SEABL Men’s Round 18 Coaches Review by Simon G

SEABL Men proudly sponsored by Bendigo Community Bank Carrum Downs – Better than a Bank!

The Frankston Blues ended the 2015 season with a road trip to Tasmania to take on the Hobart Chargers (Friday Night) and the North West Tasmania Thunder (Saturday Night).
Needless to say given the record going into the final weekend (3-19) the Blues had endured an extremely difficult campaign with some close losses, long term injuries and disruptions meaning the group was rarely settled and reliant upon many younger inexperienced SEABL players.

Friday August 14th @ Hobart
Frankston Blues 76
Hobart Chargers 84

The game against Hobart followed a familiar tale. Great team oriented basketball early resulting in an 11 point half time lead. 90 seconds of craziness which saw Hobart’s Kevin White get off the chain and hit 3 threes in quick succession meant the Blues only held a two point lead at 3/4 time. From there it was all Hobart who eventually ran out 84-76 winners.

Matt Turner continued his late season form with an impressive 17 points. Rob Linton and Jake MacAuley each had 14 points, while Eric Williams had 16 points and 8 rebounds and Brandon Polk finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Saturday August 15th @ Ulverstone
Frankston Blues 68
NW Thunder 92

The long drive Ulverstone on Tasmania’s North West coast to tackle the playoff bound Thunder was always going to be a tough ask. It was made more difficult with an ankle injury to point guard MacAuley in the second quarter.

Brandon Polk (14 points and 12 rebounds) and Rob Linton (22 points including 6/11 from 3) led the way for the Blues. After an even first quarter, the Thunder ran away from the Blues, eventually proved too strong, winning 92-68.
The Blues final record of 3-21 indicates a difficult season. But the players and staff need to be commended for their application to the task and their unwavering belief in turning things around. We unearthed some potential long term Blues talents in Rob Linton, Jack Wilson, Jack Gaze and Angus Howey and got great service from a much improved Matt Turner. Brandon Polk was an honest soldier who kept giving even when his body was failing him. Import Eric Williams stepped in and filled a much needed role under difficult circumstances.

We want to thank all of our fans, friends and families for supporting us through this difficult season. See you in 2016.

Check out the SEABL report @ www.basketball.net.au/seabl-men-round-18-report