ALL EYES ON FEARNE IN THE FINAL YEAR OF HIS TAIPANS’ CONTRACT
BASKETBALL TAIPANS boss Mark Beecroft is comfortable letting coach Aaron Fearne’s contract run into its final year with a new deal yet to be struck for beyond the 2017-18 NBL season.
Fearne, who is about to embark on his ninth season as the coach of the Far North club, is entering the third and final year of his contract he signed in June 2015.
After many picked the Snakes to finish at the foot of the table during the 2016-17 season, they more than punched above their weight, finishing second on the ladder, and Fearne will be out for a similar finish to cement another contract.
Beecroft is in no rush to determine the future of his coach.
“I think like all of our contracts, we have seen them out and he will be no different,” Beecroft said.
“It will be a talking point for the media but not for us.
“He will stay focused on his job and we will stay focused on driving the club.
“The focus is on the job and that has been our approach.”
The future of a number of players will hinge of the success of the upcoming season with Snakes Cameron Gliddon, Stephen Weigh, Alex Loughton, Jarrad Weeks, Mitch McCarron and Nnanna Egwu all set to come out of contract at the end of the campaign.
Beecroft does not think Fearne’s uncertain future following the 2017-18 season will become a distraction.
“We will evaluate at the end of the season like the players, like the coaches, like all staff and contracts,” Beecroft said.
“We all go through the process and that is why we do degarded briefs, it is all about improvement.
“Aaron has a really good track record in terms of success in his influence, not just the Taipans, but the sport in general.
“We will sit down and evaluate when the time comes with negotiation.”
Taipans centre Nate Jawai is the only contracted player to have a deal locked in for the 2018-19 season.
Elsewhere, Cairns prodigy Kody Stattmann has been selected in the Australian team that will contest the 2017 FIBA Oceania men’s Under-17 Championships in Hagatna, Guam from July 9-16.
The team will start the journey towards the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Championships. SAM Stosur is ready to defy Father Time and capitalise on a dramatically reshaped French Open draw as the Queenslander closes in on a second major.
Stosur faces US qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands tonight for a fourth-round berth in a draw now shorn of several of her toughest rivals.
In the absence of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, this year’s Open was already re- as one of the most winnable – and unpredictable.
After just four days, Stosur finds herself ideally placed to push for a fifth semi-final and second final berth at Roland Garros.
World No 1 Angelique Kerber and dual Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova’s elimination has left Stosur as clear favourite in her section to advance to the quarters.
Beyond that, she’s seeded to clash with defending champion Garbine Muguruza or Venus Williams in the last four. If successful overall, she would become the tournament’s third oldest female champion at 33 years and three months behind Zsuzsa Kormoczy (33yrs, 10mths) and Serena Williams (33yrs, 8mths).
“As far as some of the older players, I think there is still a lot of life left in a lot of us older ones who are over 30,” Stosur said.
“I think we keep proving that time and time again that, you know, it’s certainly not a hindrance.
“We can use that experience and hopefully I can use everything and have another good tournament here.”
Stosur’s transformation on clay from Melbourne Park easybeat to Parisian powerhouse is both physical and mental.
“With my weapons (serve and forehand), I can use them maybe a bit more easily on this surface,” she said.
“Maybe I just feel a bit more confident this time of year or something. But at the end of the day, I know you’ve still got to bring it every single time.”