Hawks must seek to shut down Melo
HOW the Cairns Taipans handle Illawarra’s full court pressing defence will decide Friday night’s regional club NBL battle, according to retired Hawks champion Oscar Forman.
The 36-year-old, who has slid into the NBL commentary booth after he chalked up over 500 games in his career, anticipated his old mentor Rob Beveridge will throw a physical barrage at Cairns’ offensive power Melo Trimble.
The Hawks have defensive minded guards such as Kevin White, Cedric Jackson and Jordair Jett to throw at the Snakes leading man and Foreman can see the match-up being critical to the result.
“They need to take the opposition out of their style of play, that is where Illawarra have had their success,” Foreman said.
“A lot of how they play starts with harassing full court defensively, when they have pushed up, that is what gets the rest of their team going.
“They get aggressive and on the other end of the court, they start to attack the rim.
“If Illawarra sit back, their defence and their offence are not aggressive, it is not a good make-up for success. Whenever Melo catches the ball, he needs to be made uncomfortable and not give him any time to move or think.”
Foreman, a stretch big man, retired after the last NBL season following stints with the Adelaide 36ers, Wollongong and New Zealand.
The South Australian is surprised with how Cairns’ season has gone so far, with Forman declaring he was impressed with the Snakes roster in the preseason and expected them to make noise in the NBL.
“I like their team, their roster is good,” he said. “They have good balance, it is not a team that should have the record they do, but it is obvious how tough the league is this year. Preseason, I picked them to surprise a lot of people.
“It is hard when you lose a bunch in a row and you need to get over that hurdle and get out of being that losing team.”
Snakes centre Nate Jawai, who just returned from two wins with the Australian Boomers, knows his club needs a victory at home very soon.
“I feel refreshed and I am happy to be home,” Jawai said.
“I am excited to get back with the guys this week. “I want to get on a roll now. “The focus is the Cairns Taipans and I have the feel of winning from the Boomers, I feel good about myself and hopefully I can carry it forward.” THE FIBA window was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cairns Taipans.
They took the opportunity to regroup, refocus and re-energise their attack on the NBL competition.
It also provided the opportunity for Nate Jawai to return to the national squad as a Boomers rep – a good sight for Taipans fans.
Sitting at a lowly 1-8, the Snakes take some confidence from their form over the previous two weeks.
The coaching staff have now had an opportunity to fine tune the mechanics of the team’s game style.
They know what they are and what they aren’t.
They have been best when they have played with a deliberate tempo and post focus with Jawai on the floor.
When Nate is out, they have been effective in spreading and spacing with pace, impact pick and roll play and perimeter shooting.
Over the first nine games, the rotation has felt clunky. The Snakes have either been playing their offensive guys who struggle to defend, or defensive guys who struggle to score. Leading into the break, it looked like Coach Kelly had a better handle on the combinations that could achieve positive outcomes at both.
Hall, Kenny, Young and Walker have all arrived as defensive contributors, which should add a nice rhythm to the dominant offensive play of Jawai, Trimble and Newbill.
Admirably, the Taipans have stayed positive and loyal in the face of adversity. The messaging has been consistent from the top down, from club officials to players. Patience has been a virtue up to this point, but there isn’t a motivational talk going which will feel authentic, if they fail to beat Illawarra at home Friday night.