YOUTHFUL BLUES TAKE AIM AT VISITING FALCONS IN NBL1 ROUND 1 The Powerade Frankston Blues will tip-off the inaugural 2019 NBL1 season by hosting the Waverley Falcons on Saturday night. After a difficult start to the 2018 SEABL season in which they endured an 11game losing streak to open, the Blues will look to make a positive start under new first-year head coach Jess May. May has been able to return a number of key pieces from 2018 while increasing the overall depth of the roster for their 2019 campaign. Hometown hero Steph Reid returns after a debut WNBL season with the Dandenong Rangers, once again teaming with promising forwards Milica Ivanov and Tori Jackson, but also 17-year old guard Kassie Boorer who showed encouraging signs last year. Added to that youthful core are Saraid Taylor, a team-mate of Reid’s during the 2018/19 WNBL season with the Rangers, and former Kilsyth Cobra Taylor Lee. After a stellar collegiate career at Buffalo, Courtney Wilkins will return home to the Blues. Wilkins’ addition will actually make it three Buffalo alumni on the roster for 2019, with sharpshooting import guard JoAnna Smith also expected to feature prominently in 2019. While Reid, Smith, Taylor, Lee and Wilkins are likely to play leading roles in 2019, they will be complemented by the return of star forward Shereesha Richards. As 2018 Blues MVP, Richards returns as the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and dominant presence in the paint and will once again cause headaches for opposition coaches. Import Smith is in essence a direct replacement for Stacey Barr, with the former Buffalo star looking forward to reuniting with Reid in the back court, one that is likely to terrorise opponents in 2019. Together with Lee, May could opt to run with a three-guard lineup at times, and especially until Richards is able to join the roster once her playing commitments in Spain are completed.
While Richards’ absence will be hard to cover, May has Taylor, Tegan Fowler and Gabby Tarabolsi she can use in the front court, with Taylor’s versatility expected to be highly valued. However she could well to turn to veteran centre Fowler to help provide some valuable minutes to clog up the paint until Richards is able to join the team. Fowler’s size and experience should be a valuable addition to what is a very young Blues roster, with her off-court presence set be be of utmost importance. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Waverley duo Kelly Bowen and Carley Mijovic when they arrive at Frankston for round 1 clash, both having pulled on a Blues jersey in recent times. WNBL star Mijovic is the centrepiece of head coach Elias Palioyiannis’ Falcons side, which also boasts veteran WNBL forward and AFLW player Tegan Cunningham. Waverley makes the step up to NBL1 following a highly success reign in the Big V State Championship division. Like the Blues, Waverley boast a talented and skilled lineup, but with arguably far more experience. Jaclyn Vanderzaag and Jess Bygate are quality players, and when paired with Bowen, Mijovic, Cunningham, Renae Mokrzyck and Lisa Ewin, they have a core group that will provide a stern test in the opening round of the season for the youthful Blues.x The Powerade Frankston Blues take on the Waverley Falcons in round 1 of the 2019 NBL1 season at home this Saturday, 30 March 2018 as part of a doubleheader with the men.
NEW-LOOK NBL1 BLUES SET TO UNLEASH ON WAVERLEY IN ROUND 1 A new-look Frankston RSL Blues will be formerly unveiled in round 1 of the inaugural NBL1 season when they host the Waverley Falcons on Saturday night. In his second year as head coach, Andrew Harms has assembled a deeper, talented and arguably more experienced roster as he looks to turn around the disappointment of 2018 which saw the Blues finish in second last place with just 4 wins to their name. And the opening round will see the immediate return of Bennie Lewis, who will take to the court against his former Blues side for the first time. A trio of former Melbourne United NBL players will link up for the Blues in 2019, with Igor Hadziomerovic and Majok Majok joining returnee Dan Trist. Majok is a terrific addition, providing cover for Trist who will join the team 6-7 games into the season as he completes his playing commitments in Spain, with his size and presence in the paint a complement to a much-improved back court. That back court is led by the exciting Damon Bozeman who starred in the QBL last season with Toowoomba. He joins former North West Tasmania SEABL guard Lachlan Barker and former Sandringham SEABL wing Hadziomerovic as new additions to the Blues lineup and likely starters come round 1 against the Falcons. Alistair Macdonald’s return to the club also from Sandringham, further bolsters the Blues back court which also includes the returning Jarryd Moss and Tom Garrett. College returnee Angus Howey is likely going to be required to step up immediately in the early absence of Trist, with the 208cm forward a logical backup to Majok and Young early with a chance to play his way into the regular rotation. Waverley have been a dominant force in the Big V State Championship, and will look to make the step up a level this year when they take to the court for the first time against the Blues. Lewis is the most familiar name, having most recently suited up for the Blues in the SEABL last season. There is no doubt that Lewis
will be the star of a talented yet hard-working Falcons team that also boasts Matt Hancock, a training player with the Illawarra Hawks, the dangerous Michael Harper, and veteran duo Brad Kelleher and Chris Arkell. Like the Blues, the Falcons have also added two imports who went on a scoring spree in Big V Division 1 last season, with guard Dylan Travis (Western Port) and big man Deondre McWhorter (Latrobe City) expected to play big roles and alongside Lewis, be the primary scoring options. The Blues have a lot to prove this season, as do the Falcons in making the step up a level, so expect to see some fireworks in round 1 this Saturday at Frankston. The Frankston RSL Blues take on the Waverley Falcons in round 1 of the 2019 NBL1 season at home this Saturday, 30 March 2018 as part of a double-header with the women.