When the dust has settled, we aren't as deep as I would have liked. With the finalisation of our training schedule, we have lost Neil Purcell to work and study commitments. Completely understandable given his situation, but nonetheless very disappointing and a big blow.
We have also lost Kosta Ilic, who will be remaining at Stirling. Good luck to him for the upcoming season.
So our roster now looks like this:
Jon Moon
John Taylor
Andrew McLennan
Mike Jones
Tim Kruge
Jarrod Balcombe
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Ty Alabakis
Nathan Friend
Clint Burbage
Jeremy Nichol
Nic Donlagic
Lucas Offereins
Ty returned from America this week, and has commenced training with the squad. We are unsure if he will play at this stage, as we need to confirm his ongoing availability based on possible US commitments, however we are hopeful he will be a part of the team.
I believe we have a solid 6 players and some very talented juniors, and I have no doubt we will be fit enough to play our style. What worries me is (*touch wood*) the inevitable injuries, work/personal commitments etc that occur during the season to rob a team of key players. It is covering these events that worries me more than actual depth in any one game.
We have our assigned training schedule now of Monday and Wednesday evenings 8:30pm to 10:30pm at Ballajura Community College. We had our last off-court fitness session yesterday (Monday) at Kings Park, and the improvement across the squad from when we started has been substantial. Now we need to continue that underlying focus on the court.
Again touching a nearby chunk of wood, I am happy to rotate only as deep as needed/we are capable of in any one game. You can only put 5 players on the floor and I am confident some of our development players will take their opportunities and really show they deserve some time. Although the situation reminds me of a quote I read recently:
Lately, with point guard Tony Parker out and Popovich all but forced to increase Ginobili's workload, the Argentine guard has been reminded of one of life's most frequent lessons. Be careful what you wish for.
"When I play 28, 30 (minutes), I'm always upset and want to play more," Ginobili said. "When I play 40, I say, 'I never play 40, I'm tired, I need to play less.'"
The moral of the story, as Ginobili sees it? "Players are never happy," he said with a chuckle.
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