early for the show.”

The night will also belong to 10 year Taipan; Aaron Grabau. Grabau; an inaugural season Taipans player is the only Taipans player who has been with the club throughout their 10 year history and will be honored on the night, with the club to retire his No.8 playing singlet in a special ceremony performed during the blackout.

A player’s number is normally retired after significant service to a club in their last year with the club; however Skytrans Cairns Taipans CEO Denis Keeffe said that the presentation to Grabau was appropriate considering the circumstances:

“We hope that Aaron will be with us for many more years to come and eventually retire as a lifetime Taipans player. It is an unusual step to take but in this day and age loyalty is in short supply in the sporting landscape and there are very few players in the National Basketball League or any sporting code that would have spent 10 years or more with the one club. Aaron will wear his No.8 singlet for as long as he is with the Taipans, but when he hangs up his gym shoes his number will be retired forever and his jersey displayed forever in the gym, which is a great honour bestowed on very few players. It should be a truly memorable night and I encourage everyone to get along, pay tribute to Aaron and enjoy a great night out with the family.”

Grabau, when informed of the presentation was speechless;

“To be honest it only seems like yesterday that I started playing with the Taipans. It has flown by so fast and I have loved every minute of it. There have been plenty of ups and downs over the years, but it’s been a really great ride. When I was told about the presentation I talked to my wife and after it really sunk it we both just thought WOW, it truly is a great honour. I really do love the club and the place we live in and I want to thank the people of Cairns for their support over the years. I don’t know how it will feel on the night but I hope to be playing for many more years to come with the Taipans.”

The Stadium will be locked down at 7pm for the pre-game blackout and entertainment spectacular. ALL Patrons must be in their seats inside the stadium before 7pm. Any fans not in their seats before 7pm will be locked out of the stadium until it re-opens after the blackout at approximately 7.15pm.

Tickets are now on sale for the Skytrans Cairns Taipans opening home match against the South Dragons this Saturday the 13th September and can be purchased from the Taipans Shop, Stockland Cairns phone 1300taipans (40544511) or online at www.ticketsplus.com.au

Cairnsinite

September 11th, 2008, 07:37 AM

Cairns

https://online.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpg VS. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/South_Dragons.jpg
Cairns Convention Centre: Saturday 13th September
Tip off: 7.30pm

Townsville

http://www.sportsmed.net.au/uploads/image/CrocsLogoRS%20(4).JPG VS. https://online.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpg
Townsville Entertainment Centre: Saturday 27th September
Tip off: 7:30pm

Cairnsinite

September 17th, 2008, 01:21 PM

Taipans edge Dragons

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/09/15/Cairns-WebUsual-CP16SEP08P046-CC119546-CAT46.JPG
The Cat man: Martin Cattalini at Cairns Convention Centre

The Cairns Taipans have stunned the South Dragons with a 98-92 season-opening victory in front of a big home crowd at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

They were led by a vintage Martin Cattalini performance. The Cat scored 21 points and hit three clutch three pointers that kept the Dragons at arm's length. New import Dave Thomas was also strong on debut for the Snakes scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Mark Worthington lead the way for the visitors with 23 points while Nick Horvath was strong inside all night scoring 17 points.

The pre-match entertainment included a full stadium black-out and the retiring of foundation player Aaron Grabau's No.8 singlet. But it was the visitors who got out of the blocks well with Horvath dominant in the paint collecting seven of the Dragons first 15 points as they raced out to a 15-7 lead.

Back to back three's from Scott Cook bought the Taipans back into the match and they took a 34-32 lead into the first break.

Development guard Kerry Williams then exploded into the match early in the second term hitting six points in the first two minutes of the quarter as the home side opened up an eight point lead.

The Dragons fought hard and closed the gap to three at the main break, 58-55. Horvath was the most dominant player on the court with 13 points and six offensive rebounds amongst his eight boards.

Cattalini inspired the Snakes with a 17 point second half. He opened the third quarter with a big three pointer and only a minute into the term the Taipans were back out to an eight point lead.

Suddenly things turned ugly where neither team scored for over four minutes as defence simply took over. It took the Dragons almost six and a half minutes to score their first points when Joe Ingles dunked. After almost ten minutes only thirteen points had been scored in the period.

The hosts finished the better and when Gary Boodnikoff hit a buzzer beating baseline three pointer, Cairns had scored the last eight points of the term and suddenly lead by twelve 75-63.

Cattalini replicated his three to open the final term and the Taipans 15 point lead looked too big for the Dragons, but they fought back well and got to within a point at 89-88 with two minutes to play.

But again it was the 'Cat' who produced the big triple of an out of bounds play that gave Cairns breathing space as they held on for the win, 98-92.

Taipans coach Alan Black praised his team's defensive shutdown of the visitors in the third quarter when they restricted them to just eight points.

"That's a great win, they are a talented team," Black said.

"I thought out third quarter defence has been as good as it has ever been."

He also paid tribute to the crowd who came out despite it being the biggest weekend on the Cairns social calendar.

"For the fans to come out like they did it was just tremendous," he said.

"the crowd really lifted us in that last little bit."

Dragons coach Brian Goorjian was pleased with his team’s ability to fight back into the game.

"Traditionally the Dragons when they've fallen behind it just went. I just liked where we went about the seven minute mark of the fourth quarter, we showed some fight, we got back into the game and actually had a chance to win it."

The Taipans travel to the Gold Coast to take on the Blaze on Friday while the Dragons return home to take on the Perth Wildcats in the first of their double header on Wednesday.

Cairns Taipans 98 (Cattalini 21, Thomas 13, Darnell Mee 12)
South Dragons 92 (Worthington 23, Horvath 17, Cortez Groves 17)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 13/9/2008, Crowd: 3830

Cairnsinite

September 20th, 2008, 06:32 AM

Taipans in a Blaze of Glory

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/09/19/SPTipans320.jpg

The Cairns Taipans improved their record to two wins from two matches by beating a disappointing Gold Coast Blaze 85-75 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Friday night.

While there was no standout performer for the Taipans, all five starters did their job in a comprehensive team performance which will leave Coach Alan Black smiling and knowing that he has plenty to work with.

Black was understandably thrilled with the victory.

"Last time we were here we were embarrassed, it was probably the worst game we had played in the entire season," Black said.

"To come back and get a good, strong win like that, we're very happy with. It was great for us."

Blaze coach Brendan Joyce said his team took some time to find its rhythm.

"We played hard but we didn't play well," Joyce said.

"It was telling that we didn't play for two weeks. The effort was there but the process on how we went about it wasn't great."

The Blaze looked rusty from the opening tip and the new backcourt combination of James Harvey and Shane Heal failed to fire which stopped the rest of the squad from getting in a rhythm. Heal turned the ball over eight times in what was a frustrating match.

Larry Abney started the game in top gear, got the Taipans on top early and they were hardly troubled for the rest of the match. Abney had his way with Ben Melmeth early scoring eight points in the opening quarter; he finished with 17 and five boards.

In the second quarter the Blaze used Pero Cameron and Greg Vanderjagt to slow Abney, but the Taipans effectively shifted their offence with Stephen Black and Dave Thomas getting plenty of open looks.

One of the shining lights for the Blaze was the performance of development player Vanderjagt.

The big man came on in the second period and carried the Blaze to the lead for a fleeting moment before the Taipans struck back, and took the lead for good on the stroke of half-time.

Vanderjagt had 10 points and five rebounds, four of them coming on the offensive end, in an eight-minute stint.

The Blaze out-rebounded the Taipans 17-7 in the second term to put themselves back in the match but it didn't last. The Taipans led 41-40 at the half.

The second half started much the same as the first with the Blaze failing to control the ball and the Taipans capitalising on their mistakes.

Darnell Mee had three steals in the match and effectively shut down James Harvey in his return after a long layoff with an ankle injury. Harvey's opportunities were limited and he finished with 12 points.

Any hope of a Gold Coast comeback was shattered in the third as the Taipans outscored the home team 21-9.

New recruit Thomas came alive in the quarter scoring seven points in quick time and didn't give Jauquin Hawkins an inch in return.

In a good man-on-man battle, Thomas finished with 12 points and seven boards and Hawkins was the one of the Blaze's best with 12 and eight.

The Blaze continued to fight in the fourth but the Taipans kept them at arms length, they never got closer than within six despite the efforts of a parochial home crowd.

Stephen Black put the nail in the coffin late in the quarter with a killer three, he finished top scorer with 18 on seven-of-11 shooting.

Casey Frank had 12 of his 17 in the fourth and it was his energy that kept the QDeck Blaze in touch but it wasn't enough to tame the Taipans who now sit alone on top of the NBL ladder.

The Blaze travel to Melbourne tomorrow morning to take on the Melbourne Tigers tomorrow night in a tough double header to start the season.

http://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpg 85 DEF http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Gold_Coast_Blaze.jpg/150px-Gold_Coast_Blaze.jpg 75 @ Gold Coast Convention Centre

----MEANWHILE----

Crocs swamped

A new-look Adelaide 36ers line-up has given rookie coach Scott Ninnis his first win by beating the Townsville Crocodiles 109-82 at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Friday night.

The Sixers started the game with three of their recruits on the floor and flew out of the blocks in the first quarter. They found the going tougher in a tighter second stanza before breaking free in the second half to record an emphatic victory.

A red-faced Russell Hinder had his shorts pulled around his ankles in the fourth term as did the entire Townsville line-up which struggled to match the Sixers' enthusiasm when the game was still up for grabs.

Adelaide piled on 29 points to Townsville's 13 to finish full of confidence.

There were signs the South Australian side was still finding its feet, especially when it assembled a top-heavy line-up, but its ability to score points quickly was pleasing to the eye.

Aaron Bruce became a new crowd favourite with 22 points, Brett Maher was influential in the first half and finished with 21 points while Adam Ballinger also scored 21 points.

Rosell Ellis top scored for the visitors with 19 points, Corey Williams was next best with 17 points while Hinder finished with 14 points.

Adelaide made a lively start to the contest with recruits Mark Tyndale and Bruce getting early buckets for their new club.

Maher was on fire too and his hat-trick of three pointers helped the home side open up an early 14-point lead.

It wasn't all one-way traffic however with the visitors working their way into the contest - Ellis and Williams initially leading the way before their team-mates joined the fight.

But despite their efforts they still trailed 34-24 at the first break.

The game tightened up in the second quarter with the Crocs clamping down on their opposition and improving offensively too.

Hinder was particularly effective with seven points for the stanza while Ellis continued to bob up under the basket.

It was harder work for the home side with the team's playmakers cut out of the game. However they continued to battle on and maintained a two-point lead at the long break.

John Rillie scored the opening bucket of the second half and levelled the scores at 49-49.

It stunned the Distinctive Homes Dome crowd and sparked a third quarter of swinging momentum. The Sixers broke first with Ballinger's two blocks at one end of the court and consecutive baskets at the other lifting his team.

They opened up a 13-point buffer before Townsville hit back with Ellis, Hinder and Williams slam dunks restoring some balance to the clash.

Ellis also swooped on a Sixers defensive error with three seconds left on the clock but at 80-67 the Sixers' were favoured to take the points.

Both sides made a nervous start to the fourth quarter with turnovers a feature during the opening minutes.

But Bruce and Tyndale won their new supporters over with some positive play and gave their side some valuable breathing space.

Adelaide coach Scott Ninnis said he was proud his players could keep the opposition to 82 points.

"We've been preaching defence for about three months now so to come out against a quality side like Townsville and hold them to that sort of score was great," Ninnis said.

Meanwhile, Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson said the team had its opportunities to win the game but wasn't as switched on as its opponent.

"They came out on fire and we knew they would," Gleeson said. "(Their) first home game, new coach, new players, trying to 'rejuvenise' everything out here but I'm disappointed we weren't here mentally."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Sixers.jpg109 DEF
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg 82@ the Distinctive Homes Dome

Jesse24

September 20th, 2008, 09:36 AM

^^Keep it up Taipans!

Burden

September 26th, 2008, 03:19 AM

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Rillie: Taipan-baiting may backfire
Croc provokes Taipans

Thursday, September 25, 2008 © The Cairns Post

Townsville veteran John Rillie has added fire to Saturday's NBL "reptile rumble" between the Crocodiles and Taipans, saying Cairns could be cut as part of a proposed revamp of the league.

The former Boomers guard said the "inevitable" return of the Bullets spelled trouble for the Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze in a 10-team competition.
"If you are going to revamp the competition you have to have the major cities represented – I can’t see Brisbane not being a part of that," Rillie said. "If you look at Cairns, they have had their ups and downs and Gold Coast are the new kids on the block.

"I admit I am biased toward Townsville but it would have to be Gold Coast or Cairns (to go).

"They (Townsville) have been the model franchise of the NBL since they entered the league in 1993."

The Taipans franchise struggled to stay afloat in its early years but has been strengthened since John O’Brien and Lui Garozzo bought the club in 2004.

Rillie’s comments are sure to fire up the Taipans as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

The Taipans have started with two wins and face the Crocs in Townsville on Saturday night.

An independent report into basketball last week recommended the NBL be replaced by a new elite competition from next season.

Implementing the review’s recommendations depends on a vote of basketball’s stakeholders on October 11 but it is widely perceived that the reforms will ensure the sport’s long-term survival.

Rillie said a 10-team competition similar to soccer’s A-League would be ideal – even if that meant the demise of his once-beloved Sydney team. He played six seasons – including two grand final series – with the West Sydney Razorbacks, re-named the Sydney Spirit this year after the demise of the Kings.

But Rillie can’t see his former team surviving the reform.

"They are probably on life support right now, changing their name and re-directing where they are trying to go," said Rillie of the Sydney Spirit. "I was disappointed to see that they changed their name."

BSD

September 27th, 2008, 09:16 AM

If i get to JCU, i would like to watch the crocs playing!

Rockvegas

September 29th, 2008, 03:21 AM

Townsville Crocodiles produce stunning comeback to put bite on Taipans

ANTONY STEWART (stewarta@nqn.newsltd.com.au)
September 29th, 2008

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/09/28/Kelvin-Robertson.jpg
HEADING WOODWARD ... Taipan Aaron Grabau is bowled over as Crocs point guard Kelvin Robertson drives to the basket at The Swamp

CAIRNS may have a `$1 million starting five', but Trevor Gleeson says Townsville's stunning win over the Taipans proved a champion team usually beats a team of champions.

After the Crocodiles produced a miraculous fightback to beat their North Queensland NBL rivals at The Swamp on Saturday, coach Gleeson hit back at claims by Cairns' Martin Cattalini that the Taipans have long had a superior team list.

In a stunning attack on Townsville in the build-up to the clash, Cattalini also referred to the city as `Clownsville' and labelled Crocs captain John Rillie `an idiot'.

But it was the Taipans skipper's comments about the Crocodiles team that most riled Gleeson, especially as they hold a far superior record over their neighbours.

After Saturday's 100-96 victory, Townsville extended their all-time win-loss record against the Snakes to 19-10 and 12-3 at The Swamp.

The Crocs mentor did not argue Cairns had recruited well in recent times, but did question whether that meant anything if they did not come up with the results.

"He's probably right, they have had the talent the last couple of years superior to us, but we play together as a team and we have really had the wood on them," Gleeson said.

"I'm not real sure what it is, but we just find that extra leg and play together and that's what we saw there (on Saturday night)."

MORE CROCS (http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/crocs.html)

Cairns' NBL championship calibre team looked like they were going to inflict a record defeat on Townsville early on and even led by 22 points midway through the third term.

With Stephen Black (28 points) nailing everything and former Croc Larry Abney also proving a constant threat, it appeared the Taipans would back up Cattalini's boast and extend their unbeaten start to the season to three games.

But Townsville scored 42 of the last 58 points to leave the visitors stunned.

``They have got a $1 million starting five, they have got some great talent in the league, but they have been under-performing the last couple of years," Gleeson said.

"It's good to have some guys that play together and have that passion for each other and have each other's back and that's what happened (on Saturday night)."

Surprisingly, Gleeson said Cattalini's outburst was not used as motivation to trigger the back-from-the dead victory, Townsville's second consecutive win.

It didn't even rate a mention, he said.

"No. We're business as usual, we do our job and we let the circus roll on outside and we just play," Gleeson said.

Taipans coach Alan Black was understandably upset by the loss and took aim at the officiating.

While conceding it was part of human nature, he accused the referees of getting caught up in the Crocs' momentum late in the game.

He was also unhappy point guard Darnell Mee `got an elbow and there was no call', which forced the defensive specialist from the court for several minutes in the fourth term.

But Black said the officiating was not what cost his team the game.

"I still think we had the players there to get the job done, but I think we have just got to finish better, we can't let that sort of game slip out of our hands," he said.

"(The Crocs) got fired up and then they started running the ball at us, and they are very, very good in this building, which we continuously find out.

"This is a very unhappy hunting ground for us."

Cairnsinite

October 1st, 2008, 11:41 AM

the game was there for the taking but i guess we didnt capitalise....kudos to the Townsville Crocs in particular Corey Williams for a stunning come back even though it looked Cairns was going to win the game.....
i must also say what a nice man Steve Price (Pricey) is...
even though the commentators were bagging Cairns on game nite...Pricey was being the neutral guy highlighting the fact that Townsville has Taipans and Cairns has Crocs and that both cities were the best in NQ! good on ya pricey!:cheers:

-------mean while------

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Black: Taipans should be safe

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

CAIRNS Taipans coach Alan Black says geography should have no bearing on whether clubs take their place in next year's new elite competition.

our of a new elite competition, although the criteria for entry and number of teams is as yet unknown.

Speculation has already been raised as to whether North Queensland can sustain two teams in a revamped league.

"If your franchise is strong enough, it shouldn’t matter where the hell you are," Black said.

"Certainly, it can’t just go on geography.

"This is a strong franchise, we have strong owners who are passionate about the sport, good media coverage and a fan base that is constantly increasing.

"We’re not doing a whole lot wrong short of winning the thing and even that’s not a determinant of whether you should be in the (competition) or not.

"A lot of teams have won the thing and then collapsed in a screaming heap."

Black said it would be interesting to see the criteria for inclusion in next year’s league.

"Should there be two teams in Melbourne? If you look at the A-League model, you’d say no," he said.

Football Federation Australia adopted a strict one town, one team policy when revamping its league but doing the same in basketball could be problematical, especially with the stakeholders involved.

Former Melbourne Tigers legend Andrew Gaze is a member of the sport’s interim board overseeing the merger of Basketball Australia and the NBL, while national coach Brian Goorjian coaches the Melbourne-based South Dragons.

"It would be a strong board to say one has to go," Black said

Cairnsinite

October 11th, 2008, 12:26 PM

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Basketball Australia boss talks up Townsville & Cairns chances of remaining in revamped comp

BASKETBALL Australia (BA) chief executive Scott Derwin has warned no club could consider itself a certain starter in the new NBL.

But with Townsville long being men's basketball's `shining light', Derwin conceded it would be a brave decision to exclude the Crocs from the 2009/10 competition. The NBL is set to undergo a complete overhaul following this season as Australian basketball looks to re-establish itself on the nation's sporting landscape.

An independent review recommended a new league be set up with a revised format to make it more commercially attractive to broadcasters and business partners.

Among the recommendations, which must be passed by BA and NBL clubs next month, is the possible reduction of the league to eight teams and the re-introduction of a Brisbane team.

With Melbourne and Sydney teams also seen as a must, it would leave a minimum of nine teams, including Townsville, battling for the five remaining positions.

Once the recommendations are passed, and Derwin was confident they would be, he said clubs would be forced to submit their interest and pass strict criteria for entry.

"We're in the process of talking to the clubs about what we think will be the criteria for the new league – they're all aware no one is guaranteed a place," Derwin said.

"There will be a tender process that they will need to put in to address the criteria and then the new board, which we put in place – will make the decision."

The addition of Brisbane will make life difficult for the other Queensland-based teams – Townsville, Cairns and Gold Coast – to each retain their positions.

But Derwin said if the tenders were strong enough it would not be out of the question – it could even result in the `NewNBL' being extended to 10 teams in its maiden season. He said one team representing North Queensland was also no certainty.

"Ultimately it will be up to the board to make the decision, but I would think if (Cairns and Townsville) can meet the criteria then both of the them will be there," Derwin said.

If it did come down to having to reduce the number of teams in the Sunshine State, though, Derwin said the Crocs should have every confidence about their future.

Since joining the NBL in 1993, Townsville have been one of the only clubs to regularly turn a profit, making them the jewel of the league.

"I think they have really set the benchmark and the pathway for other clubs," Derwin said.

"So I think it would be an extremely brave decision, I would have thought, not to have Townsville."

The Crocodiles are confident they have what it takes to be admitted, but have already made it clear the club is taking nothing for granted.

GoTroppo

October 13th, 2008, 04:18 AM

This has been a PR disaster for BA and has caused untold damage to the teams. Rumour has it that, after the announcement came out, team cohesion went out the door as players considered their own interests (i.e. I've got to look good if I want a team next year) ahead of playing for the team.

It'll be interesting to see what's driving BA in these changes. Certainly the regional teams (Wollongong, Townsville and Cairns) have been some of the strongest financially yet they've allowed the likes of Sydney to effectively buy championships in the hope of cracking a bigger market.

If cost was a factor, then centralising the league to the South East Corner would make sense financially which could actually mean BOTH Townsville and Cairns loosing out. Further, does anyone in their "base" really give a toss about games being held in, what some southerners believe, are in the northern suburbs of Brisbane?

If it were an 8 team comp, I think the most likely arrangement would be something like this. The core would be:

Brisbane
Sydney
Melbourne
Adelaide
Auckland

Second most likely would be:

Perth
Melbourne#2
Wollongong
Gold Coast

I doubt they'll go for a 2nd Sydney team just yet - they need to secure 1 market before they do two.

As you can see, this already takes us to nine. One scenario is that they even consider dropping Perth as a way of reigning in airline costs and keep it all within the South East corner.

Question is - are they dumb enough to do this? Well, given previous priorities and attitudes to the regional league members - yes. We don't sit within their priorities of dominating the major capital cities. They see opportunity as "cracking the 5 million Sydney market" more important than nurturing a buoyant and strong 150,000. The current financial environment is likely to work against us as well. Not that we won't be strong and viable - it's more likely that the southern teams won't be able to bankroll the costs of visiting us.

If my money was on an eight club league - it would be the following:

Brisbane
Gold Coast
Sydney
Wollongong
Auckland
Melbourne
South Melbourne
Adelaide

As for Perth, Townsville and Cairns - we are again victims of our geographical remoteness...

Cairnsinite

October 15th, 2008, 07:16 AM

The NBL right now is aware of strong support in both Cairns and Townsville for thier basketball team.
I dont see the point in trying to break back into the Sydney or Brisbane markets just yet...Sydney is currently represented by Sydney Spirit. And Brisbanites for the time being can catch the Robina Train to Gold-Coast and watch the blaze...that sounds like a perfect arrangment :)

In terms of Cairns Taipans, if they are axed in favour of Townsville.... i doubt any Cairns people would be interested in supporting a Townsville based team and the nbl would lose out on support especially from loyal fans like myself!

Burden

October 16th, 2008, 03:20 PM

Corey Williams has to be the best player in the league surely!

YzCwdjhKRKE

Cairnsinite

October 17th, 2008, 02:16 PM

yes i agree he is a good player...played a big role in Townsville's come-from-behind win over Cairns...
He wont be welcomed with open arms at the Cairns Convention Centre come next month :)

Cairnsinite

October 19th, 2008, 10:21 AM

Taipans Blaze G.C (again)

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00120586-image.jpg
Larry Abney The Cairns Taipans have produced a blistering last quarter to hammer the Gold Coast Blaze 102-87 in their NBL match in Cairns on Saturday night.

The Cairns Taipans have produced a blistering last quarter to hammer the Gold Coast Blaze 102-87 in their NBL match in Cairns on Saturday night.

Martin Cattalini was the star down the stretch with eight points in the final term as the Taipans went on an 18-2 run midway through the term to blow the game apart. The hosts led for most of the night and were too good at the defensive end when it mattered.

Larry Abney top-scored with 19 while Stephen Black (18) hit some clutch triples to keep the momentum consistently in the hosts' hands.

Both sides traded blows early in the match before the Gold Coast went on a 14-4 run midway through the term to open up a 23-15 lead. But the hosts hit back with their own run to trail 26-27 at the first break.

Pero Cameron and Black traded three-pointers to open the second stanza as both teams scored freely during the first four minutes of the term. But things dried up for the visitors as the Snakes went on a 16-5 run to open it out to an eight-point lead, 52-44.

Greg Vanderjagt and Luke Whitehead led the Blaze revival scoring Gold Coast's last 11 points of the quarter but it was not enough to prevent the hosts taking a 57-53 lead into the main break.

Abney was the dominant force for the Snakes with 15 points and six rebounds while Aaron Grabau was enjoying his best match since his injury lay-off drawing plenty of charging fouls and chipping in with 10 points.

James Harvey had 12 for the Blaze who shot at over 55 percent for the half while the reborn Vanderjagt was doing a great job inside with 11 points.

The match exploded into action midway through the third term. Both teams lifted intensity and as the Taipans threatened to run away with it leading 73-63 Harvey landed a big three followed by two huge triples from well beyond the arc from Shane Heal.

The Snakes kept their composure though and maintained the scoreboard pressure to take an 82-75 lead to the final change. Heal had nine for the term, while Black had eight.

It took over two minutes for a score in the final quarter with Ben Melmeth tipping in to keep the visitors in touch. But the Snakes scored the next 13 points as the Gold Coast could not score a point in the following six minutes and the Taipans extended their lead to double figures 95-77.

Vanderjagt broke their scoring drought but the damage was done. The lead blew out to 21 points before the Blaze closed it toward the death.

Taipans coach Alan Black was pleased his team finally put the Blaze away.

"I felt at any time we'd break away with the game," he said.

"I'm very pleased that we were able to get it done."

While disappointed with another loss Blaze coach Brendan Joyce was pleased with the effort of his under-strength team.

"I think they've battled in both these two games, we're played two top four teams," he said.

"We've got off to a rough start, the challenge there is to stay tight as a group and as a club."

The win sees Cairns takes their season record 4-2. They will back up on Wednesday night in Cairns against the New Zealand Breakers. The Blaze will be searching for their first win of the campaign (0-7) against the Hawks in Wollongong on Friday.

Cairns Taipans 102 (Abney 19, Black 18, Cattalini 17)
Gold Coast Blaze 87 (Harvey 18, Vanderjagt 17, Heal 12)
@ Cairns Convention Centre, 18/10/2008, Crowd: tba

-----MEANWHILE DOWN THE ROAD-----

Crocs suffer WILDCATastrophe

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00120576-image.jpg

The Perth Wildcats have ended the Townsville Crocodiles three-game winning streak with a 107-93 point win at the Townsville Entertainment Centre Saturday night.

Eight players reached double figures for Perth including Ben Knight (17), Shawn Redhage (15) and Alex Loughton (15).

The Crocodiles threatened through Rosell Ellis (21), Corey Williams (20) and Russell Hinder (16) but couldn't match the well oiled Wildcats which took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back.

Perth coach Conner Henry said it was an important win for the side.

"That is the most impressive thing to get eight guys in double figures," he said.

"We've had a tough couple of days talking about executing game plans and sharing the ball and all the cliches."

"It's a great win for us, a really important win the franchise and this group."

"This is a very tough place to play; rarely do you come up here and up to Cairns and get a tough hard fought win."

The Crocodiles raced out of the blocks with Brad Williamson finding the net consecutively, including a three pointer.

Williams proved hard to contain and was fouled repeatedly but could only sink four out his six free throws.

Perth returned fire through Darnell Hinson and Stephen Weigh who both nailed from beyond the arc to give their side a 33-22 at the first break.

They turned up the heat in the second quarter with Redhage and Isiah Victor joining in the action, both reaching double figures.

Ellis tussled hard in the paint to add six points but the hosts were left trailing 56-44.

John Rillie mounted a mini fight back with eight points for the quarter but the Wildcats were up to the challenge.

The visitors shared the ball with six players into double figures to end the term 83-66.

Wiliams lifted his game and charged to the net, scoring and again drawing the foul to give the homeside a sniff.

Rillie and Ellis picked up vital rebounds and even Kelvin Robertson leapt tall for a second effort but the Crocodiles weren't able to capitalise.

Crocodiles Coach Trevor Gleeson said his team was out muscled.

"I think it was probably the most physical game we have played," he said.

"I thought it was an AFL game for a period."

"They are a big team and full credit to them, they played a big game."

"We got away from our fundamental defence and offence early in the game and that put us behind the eight ball."

Townsville Crocodiles (Ellis 21, Williams 20, Hinder 16)
Perth Wildcats (Knight 17, Redhage 15, Loughton 15)
@Townsville Entertainment Centre 17/10/08 Attendance 4,274

Cairnsinite

October 24th, 2008, 04:42 AM

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Taipans win nail-biter

THE Taipans will be without inspirational guard Stephen Black for at least six weeks after his chronic back problem finally caught up with him.

Black missed last night's 101-92 overtime win against New Zealand and will travel to Brisbane for scans and treatment on what could be a career-ending injury.

The Snakes did not allow his absence to faze them though, stepping up to beat the Breakers, who headed to Australia as the NBL's leading team.

Both teams expected a tight contest but the Taipans seemed to have forged a match-winning lead in the third quarter when centre Ian Crosswhite (19 points) exploded before the Breakers went on a 9-1 run to end the period and cut the buffer to five at the final break.

They got within a single bucket in the opening seconds of the fourth when CJ Bruton hit a three-pointer to open the term and the final quarter was a see-sawing thriller.

Larry Abney tied the scores up with just 70 seconds left, setting up a thrilling finish before two of the most experienced guards in the competition, Bruton and Darnell Mee, turned over the ball on their teams' final possessions of the game, keeping the scores tied and sending the match to overtime.

The Taipans were magnificent in the extra period, restricting the Breakers to three points to seal the win and leapfrog the Breakers on the competition ladder.

"It's just a great win. It's a terrific win against a really good team and it shows that we're up there with the best teams," coach Alan Black said.

"We've got some big games coming up that will really test us, particularly on the road but you go down there (to Melbourne and Wollongong) confident that you’ve got a team that can play well and stick together in a crisis which I think we did really well as well."

Black said he had been interested to see how the Snakes would perform without son Stephen, who had been in good form in early games.

"There were times offensively where you could see we missed his organisation and scoring ability but I thought as happened last time we played them, people stepped up," he said

The Taipans were without suspended captain Martin Cattalini when they met the Breakers in Auckland a fortnight ago but as they did last night, the team rose the challenge.

"I look at the squad and I still think there's improvement, I still think there's guys that can give us more and I still think - particularly offensively - we can get better but the defence all game was really, really good, really solid,” Black said.

Black will have scans in Brisbane this week and has "a couple of options" for treatment.

"One is about a six-week option, one is a career-ending option.

"Obviously we're hoping the six week one happens. He's just tried to play through the pain but over the last two weeks he’s been having two ice baths a day and taking pain killers and it's just got to the point where his body just packed up.

"It's really sad for him but from a basketball perspective it gives other guys that perhaps didn't get court time while he was there a chance to play."

The Taipans were able to take a 27-21 lead to the opening break thanks to consecutive three-pointers in the final minute from Gary Boodnikoff.

Cairns lead was five at halftime after a see-sawing second quarter, with the game looking as though it would go down to the wire.

An outstanding defensive start to the third and Ian Crosswhite's hot hand blew the Snakes' lead out to double figures.

Crosswhite scored the first seven points of the term for Cairns and the Snakes made four consecutive defensive stops to establish what seemed a match-winning lead.

They held the margin for most of the term but allowed the Breakers back into the game with a poor finish to the quarter.

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Townsville Crocs prevail in great escape

A MISSION to redeem himself began in spectacular fashion for Townsville game-winner Corey Williams last night as he guided the Crocs to a heart-in-the-mouth win at The Swamp. But the star import point
guard warned he was far from finished following the 103-101 NBL triumph.

But the star import point guard warned he was far from finished following the 103-101 NBL triumph.

Williams was the difference between winning and losing against the tenacious Sydney Spirit, who did everything in their power to spoil the Crocs' 250th home game celebrations.

Fired up by a performance against Perth below his usual high expectations, the 31-year-old came out with mayhem on his mind from the opening seconds.

He rattled off 11 straight points in the opening term on his way to 16 for the quarter before finishing with a game-high 35.

It wasn't just his trademark aggressive drives to the basket that got the job done, either, as Williams regularly showed a rarely seen sweet outside shot.

"I didn't have a good game against Perth and I really took it personally to come out and hit a couple of those mid-range jump shots that I have been really inconsistent with," he said.

"I honestly felt I let my team down last game, that was a big game and there was a statement we were trying to make and I didn't come focused.

"To be honest, I played like sh.., so I wanted to come out and make sure I didn't play that way and help our team get a win."

Everything Williams did was done with authority last night and when he wasn't scoring he was providing for his teammates with a series of slick passes.

He also added seven assists and two steals to an impressive stats list.

But with a short turnaround before the Crocs play defending NBL champions Melbourne on Saturday, he said it was far from mission accomplished.

"Not at all. Not to take anything away from (Sydney), but that is a game we should win, even though it was a game that went down to the stretch the way it did," he said.

"So hopefully we can learn from that and get prepared to take on the defending champs."

Williams' scintillating work came close to being undone, when the never-say-die attitude of the Spirit almost brought them back from the brink on two occasions.

First the visitors mounted an impressive 22-6 surge in the third term to overhaul a nine-point deficit and lead 81-74 at three-quarter time.

And then, when the Crocs had appeared to have got out of jail to claim a gutsy win, five points in 10 seconds from Sydney turned the match into a thriller.

Local favourite Kelvin Robertson found himself in the middle of a nightmare as back-to-back turnovers triggered the heart-stopping finish.

But Sydney's chance to steal the win from an inbound ball with one second remaining disappeared when Derrick Low's shot rimmed out.

A seething Spirit coach Rob Beveridge said they had lost the game more than the Crocs had won it and Townsville mentor Trevor Gleeson found it hard to disagree.

Sydney hammered the Crocodiles on the boards 51-34, while the home team hit just 18 of 32 free throws.

Gleeson said the `Suns' god might have been on Townsville's side after Low missed a `wide open shot at the end'.

But he said getting the win, which took the Crocs to a 4-2 record, was the most important thing.

Cairnsinite

October 25th, 2008, 10:15 AM

Cairns and Townsville both travel to Melbourne to take on cross-town rivals South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers

As much as i dont like Townsville Crocs i really want both Cairns and Townsville to walk away with a win tonight.... 2 North Queensland sisters running riot in Metropolitan Melbourne :lol:

Burden

November 6th, 2008, 12:25 AM

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Taipans face axe

Emma Greenwood l Thursday, November 6, 2008 l © The Cairns Post

THE Taipans will be forced to withdraw from the NBL within a year if they do not receive significant concessions in a new lease agreement with the Cairns Convention Centre.

Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe said while the club would apply to be part of the revamped national league in 2009-10, its financial position was so perilous it was unable to ensure a long-term future.
The Taipans are in the final year of a tenancy agreement with the Cairns Convention Centre and company AEG Ogden which manages the State Government-owned complex.

Keeffe has opened negotiations for a new deal but said unless "serious obstacles" were removed, the Taipans could not continue.
"We’re not money hungry. We don’t even go anywhere near turning a profit, we’ll probably never turn a profit," Keeffe said.

"But it’s not fair for the people who own this organisation to lose this amount of money. It can’t continue.
"We desperately want to be in the NBL, we’re committed to the NBL but we have to get some of the components in place for us to go in the NBL. And one of those components is somewhere near financial viability."
Keeffe said the Taipans were "hundreds of thousands" of dollars short each season.

"That’s the way it is, I’m not going to try to gild the lily – it’s a fact," Keeffe said.
While Keeffe said there was "no plan B", if changes were not made to the lease, the Taipans would have to find another revenue source or a way to offset costs "dramatically".
"Or, if that doesn’t happen, it’s over. Within a year. It’s now.
"You can’t exist (otherwise) because the NBL doesn’t pay any dividends to you and we can’t sell enough tickets and sponsorship to make the CCC venue stack up," Keeffe said.

The Taipans want the centre to allow a sharing of revenue from food and beverage sales at games as well as handing the Taipans the right to negotiate preference deals with suppliers.
Their only revenue streams under the current agreement are ticketing and merchandise sales and sponsorship.

Keeffe is aware going public with the club’s concerns could be seen as lobbying through the media.
But he said it was time the club’s position was "laid on the table’’.
Centre general manager Ross Steele, who will negotiate the deal with his Cairns team, was unavailable for comment but AEG Ogden executive director Ross Pilbeam said it would be disappointing to see the Taipans forced from the NBL.

"We have a great relationship with (owner) John O’Brien and all the team at the Taipans and are great supporters of them being successful," Pilbeam said.
"It would be very disappointing if some issue has arisen with the convention centre."

Pilbeam turned the focus back on the NBL rather than the centre.
"Our view is there are problems to do with the league – not having a (free to air) television deal, not having a national sponsor," he said.
He hoped the Basketball Australia review and revamping of the NBL would help create a stronger league that could contribute to teams struggling financially.

Cairnsinite

November 7th, 2008, 04:16 AM

lol wow you sound sympathetic :lol:

i dont believe the Taipans will get the axe....i believe that an agreement can be reached with the Cairns Convetion Centre....The Taipans are a major tenant so dont think the Convention Centre is in any hurry to get rid of them considering the uproar that will come from the community...

im an optimist and staying positive and im sure a large majority of the Cairns community are as well :) here's the proof

Friday 7th November 2008
http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Taipans fans called to arms

CAIRNS Basketball officials say the survival of the Taipans is of paramount importance and the basketball community is ready to fight for its NBL team.

Cairns Basketball general manager Mike Scott said the club should be regarded as a "community asset" rather than just another revenue stream for the Cairns Convention Centre and State Government.

The Taipans have declared their long-term future in danger if significant changes are not made to their tenancy agreement with the Cairns Convention Centre.

Scott said the relationship between the Taipans and Cairns Basketball – which runs local basketball competitions, the FNQ Super League and men’s and women’s state league side – was strained at times but both came together with "the promotion of basketball as our common goal".

Scott said it was important the Taipans were able to benefit financially from home games. But he was "unconvinced that the terms and conditions set by the convention centre" was the club’s only issue.

"It is important that the Taipans are able to generate sufficient revenue streams at their home games and it is also important that the convention centre management and the State Government look at the tenancy of the Taipans as a community asset rather than just another revenue stream," he said.

The Taipans needed to address the "disconnect" between the NBL and grass roots basketball in order to gain contractual leverage.

"Associations across the country all lament the inability to get regular interaction between NBL players and their young players.

"The capacity to generate local basketball heroes will be key to the survival of the NBL, let alone the Taipans."

Cairns Basketball officials saw the establishment of an NBL team as a chance to provide Far Northern basketballers with the chance to pursue an elite career without leaving the region. Ten years on, the outcome had been beyond the organisation’s greatest hopes.

"The survival of the Skytrans Cairns Taipans is of paramount importance to Cairns Basketball and the basketball community in Cairns and I urge all basketball players, coaches, officials and supporters to attend as many games as their circumstances will allow and show the Taipans management that the basketball community of Cairns is ready to fight for the Taipans."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ps. it wasnt soo long ago the "Townsville Cowgirls" were in danger of financial collapse...if it wasnt for News Ltd the sounds of yeeha wouldnt be heard again

Oriolus

November 7th, 2008, 06:48 AM

^^I don't want to see that Cairns Taipans fold, but if you read further up the page (or in NBL (Aussie Basketball) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=634519&page=7)) thread, the NBL is going to be scrapped and a totally new competition is going to be implemented next season, cause basketball in Australia is dead. And I don't think they'll be taking financially unstable clubs along for the ride. Sounds like it'll be survival of the fittest - only eight teams. I'd be worried.

I was reading a suggestion (http://www.hoops.com.au/sa/i.cfm/forumlist/17504/) that our two teams be merged next season - ie Townsville Taipans or Cairns Crocodiles. Imagine that!! :eek:

Cairnsinite

November 7th, 2008, 07:29 AM

how about Cairnsville reptiles? :)

I've also read somewhere that if there is more than 8 teams wanting to apply and that those teams are financially stabled then there may be some concessions with letting those teams enter up to a maximum of bout 10 teams...dont know but if it were the case that Cairns & Townsville wer to have one North Queensland team. Unlike the Cowboys format, all home games would have to be distributed evenly between the two cities.

GoTroppo

November 10th, 2008, 04:39 AM

I still worry that we'll both be out. If the goal is to refashion the entire league, they'll focus on the clubs in the biggest markets (so all the capitals) then broaden from there. My money is on:

Guaranteed (regardless of finances):

Brisbane
Sydney#1
Melbourne#1
Adelaide
Perth
New Zealand

Next Strongest:

Gold Coast (1.5m punters - you can't dismiss them, even if the team is crap)
Melbourne#2 (this market has always supported 2 teams - so I can't see that ending).
Sydney#2 (if Melbourne gets 2 ...)
If they go with 8 teams, then we're BOTH in trouble. And then finally we have:

Wollongong
Townsville
Cairns

Of these final group (and assuming we have 10 teams and Sydney#2 is out), then Wollongong is top of the list because of their location (keeps the costs low).

I'm actually concerned that they'll push for an 8 team league which would actually drop out BOTH northern teams. Why? Well, operating costs for the league MUST be substantial - flying from anywhere else to Townsville/Cairns must be more expensive than, say, focusing teams in the "golden triangle". The same argument applies to Perth, but we're talking about a capital city (and thus a bigger market) - and Perth have a longer association with the league.

Cairnsinite

November 10th, 2008, 09:31 AM

with the bigger cities they see them as more bums on seats than regional ones however given the exception of Townsville and its successful basketball-business & supporters relationship...Cairns should try and emulate some of Townsville's successful basketball management strategies and try get as much community involvement.... The last game i went to in Townsville against Cairns, i was suprised to hear that there were supporters there from Ayr, Ingham and Charters Towers.... although similarily i know of some people from Mareeba, Port Douglass/Mossman and Innisfail that venture up to Cairns to support the Taipans.

Anyways here's the latest concerning the Cairns Taipans

Monday November 10th 2008
http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Taipans find turning point

http://nbl.com.au/site/_content/image/00120829-image.jpg
Look at Moi (Mee): Darnell Mee with the buzzer beating basket to beat Adelaide 71-70 at Distinctive Homes Dome

IF the Taipans finish the NBL regular season in the top four, they may well look back at Saturday night's 71-70 win in Adelaide as a crucial point in their season.

Just over a third of the way into the season, it’s too early to call it a crucial result.

But having spluttered their way to little more than 60 points in 47 minutes while converting only a third of their chances from the field, the Taipans looked headed for another loss until Darnell Mee’s last-minute lay-up pinched the game from the home side.

Outstanding defence was the Taipans’ saviour again, the Snakes allowing Adelaide just 11 points in the final term – the 36ers’ equal-worst fourth-quarter output in history.

After what coach Alan Black termed "ordinary offence" in the third quarter – which led to the Taipans only adding 12 points for the period – Cairns seemed to have little chance of bettering their 5-5 season record.

But with the deficit at the final break only eight points, Black felt it was a good sign his team could win if it could maintain defensive pressure.

Fittingly, it was a big defensive play which turned the match late, Dave Thomas stealing the ball for the Taipans to go on the attack.

Cairns missed its first shot attempt but Thomas (nine rebounds) came up with a crucial board, allowing Mee to steal the game with his last-gasp bucket.

"It was a good win," Black said.

"They’re tough at home.

"We didn’t play very good offence but we were very good defensively."

Black had targeted rebounding as a key to countering Adelaide’s towering front court including 216cm centre Luke Schenscher and forwards Adam Ballinger (205cm) and David Cooper (206cm).

The Snakes did the job admirably, winning the rebound count 51-43 and restricting Schenscher and Ballinger to a combined total of 28 points.

"It’s an excellent effort particularly as we did it as a hard grind," Black said.

"We can look at that game now and discuss some of the stuff (we didn’t do well) but with a much more positive attitude than if we’d not got up."

The win arrested a three-game losing streak for the Taipans and pushed them back into the top four.

"You never want to go on a losing streak, so it was important to stop," Black said.

"We would have liked to do it last week at home (against Wollongong) but to do it on the road is good and now we’ve got a 50-50 (away) record again."

Aaron Grabau was among the Taipans’ best on Saturday, grabbing an equal match-high 17 points and setting the team’s defensive tone.

"He was really good for us," Black said.

"He played great defence on Aaron Bruce and made some tough baskets when we couldn’t get any."

Taipans back reform deal

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/11/07/Cairns-WebUsual-CP07NOV08P999-CC129171-NBL.JPG
Future focus: Taipans CEO Denis Keeffe and executive director Juanita O’Brien talk about the NBL.

THE Cairns Taipans will join the movement for change that has swept the world when they vote to accept reform at a vital meeting for basketball in Australia today.

The Basketball Australia council and NBL clubs owners will vote in Sydney today on recommendations laid out in the sport’s independent review earlier this year.

Major changes such as the merger of the two bodies into one national organisation and the formation of a new competition to replace the NBL were included in the review.

The Taipans will be represented at the meeting by owner John O’Brien, who was unavailable for comment yesterday. But Taipans executive director Juanita O’Brien told The Cairns Post after speaking to her father late yesterday that the club would move for change.

"We’re going to vote to accept the reform for the overall good of basketball and for the NBL moving forward," O’Brien said.

Basketball Australia announced a broadcast deal with Fox Sports for the new 2009-10 competition – believed to be worth $35 million over the next five years – if the reform was adopted.

While O’Brien said live coverage of every game gave great sponsorship and exposure opportunities, it was not what persuaded the Taipans to support the reforms.

The Taipans confirmed earlier this week they would put their hand up for the new competition, which will include a minimum of eight teams. O’Brien said clubs currently in the competition would be accepted if they met criteria, regardless of their location.

With rumours circulating one Queensland club would be axed, this had been a key factor for the Taipans.

"So should both the (Townsville) Crocs and Taipans meet the criteria for the ‘new NBL’ going forward, both will be accepted on that basis," O’Brien said.

"That was certainly one of the first questions we asked."

Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe said he had no regrets in outlining the club’s perilous financial position this week.

"If we don’t fix the (financial) situation, we’re still in the same position (as being left out)," Keeffe said, noting the result in both cases would be the demise of the club.

Keeffe's Taipans appeal
http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/11/09/SPtaipans320.jpg

The Cairns Taipans are battling for survival as they try to negotiate a new lease with the Cairns Convention Centre.

At stake is the future of the club, which is facing a perilous financial situation ahead of a planned restructure of elite basketball in Australia.
Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe has written an open letter to the community to state the club’s position in the lease negotiations:

I am writing to ensure that there are no mixed messages in the community in relation to the Cairns Taipans and to ensure everyone is fully aware of our current situation.

The lease at the Cairns Convention Centre was inherited by our owners John O’Brien and Lui Garozzo when they took over the Taipans and also by me when I came on board as the club's CEO.

The contract expires at the end of this season and as such we are currently in the process of discussions about renewing our lease at the Cairns Convention Centre.

The agreement in its current form is unworkable and so completely one sided and is unlike any I have seen in my 20 years involved in sports administration.

Unless the current lease is changed and concessions are given to the Taipans which fall in line with NORMAL anchor tenant lease agreements then the Taipans will be in a position of losing money each season no matter how many fans attend home games.

I would like to point out that for the past 10 years the Taipans have NOT RECEIVED A SINGLE CENT from any beverage or food sold at our home games of which in excess of 70,000 people attend each year.

ALL income received is retained by the management company running the facility on behalf of the State Government. We also do not have any say in what product is sold at our home games and as such cannot leverage sponsorship opportunities to increase our sponsorship base and income.

All product negotiations are undertaken by the Convention Centre of which we have no involvement or say in. We also have no control on quality or pricing in our corporate or public food outlets which to us simply makes no sense.

The club survives because of the benevolence of our owners and their passion and commitment to ensuring that Cairns has a national sporting club representing the region.

They will never make money on the Taipans and if we can get to a situation where the clubs pays for itself each year then we will have a long future and we will be able to pump money back into the development of junior basketball in the region which we are unable to do at this time.

All we are asking for is the opportunity to have some control over our own destiny, which unfortunately we do not have at the moment.

The number one aspect of survival is a workable and beneficial lease agreement at the Cairns Convention Centre which at the end of the day is a State Government owned facility built with your taxpaying dollars.

Normal lease agreements contain benefits to the anchor tenant such as a percentage of F&B sales back to the anchor tenant and/or the right to nominate certain product lines to be sold at home games.

It also should include a partnership in setting pricing, negotiating landing price of product, ability to nominate and control security firms at home games and quality control of product served to patrons and corporate clients – none of which we have in our current agreement. In the end of the day fans come to the Cairns Convention Centre to watch Taipans games not because it is the Convention Centre.

There is a lot of passionate staff involved in the club who gives more than their fair share of time, blood, sweat and tears and truly believe in the Taipans.

It is not merely about winning or losing. I believe we will never in my lifetime have an NRL or AFL club based in Cairns – the market is just to small, however basketball is ready made for the region. Having a national team drives passion, ignites community spirit, shares wealth in the town and gives Cairns an identity that is marketed to the rest of Australia.

We are fully committed to continually having the Cairns Taipans represent Cairns in any future NBL competition for the benefit of Cairns, but it is high time that the community knows and understands the conditions we are operating under.

All we are asking for is a fair go and unless things change with our lease agreement at the Cairns Convention Centre and local and State government step in to correct the current situation then we will never be in a position to control our own destiny and have our long term future secured."

Denis Keeffe
CEO Cairns Taipans

GoTroppo

November 10th, 2008, 10:00 AM

Sorry, I should've added that I don't agree with leaving either Cairns or Townsville out of the league. If anything, we've proven that the support IS here - it's places like Sydney that they need to reconsider.

As for Cairns plight, I have a lot of faith in Keefey - his stewardship of the Crocs set them up for the financial success they are and his tenure at the Cowboys coincided with their sudden success. Although, for him to be that blunt about their situation - at a time when the NBL will be shining a strong light on the financial capability of each club - well, it does make you worry.

I know the Crocs suffer similar issues at the Entertainment Centre here. They have no control over pricing, quality or style of foods on offer. They've been pushing for hotdogs for years but keep getting turned down. One of the problems is that TabCorp (who own Jupiters and run the TECC) would much rather have punters spend their money there before the game than at the centre.

Cairnsinite

November 11th, 2008, 02:44 AM

either way for the Taipans or Crocs thier venues will be left with a huge gap should these two teams pull out of playing thier home games there.... I think the Cairns Convention will eventually come to some kind of agreement with the Taipans on food and venue lease....People power will prevail and if there is a major community uproar the convention centre cannot afford to fall on deaf ears....however its a different story according to today's Cairns Post

11th November 2008
http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Ball in government's court

CAIRNS Convention Centre officials have refused to allow negotiations with the Taipans over a new tenancy agreement to turn into a public slanging match.

The Taipans went public last week with fears for their long-term survival if they fail to gain significant concessions in a new deal with the convention centre.

Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe has already opened talks with convention centre officials and management company AEG Ogden, with the lease to expire in June.

Convention centre general manager Ross Steele was unavailable last week and refused to discuss the issue when contacted on his return yesterday. "I’m unable to comment on the agreement," he told The Cairns Post.

While negotiations continue with the convention centre’s private management company, Keeffe wants the stadium’s owners – the State Government – to step up to the plate.

"What is the government going to do about it, they’re the owners of the facility?" Keeffe said.

"They can’t just say ‘it’s not our fault’, they own the thing.

"It gets right back to the very start when there was a venue arrangement done not with enough, in my opinion, business acumen.

"That might be very hard on the previous owners of the Taipans but that’s a fact. That’s just a fact.

"They didn’t negotiate hard enough."

Keeffe was adamant the club’s position needed to be stated despite the Taipans attempting to enter the new national competition that will be formed for 2009-10 after NBL clubs and Basketball Australia’s associations agreed to adopt reform at the weekend.

"You know what, it may (affect our chances of entering the new competition) and that was one of the risks we took," he said.

"But it needed to come out, it was a position we had to take.

"We were between a rock and a hard place."

Keeffe said if the situation was not remedied, the Taipans would be unable to continue anyway so the risk of outlining the club’s position was one worth taking.

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/global/punshon-pointer.jpg
Time for all supporters to stand up

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/11/07/taipan1.jpg

YOU don`t have to be basketball fan to feel a bit of shock and disappointment over the news the Cairns Taipans could be facing their last hiss.
For 10 years the Taipans have carried the name of Cairns with pride, if not necessarily huge success, on the national sporting scene.
To see them disappear would be a crying shame.
The issue is obviously finance-related - not an uncommon scenario in professional sport.
Central to the Taipans woes, according to CEO, is the cost of playing at the Cairns Convention Centre.
While this is not the best of times to trying to put together new financial deals, perhaps it is time for some intervention from higher up.
The second stage of the convention centre was added largely to provide the basketball stadium and a home for the Taipans in the national league.
If the Taipans fold, the basketball stadium is in grave danger of becoming a white elephant.
Surely the convention centre managers, AEG Ogden, and the owners, the Queensland Government, cannot afford to have the basketball court sitting empty.
And don`t forget the social impact of the loss of the Taipans.
No other sport in Cairns draws more than 3000 people to every home match, and there are few in the NBL who do. The best way of ensuring the Taipans don`t slither off into the night is to ensure maximum support at every opportunity.
It`s well to remember that if you don`t use it, you lose it.

Top dollar drinks

IT`S little wonder the Taipans would like some of the revenue from food and beverage sold at their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre.
The profit margin on some items is huge.
Take the ubiquitous pre-mixed Bundaberg Rum cans as an example.
At $7.50 a pop at Taipans matches, that equates to $180 a carton.
Now, even at retail prices of $70-$80 a carton, that means a $100 plus profit margin and it is highly unlikely the $70-$80 range is what the canteen operators pay for their supplies.

Cairnsinite

November 11th, 2008, 11:36 AM

http://taipans.com/site/_content/Image/00120844-image.jpg

Dear Skytrans Cairns Taipans Supporter

There have been many comments made in the community regarding the Skytrans Cairns Taipans and our future in the National Basketball League.

I would like to point out that we are committed to continuing in the NBL for next season; however we MUST ensure that we are financially viable to have a long and sustainable future in the competition.

The No.1 and vitally important aspect of this is to ensure that our 10 year lease at the Cairns Convention Centre which finishes at the completion of the current season is renegotiated fairly. We have only one shot at getting the agreement right, which will have a significant bearing on our financial viability.

To ensure that you as a supporter of the Skytrans Cairns Taipans are fully aware of the exact situation in regards to the club and our lease please find attached an open letter.

Dear Supporter,

I am writing to ensure that there are no mixed messages in the community in relation to the Cairns Taipans and to ensure everyone is fully aware of our current situation.

The lease at the Cairns Convention Centre was inherited by our owners John O’Brien and Lui Garozzo when they took over the Taipans and also by me when I came on board as the clubs CEO. The contract expires at the end of this season and as such we are currently in the process of discussions about renewing our lease at the Cairns Convention Centre. The agreement in its current form is unworkable and so completely one sided and unlike any I have seen in my 20 years involved in sports administration. Unless the current lease is changed and concessions are given to the Taipans which fall in line with NORMAL anchor tenant lease agreements then the Taipans will be in a position of losing money each season no matter how many fans attend home games.

I would like to point out that for the past ten (10) years the Taipans have NOT RECEIVED A SINGLE CENT from any beverage or food sold at our home games of which in excess of 70,000 people attend each year. ALL income received is retained by the management company running the facility on behalf of the State Government. We also do not have any say in what product is sold at our home games and as such cannot leverage sponsorship opportunities to increase our sponsorship base and income. All product negotiations are undertaken by the Cairns Convention Centre of which we have no involvement or say in. We also have no control on quality or pricing in our corporate or public food outlets which to us simply makes no sense.

The club survives because of the benevolence of our owner’s and their passion and commitment to ensuring that Cairns have a national sporting club representing the region. I would like to point out that this commitment has not changed, however we as an organisation do not want to rely on our owners contributing significantly from their own pockets each year and nor should they be asked to. We are striving to be in a position of becoming self reliant however the only way to significantly improve our bottom line is via a fair and equitable lease at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Our owners will never make money on the Taipans and if we can get to a situation where the clubs pays for itself each year then we will have a long future and be able to pump money back into the development of junior basketball in the region which we are unable to do at this time.

All we are asking for is the opportunity to have some control over our own destiny, which unfortunately we do not have at the moment. The number one aspect of our long term survival is a workable and beneficial lease agreement at the Cairns Convention Centre which at the end of the day is a State Government owned facility built with your taxpaying dollars.

Normal lease agreements contain benefits to the anchor tenant such as a % of F&B sales back to the anchor tenant and/or the right to nominate certain product lines to be sold at home games. It also should include a partnership in setting pricing, negotiating landing price of product, ability to nominate and control security firms at home games and quality control of product served to patrons and corporate clients – none of which we have in our current agreement.

In the end of the day fans come to the Cairns Convention Centre to watch Taipans games not because it is the Convention Centre. There is a lot of passionate staff involved in the club who gives more than their fair share of time, blood, sweat and tears and truly believe in the Taipans. It is not merely about winning or losing. I believe we will never in my lifetime have an NRL or AFL club based in Cairns – the market is just to small, however basketball is ready made for the region. Having a national team drives passion, ignites community spirit, shares wealth in the town and gives Cairns an identity that is marketed to the rest of Australia.

We are fully committed to continually having the Cairns Taipans represent Cairns in any future NBL competition for the benefit of Cairns, but it is high time that the community knows and understands the conditions we are operating under. All we are asking for is a fair go and unless things change with our lease agreement at the Cairns Convention Centre and Local and State government step in to correct the current situation then we will never be in a position to control our own destiny and have our long term future secured.

Kind regards

Denis Keeffe
Skytrans Cairns Taipans Chief Executive Officer

Cairnsinite

November 21st, 2008, 07:17 AM

eek there maybe a possibility that Cairns will be ejected from the new league next year with Townsville and Gold Coast having a stronger case than Cairns....thats the story what i've been hearing from around town but hey they are just whispers and gossips nothing set in concrete yet....

If Cairns is not included in the new league format i will never ever forgive the NBL.. basketball in Cairns may pretty much be a dying sport going downhill....thats my prediction anyways

GoTroppo

December 9th, 2008, 04:35 AM

News just to hand - the Taipans have called in the Administrators (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/09/2441605.htm) and ...
will not be taking part in the NBL next year.Given the times, one has to wonder who will be next and if there will actually be a league next year?

Sad news for Cairns - Crocs and Taipans games certainly had something special about them.

Jesse24

December 9th, 2008, 09:15 AM

Yeah the beginning of the end, I don't see them getting a $1M sponsor in such a short time.

JimmyMc

December 11th, 2008, 07:26 AM

http://taipans.com/site/_content/Image/00120844-image.jpg
The No.1 and vitally important aspect of this is to ensure that our 10 year lease at the Cairns Convention Centre which finishes at the completion of the current season is renegotiated fairly. We have only one shot at getting the agreement right, which will have a significant bearing on our financial viability.

The club survives because of the benevolence of our owner’s and their passion and commitment to ensuring that Cairns have a national sporting club representing the region. I would like to point out that this commitment has not changed, however we as an organisation do not want to rely on our owners contributing significantly from their own pockets each year and nor should they be asked to.

Denis Keeffe
Skytrans Cairns Taipans Chief Executive Officer

This is the most disgusting pandering I've ever read; attempting to "negotiate" with a building operator with a one-sided emotional plea.

Many sports franchises don't run at a profit - and yet then continue to go strong around the world. The O'briens have profited handily, using the Taipans to flog their foreign made cars and put Aussies out of work. The O'briens have had their snouts in the trough of Cairns for years, and good on 'em. Now that things get a little tough, they run for the exits like scared monkeys. Not the kind of team owners we need - nor would I now buy a car from these people.

Painting the O'briens as "poor owners putting in money from their own pocket" is ludicrous in the extreme. Pacific Toyota is surely using this as a marketing expense, and the battlers are picking up the tab thru higher taxes.

If the Taipans die, it will be from uncommitted and lazy owners.

JimmyMc

December 11th, 2008, 07:32 AM

The second stage of the convention centre was added largely to provide the basketball stadium and a home for the Taipans in the national league.
[B][I][SIZE="3"]If the Taipans fold, the basketball stadium is in grave danger of becoming a white elephant.
Surely the convention centre managers, AEG Ogden, and the owners, the Queensland Government, cannot afford to have the basketball court sitting empty. .

This is a nonsense, and the Cairns Post knows it. Greg Punshon is a blockhead.

The Taipans aren't the only one that use the "basketball stadium", it is in fact used by conventioneers far more than the Taipans. And according to the Convention Centre management, produces much more income from convention rentals than to the Taipans.

So this "white elephant" argument is just another red herring pushed by Denis Keeeefe in his push to squeeze more taxpayer money out of the state and others just to keep the O'briens Toyota marketing going.

Cairnsinite

December 12th, 2008, 09:48 AM

This is a nonsense, and the Cairns Post knows it. Greg Punshon is a blockhead.

The Taipans aren't the only one that use the "basketball stadium", it is in fact used by conventioneers far more than the Taipans. And according to the Convention Centre management, produces much more income from convention rentals than to the Taipans.
Yes the Convention Centre may probably make more money from other events held there but i still partially agree with O'keefe and the Taipans that the deal was still one-sided in that the Convention Centre profited and dictated what food/beverage was sold thus leaving the Taipans without much of a say....if you're leasing off someone shouldnt you at least have a say on whats being offered? wouldnt you agree a venue selling "preference only" food and drink choices arent necessesarily going to satisfy everyone (incl fans)?

concerts are starting to become rare at the Convention Centre... a lot of entertainers are opting for Brothers Leagues Club...could this be because of the exuberant hire charges set by CCC?

So this "white elephant" argument is just another red herring pushed by Denis Keeeefe in his push to squeeze more taxpayer money out of the state and others just to keep the O'briens Toyota marketing going.

Jesse24

December 12th, 2008, 09:56 AM

The convention centre is expensive, my grad cost $110 a head and the night was alcohol free and the food was a buffet. Mind you the venue is great.

Cairnsinite

January 2nd, 2009, 08:38 AM

http://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpghttp://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpghttp://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/images/taipans-skytrans-logo.jpg
***New Developments have taken place at the Cairns Taipans, Press Release is due out very soon from the Taipans....wait for it!***

Cairnsinite

January 10th, 2009, 04:41 AM

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
BUZZER BEATER
http://firstsign.com/images/forsale924.gifhttp://www.ah.basketball.net.au/_uploads/img/293_76309m.jpg

Cairns Taipans administrators have gone public with a campaign to sell the embattled NBL franchise, as officials continue to work on plans to compete next season.
Administrator KPMG has placed an advertisment in the business section of Today's The Weekend Post, offering the Taipans and TicketsPlus - the club's ticketing outlet for sale.
The development came as the Taipans staged a massive upset to beat the Prth Wildcats in Perth last night.
The Taipans' NBL licence, the team, trade marks, business names, merchandise and goodwill are all being offered, with offers closing on February 9.

Administrator Tony Jonsson siad tough decisions had been made since the Taipans were placed in voluntary administration on December 8 so they could be offered for sale.
Jonsson said there had been two stages to the administration process, the first of which was "stabilising" the situation after appointment and preparing a budget to allow the team to play out the season. The second stage was the marketing campaign for the business.
"Unfortunately this required some tough decisions but the simple fact is there isnt as much money as there used to be and cuts had to be made" Jonsson said of the axing of two imports and coach Alan Black.
"Contunuing to trade viably is the best for creditors, the team and Cairns, as it preserves the possibility of selling the business as a going concern which provides the best chances of the team surviving"

Taipans chief executive Denis Keeffe said the club's application for next season's competition was being worked on, although he was still waiting on the NBL to finalise the formal criteria for entry.
"As far as we're concerned, we'll make every effort to participate in the "new NBL", we're just waiting for the criteria" he said.

Jonsson , who remains hopeful of finding a buyer for the club, said the criteria for entry into the new competition would be made available to prospective buyers.
Keefe admitted it was difficult to finalise the tender while the club's future was up in the air. "The whole thing's uncertain" Keefe said.
"We're trying to finish this season with a good, strong product.
But as far as I'm concerned, its our obligation to this city to explore the continuance of our participation".

Snakes sting Cats in shootout

THE Taipans pushed aside jubilation and fatigue last night to focus on tonight's second leg of the NBL's Doomsday Double.

The Taipans recorded what coach Mark Beecroft called a "terrific, fantastic, unbelievable" 81-77 win against the Wildcats in Perth last night, leading all the way in a remarkable victory against the odds.

But there was no time to dwell on the result with the Snakes turning their minds to recovery last night ahead of tonight’s clash with the 36ers in Adelaide.

They fly out of Perth this morning and land in Adelaide just hours ahead of the second leg of the NBL’s famed Doomsday Double, looking to become just the fifth team ever to win both legs.

Quoted at as much as $9 with some betting agencies for the win last night, the undermanned Taipans again found the venom that has become a trademark over the past month since the club was placed in voluntary administration.

"I think it’s reward for the effort we’ve put in the last couple of games," said Beecroft who registered his first win from three outings as a head coach.

After responding to the sacking of imports Larry Abney and Dave Thomas with a win against the Gold Coast in their first match after being placed in administration last month, the Taipans have been competitive against Melbourne and Wollongong but just failed to get across the line.

Last night’s effort was scrappy offensively from both teams – the Taipans shooting at 37 per cent from the field while the Wildcats managed just 35 per cent.

But the Snakes were outstanding defensively and found great success with the strategies they implemented despite being out-rebounded by the taller Wildcats.

"We gave up a lot of offensive boards in the first half and if we hadn’t have done that, our lead would’ve been healthier," Beecroft said.

"But things went our way.

"We talked about getting a contribution from our bench and Matt Smith, Dwayne Vale, Dean Brebner and Kerry Williams all chipped in."

Aaron Grabau set the defensive tone as usual and made a crucial stop on Wildcat Shawn Redhage in the final seconds when the Taipans’ lead had been cut to just one point.

"His defence on that single play was outstanding," Beecroft said.

Darnell Mee led the way for the Taipans with 15 points and was instrumental down the stretch, fouling Perth’s Darnell Hinson in the final seconds and sending him to the line when the Wildcats were trailing by three, ensuring the guard could not tie the game up with a triple.

Hinson made his first attempt from the charity stripe and deliberately missed the second, hoping the Wildcats would grab an offensive rebound to tie the game up.

"Darnell was like a spring chicken bouncing through the air to get the rebound," Beecroft said of Mee who sealed the win when he converted free throws at the other end of the court after being fouled by Hinson.

The Taipans signalled their intentions from the outset with Mee making a steal and hitting a three-pointer for the first points of the game.

CAIRNS TAIPANS 81 (D Mee 15 G Boodnikoff 13 M Cattalini 13) d PERTH WILDCATS 77 (S Redhage 26 P Crawford 14 I Victor 12) at Challenge Stadium.Cairnsus

Cairnsinite

January 28th, 2009, 06:05 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fr/f/fc/Townsville_Crocodiles.jpg VS. http://www.justpurple.com.au/pre/taipans-logo.gif
at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, tip off 7:30pm

http://www.crocodiles.com.au/site/_content/advertising/00000625-image.jpg
No Its not the End....Not Yet for the Taipans:)

Burden

January 28th, 2009, 10:49 AM

Red Nut

January 28th, 2009, 01:16 PM

Are you serious?

Harden the f*#k up dude.

Edit: Sorry just swore (shit!)

Cairnsinite

January 30th, 2009, 10:33 AM

What's sad is when Cairnsinite post's his weekley information on the Crocs and Taipans that he always chooses the brown colour to insinuate Brownsville, when in actual fact the colour Green represents the Crocs, and the colour brown represents the Taipans.

:lol: Lighten up dude, its a colour code-scheme i like to use when identifying our cities and that everyone in NQ are familiar with

Cairns: Green
Townsville: Brown

correction: The Taipans main colour is Orange :)

***Hi Gertzy, good to see you posting stuff in here :)***

Oriolus

February 1st, 2009, 02:54 AM

Sounds like what was unfortunately likely the last NQ derby lived up to all the hype, and Townsville shot Cairns to pieces :)

Crocs cane Cairns (http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=77358)
Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:01 AM
By Lendl Ryan in Townsville, Sportal

The Townsville Crocodiles defeated the Cairns Taipans 123-92 in a heated clash that saw three players ejected from the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Saturday night. Taipan Ian Crosswhite was sent packing in the first minute of the game before Crocodile Rosell Ellis and Taipan Dwayne Vale followed suit after an all-out brawl between the pair and team-mates spilled into a corporate box.

Stealing the show for all the good reasons were Townsville's John Rillie (26 points), Cameron Tovey (18), Russell Hinder (17) and Cairns' Martin Cattalini (18), Darnell Mee (14) and Kerry Williams (13). Rillie led the way for the home side with a flawless 21-point first quarter which included five three-pointers and after a tight third quarter ran away with the match.

Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson was tight lipped on what sparked the fiery encounter, possibly the final North Queensland derby with Cairns' position in next season's rejuvenated competition uncertain. "It was certainly fiery out there tonight," he said. "I saw the foul on Rosell but not the play after that. I thought the refs were right on top of it and the team-mates got in pretty quick to help sort it out. It takes something to switch a flick like that on (Rosell)."

Rillie said it was one of the most physical games he had been involved in. "Probably to see three guys ejected and one so early it has to be up there," he said. "The media did a good job pumping the clash up and the players bought into it and the fans bought into it. It was all good once I got in and sorted it out," he joked.

Crosswhite was slapped with technical and disqualifying fouls and shoved aside team-mate Cattalini, who was holding him back as he launched a tirade of superlatives against the referees and opposition players, before storming ominously towards the officials as he left the court. Rillie capitalised, sinking all four of the penalty shots on the way to 21 to give Townsville a 34-23 lead at the first break.

Darnell Mee offered the only resistance with 11-points for the quarter to keep the visitors in the game, albeit by a thread. Ellis chipped in with seven points including an unlikely three-pointer from long range to extend the home side's lead to 71-45 at half-time.

Aaron Grabau, Mee, Corey Williams and Hinder hit the timber in the third with Mee needing to be substituted, as the clash became more physical. Ellis asserted his presence too much and objected to a Vale foul causing the blow-up and the sendoffs before the margin blew out to 90-61 to Townsville.

Cairns almost ran out of troops in the fourth with Grabau leaving the court for treatment to a wound above his eye and Townsville losing a second player when Anthony Susanjara fouled out after just seven minutes of game time. Townsville sat back and shot Cairns to pieces, with three-pointers from Michael Cedar, Egan and Williamson to close the game 123-92.

Townsville Crocodiles (Rillie 26, Tovey 18, Hinder 17)
Cairns Taipans (Cattalini 18, Mee 14, Williams 13)
@Townsville Entertainment Centre 31/01/09 Attendance 4867.

Burden

February 1st, 2009, 03:39 AM

Wished it was televised, Anyway not out of spite or anything but I seriously think that will be the last Tsv - Cns derby for some years yet. There doesn't seem to be an angel coming from those cyclonic clouds to save the Cairns Taipans and there now resorting to desperate measures for 20 something people to spend $1500+ to save the taipans which is highly unlikely in this current economic climate.

Cairnsinite

February 2nd, 2009, 03:51 AM

Kudos to Townsville Crocs for thier win.....Not all hope has been given up in Cairns just yet.

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Fans pledge support

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2009/01/30/Cairns-WebUsual-CP31JAN09P006-CC141752-CHIPINMONE.JPG
We're on board: More than 40 Taipans fans have each pledged their $5000 to keep the team alive. The Taipans need more than 120 foundation members to take the court in the "new NBL" next year.

TAIPANS fans are rallying to the call for community ownership of the National Basketball League side, with officials a third of the way to their target just a day after announcing their audacious bid.

Forty-one people had pledged in writing to make the $5000 foundation membership donation by late yesterday, with former Taipan Nathan Jawai also joining the cause and urging others to get behind the push to save the Taipans.

More than 120 foundation members are needed to raise the working capital that will be needed to meet criteria for entry into next season's "new NBL", with bid organisers Cairns Basketball needing 100 written pledges by Friday for the scheme to push ahead.

Reigning Taipans MVP Jawai, now playing in the top competition in the world with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, said he would "do anything" to help the club survive.

"I don't want to see my team where I played my first professional games pull out," he said.

"I just want to ask all the other people to help out as well because if it wasn't for the Taipans, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Jawai said it had been upsetting to hear the Taipans had been placed in administration but he encouraged the community to do what it could to save the team.

"Come and join us and keep the Taipans up and running," he said.

Jawai is not the only high-profile Far North Queenslander to join the fight, with The Cairns Post, legendary Cape York Helicopters founder Dennis "Brazakka" Wallace and Aimtek chief executive Mark Fry joining Skytrans boss Simon Wild and Federal Leichhardt MP Jim Turnour on the list of foundation members.

Cairns Basketball president Denis Donaghy said yesterday's response had been overwhelming.

"We didn't know how it was going to go but the phone's been ringing and people have been calling up asking questions, and more importantly, people have been sending emails saying 'count us in'," Mr Donaghy said.

"That's people who have written in, sent an email that said, 'count me in'.

"There's another nine or 10 who have called up and said count me in, but I'm not counting them until I have the email from them to say, 'yes, we're in'.

----ON A SOUR NOTE ABOUT CROCS VS. TAIPANS GAME----

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/tb.jpg
NBL set to investigate Townsville `basket-brawl'

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2009/02/01/basketbrawl.jpg
Colour Clash: Tensions were flared on Saturday night as the BROWN City and GREEN City clashed on court...The BLUE happened under the Taipans end of the basketball hoops, it also spilled over into one of the courtside corporate boxes now thats a Harsh BROWNIE...

FIRED-up Crocodile Rosell Ellis could have a nervous few days ahead of him as he waits to discover whether he will have to front the NBL tribunal.

Ellis was part of an ugly melee instigated by him and Cairns's Dwayne Vale, which led to the pair being ejected from the game, won comfortably by Townsville 123-92.

While the three referees opted against laying an official report following the heated clash, the league revealed they may still punish the pair.

The NBL requested vision of the melee, which spilled into a corporate box at The Swamp, and have a range of sanctions they could impose, including banning.

However, if the league did decide to take action, the punishments are more likely to range from a warning, to a fine or a suspension.

NBL general manager Chuck Harmison will review footage of the third-quarter incident today.

"We'll all be looking at the video in great depth and then take it from there," he said.

"Whenever we hear of incidents like this we almost always look at the footage, regardless of what the referees do.

"But the fact the referees haven't made a report, I'll take that into consideration when I determine what action, if any, we'll take, but we still need to take a look at it."

Ellis was advised by Crocodiles management not to make any comment about the brawl until a decision had been made by the league's governing body.

Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson said he would be surprised if the 33-year-old power forward faced any form of reprimand.

"I've looked on tape and there's nothing there, just pushing and shoving," he said.

"If we are going to get reported for pushing people we might have a long line of people coming up there (to tribunal).

"I don't think there is anything in there – I certainly didn't see any punches thrown or elbows getting swung, it was more like a wrestling match.

"I think it was (Taipan Martin) Cattalini that came over the top and pushed everyone into the corporate box."

Ellis and Vale's exchange spilled into the crowd as players from both teams attempted to pull the pair apart.

Despite the ugly appearance of the incident, Cairns coach Mark Beecroft and captain Cattalini agreed the ejections from the game were punishment enough.

"That s... happens. It was two guys getting a bit heated at a moment," Cattalini said.

"There's nothing in it, it was two blokes wrestling – you see a whole lot more on a rugby field I'm sure."

Cairns' Ian Crosswhite, the first player thrown out of the game in the first quarter, seems destined to have a case to answer as teammates had to hold him back to stop him from charging at referee Tim Mills.

Wezza

February 2nd, 2009, 01:16 PM

It hope the Taipans can survive, the Cairns v Townsville rivalry in the NBL is one of the best going.

Cairnsinite

February 3rd, 2009, 06:28 AM

It hope the Taipans can survive, the Cairns v Townsville rivalry in the NBL is one of the best going.
Well it is Cairns and Townsville's signature game... just like the Cowboys vs. Broncos but in the basketball world :)

Cairnsinite

February 6th, 2009, 07:24 AM

Today is the dead-line for Cairns Taipan's hopes of enterting the new nbl next year.
Cairns Basketball is leading the plight for community ownership and needs a minimum of 100 commitments of $5000 each. There is also a syndicate system where people who want to commit smaller amounts can do so (www.savethetaipans.com).

Current Commitments: 91
Still need: 9

http://savethetaipans.com/images/donation_feb5a.gif

---In another boost for the Cairns Taipans---

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Council may pay rent for Taipans (05/02/09)

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2009/02/04/Cairns-WebUsual-CP05FEB09P011-CC142577-TAIPANSRES.JPG
High hopes: 4CA FM's Tammy Barker and part of the new syndicate yesterday.

CAIRNS ratepayers are set to play a major part in the bid to save the Taipans, with the council likely to pick up the tab for rent at the convention centre if the club continues in the "new NBL".

The push for community ownership of the club continues to creep towards reality, with 84 foundation memberships confirmed by last night.

At least 100 foundation members are needed by tomorrow for Cairns Basketball officials to push ahead with negotiations with Taipans liquidator KPMG to buy the club's National Basketball League licence.

Chairwoman of the sport, arts cultural and community services committee, Margaret Cochrane, said while the council had not committed to participate in a new lease deal with the centre, there was in-principle support to help the Taipans survive.

At a general meeting on January 22, the council agreed "in principle to support the retention of the Cairns Taipans for the Cairns community".

Discussions with any new owner will be held once expressions of interest for the sale of the club close with administrators on February 9.

Cr Cochrane said while nothing had been confirmed, discussions had centred around contribution to rent at the convention centre, for a period of three years.

A season ticket-holder since the Taipans began, Cr Cochrane was among the first individuals to agree to foundation membership and is one of three councillors - along with Mayor Val Schier and Cr Linda Cooper - to make a $5000 commitment to help the club become a community-owned asset.

Politicians at all levels continue to get behind the Taipans, with Federal Leichhardt MP Jim Turnour taking the team's fight for survival to Parliament on Tuesday night.

"It is a team worth supporting and I am encouraging the local community to get behind an effort led by Cairns Basketball president Denis Donaghy and general manager Mike Scott to establish the Taipans as a community owned team," Mr Turnour said.

World Trail mountain-bike course design co-founder Dylan Jeffries and 4CA FM Morning Zoo announcer Tammy Barker maintained the grassroots push when they formed another syndicate with friends by last night.

Cairnsinite

April 14th, 2009, 04:06 AM

The wait is now on to see if both Cairns & Brownsville will be admitted into the new NBL competition... I hope both get admitted so we can continue the exciting basketball challenges between the two cities.

Burden

April 14th, 2009, 07:59 AM

Cairns is shit at basketball anyway. Bunch of overpaid no hopers.

Jesse24

April 14th, 2009, 08:24 AM

Sigh...

Wezza

April 14th, 2009, 11:12 AM

Cairnsinite

April 15th, 2009, 05:51 AM

Cairns is shit at basketball anyway
We arent shit if we've beaten Townsville a few times as well as made the finals playoffs....
Bunch of overpaid no hopers.
That may have been in the past but its a whole new ball game with the "New NBL" which sees the salary capped at $1million
Townsville will definitely get in, Cairns on the other hand, i'm not so sure.
We do have a pretty good chance of getting in considering the surge of support within the last two months and also the guaranteed $1m backing from Cairns Regional Council and not only that we do get just as much crowd numbers as Townsville which is pretty good for a regional city of our size

Burden

April 15th, 2009, 07:32 AM

We arent shit if we've beaten Townsville a few times as well as made the finals playoffs....
Townsville's beaten Cairns on more occasions though. Townsville has also made a Grand Final appearance were as Cairns hasnt.

Statistically Townsville is the better of the two:

Longest Losing Streak

26 Geelong 1988
21 Cairns 2000
20 Newcastle 1990
20 West Sydney 2007
17 Melbourne 1987
17 Geelong 1992
16 West Sydney 2005
15 Newcastle 1991
15 Canberra 2001
15 Hunter 2004

Longest Winning Streak

21 Brisbane 2007
16 Townsville 2003
16 Melbourne 1997
16 Sydney 1983
15 Geelong 1984
15 Sydney 2005
14 Adelaide 1986
14 St. Kilda 1979
13 Victoria 2002

Scoring

1 Kirk Penney Breakers
2 Ebi Ere Tigers
3 Shawn Redhage Wildcats
4 Adam Ballinger 36ers
5 James Harvey Blaze
6 Corey Williams Crocodiles

TEAM AVERAGES

1 Breakers 102.9
2 Dragons 98.9
3 Crocodiles 98.5
4 Blaze 97.6
5 Hawks 97.5
6 36ers 96.6
7 Spirit 94.1
8 Tigers 79.1
9 Wildcats 76.2
10 Taipans 68.3

Cairns has also been overlooked on several occasions to host the NBL's All-Star's game for a more preferable location of Townsville.

Wezza

April 15th, 2009, 11:05 AM

We do have a pretty good chance of getting in considering the surge of support within the last two months and also the guaranteed $1m backing from Cairns Regional Council and not only that we do get just as much crowd numbers as Townsville which is pretty good for a regional city of our size
Well that's good news.

Townsville's beaten Cairns on more occasions though. Townsville has also made a Grand Final appearance were as Cairns hasnt.

Statistically Townsville is the better of the two:

Cairns has also been overlooked on several occasions to host the NBL's All-Star's game for a more preferable location of Townsville.
It doesn't really matter who's the better team. The league can only benefit by having Cairns in it.

Cairnsinite

April 16th, 2009, 12:47 PM

Townsville's beaten Cairns on more occasions though. Townsville has also made a Grand Final appearance were as Cairns hasnt.

Statistically Townsville is the better of the two:

Please tell me where did you get those figures?

Cairns has also been overlooked on several occasions to host the NBL's All-Star's game for a more preferable location of Townsville.
All star's game not really that popular....regular season fixtures are more exciting as you can do more things on those game days whereas generally with "out of town type events" its usually a set program.

It doesn't really matter who's the better team. The league can only benefit by having Cairns in it.
Yep because Cairns vs. Townsville games generally attract higher crowds for both cities and its one of the only few highly charged rivalries in the league.

Burden

May 12th, 2009, 07:19 AM

Townsville Crocs to suit up for Basketball Australia's interim season

ANTONY STEWART

May 12th, 2009

THE Townsville Crocodiles are all but certain to play in an interim national men's basketball competition this year.

Basketball Australia (BA) today announced they are still aiming for a new, restructured league in 2010, but would still run a competition for the seven teams that had pledged their allegiance to the sport.

Townsville, Cairns, Perth, New Zealand, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Wollongong will participate.

NBL IN BALANCE

BA said they had an obligation to the livelihood of players, coaches and management to run a 2009/10 league.

They said they would also endeavour to form a Melbourne team to play, stretching the competition to eight teams.

Owners of all clubs will meet with BA tomorrow to discuss the format of the competition.

MORE IN TOMORROW'S TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN

Cairnsinite

May 13th, 2009, 02:24 AM

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/favteacher/img/cp.jpg
Taipans make cut for seven-team league

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2009/05/12/cairnstaipans-1.jpg
Cairns taipans will play in the national league this season.

THE Cairns Taipans will play in a seven-team national league run by Basketball Australia this season.

Despite fears the league would collapse after the withdrawal of the South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers, Basketball Australia will launch a league involving the seven clubs remaining from last season.

The Taipans will join Adelaide, Perth, Townsville, Wollongong, New Zealand and the Gold Coast in the competition, although the league will be left without teams from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

BA said it was confident it could add teams from those centres from 2010.

Cairns taipans in action last season.

Despite being placed in administration last year, the Taipans were saved after the community rallied behind the team, with more than 150 individuals, businesses and syndicates buying foundation memberships to help raise the capital needed to continue.

The Cairns Regional Council will provide a $1 million guarantee, allowing the Taipans to meet strict new criteria for entry into the competition.

Taipans officials are expected to attend a meeting in Melbourne today with BA chief executive Larry Sengstock and other club representatives to thrash out details of the new league.

http://www.aussport.com.au/Art/TaipansLogo200.gif
Game on for Taipans

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2009/05/12/Cairns-WebUsual-CP13MAY09P000-CC157695-TAIPANS.JPG
>strong>Wait is over: Taipans general manager Mark Beecroft (left), coach Aaron Fearne and foundation player Aaron Grabau celebrate yesterday’s announcement.

THE Cairns Taipans have thrown their full support behind Basketball Australia and its elite men's competition.

The Taipans were in celebration mode yesterday, believing BA’s decision to move forward, rather than hold off entirely on its "new NBL", was a positive move for the sport in Australia and particularly in the Far North.

Cairns, Townsville, Gold Coast, New Zealand, Wollongong,
Adelaide and Perth will play in the 2009-10 league with hopes high a team from Melbourne will be added despite the withdrawal of Melbourne-based Dragons and Tigers over the past week.

While the elite competition
announced yesterday is not the "new NBL" in the shape BA had hoped, chief executive Larry Sengstock said the immediate concern was providing an avenue for players and staff to ply their trade in Australia.

"We are absolutely committed to ensuring that our competition and the teams within it are financially viable and long-term sustainable," Sengstock said.

"We’re therefore working with our teams on a two-stage basis.

"Stage two … is to have a new national competition in 2010.

"In the meantime, stage one is to work with our teams that we have now because we as a sport recognise that we don’t have the ability to take time off.’’

Taipans general manager Mark Beecroft said Cairns agreed
entirely with Basketball Australia’s call to play on this season.

"We are, with the clubs that are left, incredibly supportive of Basketball Australia," Beecroft said.

"We wish to continue to work with them to engage a sustainable financial model going forward that engages grassroots basketball."

"We’re all in agreement that is the direction we need to go," Beecroft said.

"For us there have been some anxious moments through this process but (yesterday’s) news that we will be playing basketball for the Taipans and the Cairns community (is exciting)."

The Snakes were on the brink of extinction after being placed in administration last December but a community ownership scheme helped raise the $500,000 working capital needed to enter the new competition as well as funds to buy the Taipans’ NBL licence from liquidators.

A $1 million guarantee was secured from Cairns Regional Council, although Mayor Val Shier said last night the council would review the make-up of the new competition before giving final approval to the commitment to ensure ratepayers’ money was not at risk.

Beecroft said the five months since the club had been placed in administration had been tumultuous but yesterday’s decision was great reward for the entire community.

"From the momentum generated by the players that finished the (2008-09) season after the club was placed in administration to the foundation and syndicate memberships to raise the working capital, to Cairns Regional Council’s $1 million guarantee, to today where we know that we will be playing basketball, I think we’re thrilled," he said.

Taipans president Denis Donaghy will join Sengstock and other club owners in Melbourne today to thrash out competition details including the competition schedule.