BURDEN E ASES FOR BASTION B ATKOVIC

TOWNSVILLE Fire captain Suzy Batkovic might be surging towards a possible sixth MVP award, but the champion forward is feeling a weight off her shoulders.

Batkovic is riding the surge of form that saw Townsville record a 120- 62 win over the Bendigo Spirit last weekend, and her teammates are not just playing supporting roles for Batkovic, they are becoming matchwinners in their own right.

Batkovic finished last weekend’s game with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, an important con- tribution, but it was one of a handful of impressive individual performances that combined to overwhelm the struggling Spirit.

Not only that, Batkovic was afforded the relative luxury of playing 21 minutes, as bench weapon Darcee Garbin scored a game- high 30 points in yet another sensational performance.

Heavily relied on during last season’s march towards the WNBL semi- finals, which the Fire ultimately lost to the Sydney Flames, Batkovic now has the support she needs to be at her firing best ahead of the Fire’s championship charge.

“We’re just so much deeper than we were in the past. The recruiting we did was exceptional,” Batkovic said.

“We have a great perimeter and that makes it very difficult for opposition defences.

“They always have to question what they are going to do, whether they try to cram me in or not.

“It would be very difficult to defend against.”

The Fire will play the Flames regardless in the upcoming semi- finals, but the winner of tomorrow night’s showdown between the Fire and Flames in Sydney will earn a home court advantage.

The Fire have already played against the Flames in Sydney this year, winning 66- 63.

“It’s definitely going to be another grind,” Batkovic said.

“It’s been a tough venue to visit for a long time and I guess it would be a bit similar as our home court.

“The difference is we have the depth and they use their starters for a lot of minutes. But there’s so much to play for ... there’s a lot on the line.

“They ( Sydney) have a lot of weapons. Belinda Snell is a very savvy player, same with ( Katie- Rae) Ebzery.”

The Fire, who trained on Christmas Day, train again this morning before travelling to Sydney tonight.

They return on Saturday ahead of the annual New Year’s Eve showdown at Townsville Stadium against minor premiers the Perth Lynx.

“For now we’re not even thinking about the New Year’s Eve game,” Batkovic said.

“There’s just too much to play for on Friday night.

“We really want that home semifinal and for me playing in front of our own fans is always the best.”