Forde calls out panic under pressure

“Frustration” is the key word coming to the fore in Adam Forde’s post-game press conferences, and with good reason.

The Taipans loaded up in the off-season in a bid to build a Championship roster, and while injuries and unavailability have crueled them early in the season, right now even a Finals spot seems a massive stretch.

Four 30-point losses sees Cairns down in ninth position on the standings, and even with Sam Waardenburg and Jack McVeigh to come back, they’ve set themselves an almighty task to make something of NBL26.

“It’s frustrating because it feels like it's a bit of a roll of the dice at the moment,” Forde said after the loss to Perth.

“We say and do all the right things. We talk about the points of emphasis that we have at practice and even pre-game. You’ve got the players that put importance on what needs to get done and how we do it. We say it and then we don't necessarily do it.”

Forde says his younger players in particular can "panic" in difficult situations and they need more “collective maturity” to be able to stand up in those moments.

“It’s a roll of the dice, sometimes the starters are good and the bench isn’t, sometimes vice-versa. Tonight was an example of no one really stepping up to the mark to get it done, and it showed in the scoreline.

"That's the dilemma. We know and study, it's like we've got the theory side down perfect, but it's the practical element that we're struggling with. Chatting with a few of the guys afterwards, there’s frustration from individuals who see it for what it is.

“You sit there and go, where’s the missing link in communication? We’ve got some young guys, some panic, it’s an emotional group where things compound. But tonight, it wasn’t the offensive end where we gave up 26 turnovers; it was the defensive end, allowing JLA (Jo Lual-Acuil Jr) and (Kristian) Doolittle to go right and finish at the rim.

“The third quarter probably sums it up. We came out with intent, nothing major changed on either end, just intent to defend and get after it. Then the smallest things, a challenge, a call, a few that go uncalled, they rattle us. We need to show more collective emotional maturity.”

A fiery post-game clash threatened to boil out of control, when Admiral Schofield faced off with Lat Mayen and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, drawing criticism from NBL commentators, who said the Taipans should have shown more fight during the game.

But Forde said it was just frustration getting the better of his team.

“It’s too little too late,” Forde said.

“They care, they genuinely care, get along, train hard. We’ve got guys playing hurt.

“I’d just like to see that emotion spaced out over 40 minutes and turned into focus, aggression, fight through screens. It’d be worse if they didn’t care and quit. The fact that they care is good; everyone just shows frustration differently.”