VS Sunday 20th May, 2018
GAME NIGHT PROGRAM SUNDAY 20th MAY 2018 Printed by
14 Hepner Place North Geelong 3215 Ph: 52722558
VS TODAY’S GAMES SEABL WOMEN– 12:00PM SEABL MEN – 2:00PM
GAME NIGHT SPONSOR
Our thanks to VIVA for their support today… whether it’s your first Supercats game or you 100th Supercats game, we are looking forward to a massive crowd packing the Geelong Arena today with the generous support of VIVA Sports Apparel. Both teams were on the road last night in Sandringham and will need you to be loud today to help them get over the top of the Nunawading Spectres. Our visiting teams are traveling nicely in 2018 sitting 2nd in the Men’s competition and 3rd in the Women’s. While our teams have had a tough start to the year, we have also almost completed out travel trips, with just a road trip to Albury for both and a bus trip to Mt Gambier for the men to come. Fortunately we end the season with six straight weeks at home and a great chance to play in the post season. Last weeks women’s match was gripping. A 1 point win against a team with plenty of potential should have given our girls great confidence ahead of this weekend. Another week of having Chelsea and Daniela in the squad as well certainly helps.
On a club front, we are pleased to announce today our 2018 Business to Business luncheon to be held at the Empire Grill on Friday 8th June featuring former Geelong Mayor Darryn Lyons as the guest speaker. Tickets are available at www.supercats.com.au. Today we also release the 2018 club poster. Both teams will be available after the game to sign your posters. Posters are $3.00 each or both teams for $5.00. Enjoy the day #SeeRed #GetLoud #SupercatsFamily Regards, Dean Anglin CEO
WOMEN’S PREVIEW by Wes Cusworth The significance of this weekend’s double-header weekend hasn’t been lost on Lady Supercats’ assistant coach Glenn Sharp with defining matches, firstly against a new-look Sandringham followed by a clash at home with traditional rival Nunawading. “Absolutely, coming against Sandringham in the first game at Sandringham is going to be tough,” Sharp said after successfully leading the line-up to a thrilling one-point success over Diamond Valley. “Sandringham has got a new-look line-up and they seem to be rolling really well in the league at the moment. “So it’s going to be really tough for us and it’s going to put us under a lot of pressure.” While Geelong sits in sixth with a four-three record from its opening seven matches, the Lady Sabres have played nine games with five wins coming against Frankston, Hobart (twice), Launceston and Ballarat. The level of intensity picks up even further after Saturday night’s game with the region’s elite outfit suiting up at noon on Sunday against the five and two, third-placed Lady Spectres. “We’ll have to grind them both out,” Sharp conceded. “There’s no really easy game in SEABL for us, we need to turn up every week and play.” Once again Geelong’s front-court contingent will be forced to contend with some tall-timber, a fact that they’ll have to get used to throughout 2018. “We didn’t have the height last year, as well, coming into this scenario,” Sharp said. “I know we had Bunts (Alex Bunton) who unfortunately was injured towards the end of the season, but we adjusted and just made sure that our scouts were tight and we just force the opposition into a bad shot for us.” Sharp was delighted with the application that has been paramount over the past few weeks, even despite the double loss in Tasmania a fortnight back. “If you look at the road trip we were only three points off each game,” he said. “Our confidence may have suffered a little bit, but getting a win like last Saturday against Diamond Valley and grinding it out shows that we have the ability to continue to grow. “We pride ourselves on finding the best shot and helping each other out, and one of our tasks is just trying to make the girls stay positive about missed shots and whatever else. “Our key focal point in offence against Diamond Valley was to make our lay-ups and if we’d done that in Tasmania we would have won those games quite comfortably.” Sharp, along with head coach David Herbert have set high expectations for their charges and have dismissed the notion that the poor shooting that tarnished the trip south was symptomatic of early season form. “We started off like a house on fire, the first couple of games shooting the ball really well,” Sharp said. “If you look at our offensive presence on the outside we’ve got Ellen Kett, Isa and Charlie Brancatisano and Alex Duck who can all capably shoot the three and teams are going to have to scout that. “We don’t want to live and die by the three-point line but we need it to be a big focus for us as well.”
MEN’S PREVIEW by Wes Cusworth Versatile 201-centimetre Supercat Matthew Johns may still be finding his feet upon return to the Geelong SEABL program, but if last week’s effort against Diamond Valley was anything to go by it’s clear the emerging talent has the potential to play a significant role in the drive to a championship. “Yeah, it was great, particularly after missing last week in Tassie,” the teenager commented. “I thought I was going to be over in America, so to come back and play bigger minutes and to play my best game of the season was really good.” Despite time away, Johns is unperturbed by the challenge he faces in blending back into the Supercats system upon return for 2018. “Of course it’s a challenge, but growing up here as a kid at least I know the guys and I know the system here,” he said. “I trained with them before I went, but it’s definitely taken a few weeks to get back into it to know how everyone plays, but it’s starting to come.” While Johns relished the opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s leading youth coaches at the Centre of Excellence, he has fervently embraced the opportunity to fall in among Geelong’s bevy of seasoned on and off-court mentors. “Just training, let alone the games, I have grown heaps especially thanks to the like of Jamie Medved and Nathan Herbert,” he said. “They’ve been around so long and they just give me little tips on how to find them and how to bring out the best in me.” Supercats centre Liam McInerney is brimming with confidence, despite the enormity of the task ahead with Geelong facing Sandringham and Nunawading this weekend. “We go 11 deep, we’ve got legs everywhere and I don’t think the fatigue will be a problem for us because we’re all in good shape,” McInerney said. “No one has shown any signs of letting up because of fatigue. “We’ve got a couple of niggles here and there, but I think we should be able to hold out for a full 40 minutes over both games.” The surprise appearance of Michael Luxford against Diamond Valley, following a week of uncertainty over a calf injury, has provided another catalyst to the self-belief the Supercats are enjoying heading into the double-header. “It was good to see him out there and particularly at full capacity, he’ll be ready to go this weekend,” McInerney commented. “Originally it looked like he wasn’t going to play for seven to 10 days, I think it was just a pretty bad corky in the end, nothing too dangerous that would keep him out for too long.” The Supercats face the 13th-placed Sabres on Saturday, before backing up at 2pm against the 2nd positioned Spectres on Sunday. “Sandringham has had its ups and downs over the last couple of years but they’ve added David Barlow to their line-up, which is going to be massive for them,” McInerney said. “It’s not every day that you get a Boomer playing for you. “Then we’ve got Nunawading, a traditional rival and they’ll no doubt be a fierce opponent.”
LUINA GEELONG SUPERCATS SEABL WOMEN Number
Full Name
2
Ellen Kett
4
Position
Player Sponsor
Age
Guard
24
Eve Braslis
Forward
18
5
Alex Duck
Guard
27
8
Carly Remmos
Guard
15
19
Daniela Wallen
Forward
23
20
Ebony Rolph
Forward
23
24
Isabella Brancatisano
Guard
23
30
Charlotte Brancatisano
Guard
21
31
Chelsea Poppens
Forward
27
33
Tiarna Rolph
Centre
22
37
Georgia Hiscock
Guard
18
53
Alisha Knights
Guard
16
98
Maddy Brancatisano
Guard
17
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manager Physio
David Herbert Glenn Sharp & Darren Busuttil Mindi Wells Sam Rice, provided by Corio Bay Health Group
NUNAWADING SEABL WOMEN Number
Full Name
Position
Age
1
Vanessa Panousis
Guard
23
2
Rachel Antoniadou
Guard
21
4
Keeley Frawley
Guard
17
5
Brooke West
Guard
23
9
Izzy Chilcott
Guard
27
11
Sherry Glennie
Centre
29
12
Lucy Cochrane
Forward
17
15
Jacinta Vandenberg
Centre
24
21
Tessa Boyd
Guard
22
24
Jacqui Trotto
Forward
20
32
Marena Whittle
Forward
24
33
Hanna Zavecz
Forward
32
34
Sarah Slater
Forward
23
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manger Development Coach
Paul Flynn Grant Spencer, Hannah Lowe
Elsie Bodna Nathan Dance
NEXT HOME GAME Friday 25th May Women 6pm & Men 8pm
LUINA GEELONG SUPERCATS SEABL MEN Number
Full Name
Position
Player Sponsor
Age
5
DeMarcus Gatlin
Combo Guard
24
8
Kris Blicavs
Combo Guard
28
10
John Davis
Power Forward
32
11
Nathan Herbert
Shooting Guard
32
12
Matthew Johns
Guard
29
14
Michael Luxford
Guard
26
15
Ma'alo Hicks
Power Forward
23
17
Nathan Freind
Guard
26
21
Kristian Rocci
Shooting Guard
30
24
Liam McInerney
Power Forward
34
52
Jamie Medved
Shooting Guard
35
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manager & Assistant Team Managers Physio
Leon O’Neill Luke Beauglehall & Greg Smith Jesse Drever, Nathan Scarlett & Marcus Lovell Sam Rice, provided by Corio Bay Health Group
NUNAWADING SEABL MEN Number
Full Name
Position
Age
1
Costas Hronopoulos
Guard
25
3
Ambros Eugster
Guard
22
4
Shane McDonald
Guard
32
6
Jesse Caspersz
Forward
28
9
Daniel Baxter
Forward
21
10
Tom Wright
Guard
29
11
Jack Saunders
Guard
22
13
Simon Conn
Centre
35
14
Andrew Steel
Forward
27
15
Jon Cooke
Forward/Centre
26
21
Matt O’Hea
Guard/Forward
35
22
Dain Swetalla
Forward
32
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manager
Dave Biwer Duncan Berg Neville Griffiths
NEXT HOME GAME Friday 25th May Women 6pm & Men 8pm
A DOMINANT first-half performance set the platform for the Geelong Supercats’ comprehensive 96-76 win over the Diamond Valley Eagles in front of a passionate home crowd. In an open and fast-paced game, the Supercats had an “even spread of contributors”, according to coach Leon O’Neill, who was pleased his side responded after disappointing results in Tasmania last week. The first half was where the game was won, with the Supercats, led by Ma’alo Hicks, applying significant defensive pressure to restrict Diamond Valley to less than 30 points for the half. “To hold a SEABL team to 28 points in a half is a big deal and that set up the game from there,” O’Neill said. “We forced it out of their offence to make them do some things they didn’t really want to do and got a lot of deflections on defence. “I thought Ma’alo Hicks was outstanding in the first half and really led from the front with his defensive intensity. “Then everyone else kind of joined in off the back of Ma’alo’s lead.”
Diamond Valley was unable to contain the Supercats’ multiple avenues to the basket, with John Davis and Jamie Medved again proving a handful for the opposition defence. “We put up 96 points but no one really went ‘off’. John Davis got close to his average again and Jamie Medved shot the ball really well,” O’Neill said. “The pleasing thing was when they shut down one avenue of our scoring we were able to go to the next one. “It was a really good example of an equal opportunity offence and it was really fun to watch and I think the boys had fun playing.” With a few squad changes during the off-season, including the addition of Davis and point guard Michael Luxford, O’Neill said each week they were learning more about their basketball identity. “When we can play that up and down type of game, being able to exploit our athleticism and our shooters, we are really tough to slow down,” he said. “We’re still finding our feet a little bit with our identity. “We’ve added a few players this year for the first time in a number of years and we’re still trying to figure out the exact roles and who fits where.”
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