Two of the National Basketball League’s bitterest rivals will square off tonight when the Cairns Taipans host the Townsville Crocodiles at the Cairns Convention Centre in Round 18 of the iiNet NBL Championship.
The NBL’s two Far North Queensland clubs have a long history of fierce battles but tonight’s game promises to be one of the most intense ever. Both sides will have something to prove after they each suffered embarrassing losses in Round 17.
The Crocs will also be looking for some added payback for their defeat at the hands of the Taipans in last season’s Semi-Finals series.
Crocs forward Jacob Holmes told the Townsville Bulletin he and his teammates will have no problem getting up for their clash with the Snakes.
"We've got energy to burn at the moment - we've got that negative energy, the anxious energy of wanting to do well and perform against a team that we're 1-1 (win-loss) against and are our arch rivals," Holmes told the Townsville Bulletin.
"So I don't think energy is going to be an issue, it's about making sure it's controlled (and) in the right direction.
"And we have to ensure it's us - there's no point hoping it's us - we have to make sure it is us."
The Crocs’ injured captain, Russell Hinder, said the club would use their 32-point blow-out loss to Perth last round as added motivation against the Taipans.
"We can use this as a useful tool, we can utilise this to our advantage," Hinder told the Townsville Bulletin.
"We can go one of two ways; we can fall in a hole, feel sorry for ourselves and act like little four-year-old girls or we can take it as the lesson that it was and see where we have to get to if we want to be great.”
Cairns head coach Aaron Fearne is all too aware that his side can’t dwell on their own 27-point loss to Gold Coast last round if they are to beat Townsville.
“We don’t have much time to worry about (the Gold Coast loss) it, because we’ve got Townsville on Friday,’’ Fearne said to The Cairns Post earlier in the week. ‘‘They got towelled up as well so it’ll be two pretty angry teams going at it."
The Crocs-Taipans clash tips-off at 7:30PM local Cairns time tonight.
Townville Crocodiles (10-7, 3rd) @ Cairns Taipans (10-9, 5th)
Friday 3 February - Cairns Convention Centre - 7:30 PM
Radio: NBL Radio from 7:15 PM click here
Live Stats: Click here
Tickets: Click here
