Sport
4 October, 2024
CBL to kick off this weekend
A new men’s coach and new hopes for the season are the keys for the Maryborough Blazers, who will open their Country Basketball League (CBL) seasons this weekend in both the North West Men’s and Women’s divisions.
Both teams are rather settled for the new season after a big finish to last year which saw the women’s team narrowly miss the finals, while the men’s team will be hoping for a rebound this season and return to finals action.
The men’s team will be led by Troy McCarthy, who takes over from nine-time John Stringer MVP Brady Neill at the helm.
Neill will remain at the club in a playing capacity, however, and much of the crew from last season will be sticking fat as well.
Last year’s leading scorer, Bailey Jacobs, will again be one to watch, while the experienced Matt Johnston will be a welcome return after injury cruelled his 2023 campaign as it started.
Lachie Drummond will be called upon to man the frontcourt, while impressive youngster Ky Swards will also be one to keep an eye on this season.
Angus Cumming, Carly Doodley, Darcy Bond, Kynan Carter and Tyson Iglesias all return, while Jack Hexter and Ollie McCarthy are new names, with Jack Broad and Hamish Mathison named as development players.
The women’s team will again be led by Faith McKenzie, with the Blazers’ overall leading scorer from last year part of what could be quite an exciting frontcourt, with Maddy Egan and Keisha Tonzing also making a return.
The reliable Emma Pedretti will also be on the squad again, while Maggie Tranter is another from the 2022 championship-winning team who returns to the squad.
However, there are also new younger talents who will be regulars as part of the squad, such as Aislinn McCarthy, Demi Thompson and Greta Arnel, who will be hoping to show their wares at senior level, as well as local talents such as Paige Walkley and Zali Linton. The team is rounded out by development players Lacey Broad and Tameeka Lewis.
The women’s team will be hoping to utilize a fantastic finish to the 2023 season, which saw them take five wins from their final six matches as they just missed out on participating in the finals.
The men’s Blazers team will have an interesting double-header to open the season, one of two in the first three rounds as they look to make a mark early on.
Both men’s and women’s Blazers will take on Macedon Ranges Rockies on Saturday night at the Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct, before the men’s play a Sunday game against Castlemaine.
The teams will then travel to Bacchus Marsh to take on the Lions in round two, before a Saturday night showdown against Bendigo in round three, with the men’s backing up with their first home game of the season against Castlemaine on October 20, while the women travel to Kyneton.
Incoming men’s coach Troy spoke glowingly about the prospects of his team this season.
“It’s really exciting. The group has gelled unbelievably well, that’s probably the biggest thing,” he said.
“I’m not big on one person, I’m big on the team, and there has been multiple guys who have been keen to lead our groups, and when we do scrimmages, it’s been a great gel, and that will move into the season really well, which will be good on the teamwork side of things.”
Troy spoke of the importance of going 2-0 in such a crucial weekend, given the fast-paced nature of the season.
“This is a big weekend. As it’s such a compact season, and I did say this to the guys, if we go 2-0 up, the season is set for you to move forward, but at 0-2, it’s hard to move forward. I would love to be 2-0, but if we are 0-2, we have to reassess and go again. It’s a hard road back from there,” he said.
The season tips off for the Blazers at 6 pm on Saturday night for the opening women’s game against the Macedon Ranges Rockies, before the men’s game follows at 8 pm. The men will then take on Castlemaine in Castlemaine at 1 pm on Sunday.