On high alert for rivals
SUZY Batkovic believes the Townsville Fire are “unstoppable” when they’re at their best.
But the skipper has described their recent performances against Dandenong as anything but as they look to avoid a clean sweep to the Rangers at Townsville Stadium on Saturday night.
The Fire have struggled to match up against sixth- placed Dandenong all season, slumping to 86- 69 and 78- 59 defeats, which could make it tough to secure a top- two finish.
Batkovic didn’t offer any excuses for those poor performances, but she said it was crucial they find a way to overcome Dandenong if they are to be taken seriously as a championship threat.
“We’ve been extremely below par when we’ve played them,” Batkovic said. “I don’t think we got out of second gear against them at all and we just kept doing the same thing over and over again. It was a bit disastrous.
“They’ve beat us twice and they might be our bogey team, but there’s no reason for it.
“If we want to win a championship and we’re serious about it, we’ve got to beat every team anyway. We’ve got all the advantages ( this weekend) so we’ve just got to make sure that we utilise them and we come ready to go.”
The Fire found some form last weekend in a 99- 62 victory over Bendigo, with Batkovic named in the Team of the Week for the fifth time this season.
But Townsville have been notoriously slow starters and that reached crisis point against Dandenong a fortnight ago as they scored just 19 first- half points.
Batkovic conceded the Fire were their own worst enemies with the way they started games, but she was confident they can address the issue before taking the floor this weekend.
“We are a second half team, but we’ve got to find ways to bring it in the first quarter. When we do, we’re unstoppable,” Batkovic said.
“We are a great side, but we are our own worst enemies so we have to make sure that we’re not complacent or we’re not in cruise mode.
“Sometimes we’re waiting for someone else to get the job done and then we turn up in the second half, but by then you’re already in deep water.
“We’ve got enough video on them now, especially those last two games, so we know what they’re doing. We’ve just got to find ways to combat it.”
The Fire will have the benefit of a full week on their home floor to prepare for Saturday night’s encounter while Dandenong will be backing up from Sydney tomorrow.
That should play right into Townsville’s hands, but Batkovic still urged her teammates to bring the intensity on the training court and ensure they’re not caught out again.
“I’m a big believer in how you train is how you play,” Batkovic said.
“If you train well then you’re going to play well. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re switched on and ready to go when we come into warm- up and then you get through to the start of the game.”