Taipans vow to shed woes, strike back

After an off-season period which saw the Cairns Taipans touted as a potential Championship contender and the club proudly stating it was “all in” on NBL26, it feels like just about everything has gone wrong.

From star import Ashton Hagans never arriving in Australia, a long-term injury to last year’s MVP Sam Waardenburg, and what seems a never-ending merry go-round of players unavailable, Adam Forde says his team simply hasn’t found “continuity”.

The reality is the Taipans have a 3-11 record nearing the halfway point of the season. But with reinforcements to come back after the FIBA Break, there’s still time.

“We’ve got guys right now that are playing hurt,” Forde said on Thursday.

“Once we bring in some real big pieces … Waardenburg was our club MVP last year, he’s one of our best players in the team. Him paired up with Jack (McVeigh) was always what the image was going to be.

“To have him and Reyne (Smith) come into the group, as well as Kyle (Adnam) and Stat (Kody Stattmann) and everyone else we’ve got out at the moment … we don’t want to sit here and just rest on the fact that is going to be enough. We need to keep building on what we’re doing with those guys coming in and contributing, but not solely be the reason between winning and losing.

“We’ve got to keep stacking the days.”

One player who’s been in outstanding form has been Jack McVeigh. The Taipans’ marquee man had a career-high 39 points against Adelaide, with Forde confirming he’s still managing wrist soreness.

“We need to get him some help. Jack right now is playing at a level which is super-impressive,” Forde said.

“To almost single-handedly get us over the line against Adelaide on their home court … we need a little bit more help.

“We’ve got to get it from a couple of different areas and once we figure it out, Jack will have the help and support he needs.

“The fact teams can really focus in on him and he’s still super-productive is impressive.”

Forde praised Breakers stars Sam Mennenga and Parker Jackson-Cartwright ahead of the teams’ clash on Saturday night, with the Taipans boasting an unflattering 1-7 record at home and desperate to go into the FIBA Break on the right note.

Cairns hosts New Zealand at 5.30pm AEDT on Saturday night, live on ESPN.