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Season 3 Episode 13 - Falconry with Susi Walmsley
36 Plays13 days ago
00:04:15-00:28:10 NBL1 East Headline and Talking Points
00:28:10-01:16:00 EGG GOTW: Newcastle Falcons vs Bankstown Bruins (W)
01:17:00-02:03:02 Interview with Susi Walmsley
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Streaming Announcement
00:00:19
Speaker
Still working out the timing of those intros, but nonetheless, welcome back everyone to another episode of East Got Game, where we give you the X's, the O's and the insights of the NBL One East competition.
00:00:33
Speaker
Thanks for joining us tonight live on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook for the very first time. Hopefully that's in working order. Remember, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at ESCOT Game.
00:00:49
Speaker
Or you can continue to find our episodes on your preferred streaming platforms.
Weekly Highlights and Special Guest
00:00:54
Speaker
On this week's episode, we will be covering our ESCOT Game Game of the Week.
00:01:00
Speaker
our top performances of the round in our East Scott game headlines for round eight. And we'll also be ah have it showing a recording of our very special guest interview for this week.
Team Performances and Shoutouts
00:01:13
Speaker
But first as ever, we better check Lockie France, how are you doing this week? A shark, he's got two wins. Doing pretty well. They sure did. They sure did. And it looks like ah two very much needed wins. Am I right in saying that?
00:01:30
Speaker
ah Very much so, especially ah given the the celebration after the women won in overtime, which was but lost the last minute and overtime were crazy.
00:01:42
Speaker
And yes, the mayor well the men needed to get back on track after a couple of losses last week. And yes, ah a win against Hornsby, who are ah much better than their record suggests. so Yes, much, much needed.
00:01:57
Speaker
Yes, I certainly agree that both Hornsby teams, men's and women's, are a lot better and and a lot more competitive than their record suggests. ah Last week I was lucky enough to be a guest on the SA Shot Clock, ah podcast podcast created and hosted by our good friend Tristan Prentice, who's a play-by-play commentator in NBL1 Central.
00:02:20
Speaker
And he asked me about one of some of those teams that probably ah perform better than their record suggests. And I also suggested that Penrith Panthers would be in that category too.
00:02:33
Speaker
Definitely. And then they went off and ah their women got a win against Maitland of all teams. So
00:02:41
Speaker
proving you're right. Yes, thank you. Thank you, Penrith. Thanks for all sorting that out for me.
Humorous Anecdote and Season Midpoint
00:02:47
Speaker
I will also like to just preface that I did go to the dentist today, had to have a filling.
00:02:54
Speaker
They used a lot of anesthetic and it was four hours ago and it still hasn't worn off. So, If anyone is perhaps watching, thinking there's something wrong with my face, it's because part of it isn't working.
00:03:07
Speaker
But maybe all of this yapping today will exercise the muscle enough that the anesthetic can get metabolized a little bit quicker. This is the second time this season how we've been affected by someone having dental issues because we started our episodes when we did because I had to go and yeah to get teeth out.
00:03:32
Speaker
Yes, that's right. and Yours was far more serious than mine, having your wisdom teeth out. Lesson learned, look after your teeth. Don't underestimate teeth. Teeth and eyes, teeth and eyes, the most two expensive things that you've got to look after.
00:03:47
Speaker
ah Tell me about it. ah All right, so let's get stuck into it. It is well and truly the halfway mark in the NBL1 East competition with round eight done and dusted.
00:04:01
Speaker
ah Our main headline from the men's competition this week, Lockie, take it away. Well, I think the main headline is have the Newcastle men got it figured out?
00:04:15
Speaker
They got two wins on the weekend against Bankstown and Inner West. They're five and six. They were good value for their win, shot very well, over 50% for the weekend, kept the turnovers low, didn't give up you've got many O boards.
00:04:28
Speaker
I think they only had even had seven turnovers in one of the games. i So is it all coming together? You know, good ah good spread of scorers. They had five players in our in double figures against Inner West.
00:04:44
Speaker
And then they had four in double figures against Bankstown. So the return of Leo O'Boyle from Switzerland might have been the the last piece of the puzzle.
00:04:57
Speaker
Well, yeah, like we put on our Instagram story, O'Boyle rules. O'Boyle rule. it looks like he's having an immediate impact if if it's not on the stat sheet, certainly in the locker room in some positive way. Yeah, well, he had 10 points in one game and 17 in the other and was it was 6 of 8 from two-point range against Inner West. So I know Inner West have had their struggles, but that's still a very talented roster to go up against.
00:05:24
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. That's right. And it looks like ah on NBL one East socials, ah approximately eight hours ago to be precise, miles cherry was quoted in saying, watch this space is all I will say. The pieces are starting to come together for the Falcons.
00:05:44
Speaker
They certainly are. and You got to remember that they're eighth now. They're eighth. Five and six gets you eight spot now.
Newcastle's Winning Streak and Upcoming Challenges
00:05:53
Speaker
So
00:05:56
Speaker
they two They're two wins off of that, off seventh, but they've only got to stay ahead of the teams they're ahead of now and they're in finals.
00:06:06
Speaker
And yeah, it is the halfway mark, as we said earlier. um Obviously peaking, or should I say soaring at the right time, the Falcons. They do have North Bears at home next round and the North Bears men's side have been a little bit up and down this season. Yeah.
00:06:24
Speaker
And then round 10, the Falcons have Centre of Excellence away. Then they have North Bears again, this time away, and Penrith away. So perhaps not entirely out of the woods just yet, but definitely a lot of – a few games there that you could really chalk up as some wins.
00:06:42
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, their back end probably does trend harder rather than easier. You know, they've also got Maitland, Sutherland, and Manly in a three-week stretch before they – finish it off with Central Coast and Hills.
00:06:56
Speaker
um But as we keep saying about Newcastle, their first three wins were all against teams that we consider title contenders. So, yeah,
00:07:10
Speaker
ah no ah yeah I don't think they'll they'll have the slightest worry about whether their schedule trends harder or easier, to be entirely honest with you. That's right. And at the end of the day, if you want to make the top eight, if you want to win a championship, you have to beat everyone in in one
Significant Signings in Women's Competition
00:07:26
Speaker
way or another. So whether it's title contenders or not, you have to chalk up a win regardless.
00:07:33
Speaker
Very much though And in the women's competition, there are i mean, the signings just keep signing. ah There was the big news that Shilah Hill has joined the Bankstown Bruins and made her debut this week against Newcastle, which we'll talk about a little bit more in more depth a bit later.
00:07:54
Speaker
ah But also two home-growing talents are returning from college to join the undefeated Norse Bears roster in the women's competition. So Izzy Morgan has completed her time at college with Davison and she's returning.
00:08:08
Speaker
And also Imogen Greensdale. We love to see them back, Lockie. yeah. hundred percent New South Wales legends from my two years going to Canberra. Meme era legends when I used to post Simpsons memes of all the under-20s players.
00:08:27
Speaker
Do you remember your meme that you posted for Emmy? Yeah, it was the Futurama guy with the really long arms that the professor created that could dunk from half-court, just standing at half-court.
00:08:38
Speaker
Ah, yes, yes, yes. You did put that same one on your Instagram story the other day. Is that right? Yep. Love that. Yes. What about your meme for Izzy Morgan? ah it was the sim It was the scene from A Treehouse of Horror where um with Goldilocks getting mauled by the three bears and it was Beck Dallinger, Izzy Morgan and Immy Greenslade.
00:09:05
Speaker
Oh, Greenslade. And they're all, because they're all bears. Sorry, I wrote Greensdale and got dyslexic and wrote Greensdale and not Greenslade. That was my bad. That's my bad. I can't even blame the anaesthetic for that. That was just a ah poor slip up.
00:09:23
Speaker
But Izzy Greenslade is back. Tell us a little bit more about Izzy's college career. um She's been at the one college for a little while, whereas Imogen has enjoyed a college career at two
Player Careers and Impact
00:09:35
Speaker
different colleges. Tell us a little bit about that.
00:09:37
Speaker
So, yeah, so Izzy was at Davidson for all four years and just got better and better and better throughout her time. And she was already pretty good when she ah when she started.
00:09:50
Speaker
Izzy started at Arizona State, um didn't get a lot of run there and also had some injury trouble. She has done her ACL. um And then she ah finished up at Montana.
00:10:04
Speaker
which is ah not somewhere we see a whole lot of Aussies go. I think we have... Not ah not on the women's side anyway. On the men's side, I think that's where Josh Bannon went and probably some others. um ah Yeah, so Emmy, she's 6'4", really long. That's why I posted the meme about the dude with the ridiculously long arms.
00:10:24
Speaker
It's just going to... I mean... just going to provide ah a point of difference in the paint against a lot of teams, just laying through in protection, um probably two sides. They're great for North defense.
00:10:38
Speaker
I mean, we all, I think we talked about Izzy Morgan just in the ball. Talked about Izzy Morgan before she even left the college as a great defender. You know, when she was teamed up with Kate Seabom in that North's backcourt was pretty much a pretty much game over from the outset.
00:10:55
Speaker
Yeah. And there will be a period of time the Norse women will be without Ruby Perkins because she was selected in the under-19 Aussie team that's going to the World Cup in July.
00:11:07
Speaker
ah So, I mean, you're replacing Ruby with Izzy, which is pretty pretty sweet. But when you have Izzy Morgan, Ruby Perkins, Carla Pittman, Caitlin Martin, all defenders in your backcourt,
Point System and Competitive Balance
00:11:24
Speaker
I mean, are teams going to even be able to get the ball over halfway? Or are we going to have to pass back to the four and let the four bring it up after the inbound?
00:11:33
Speaker
god I mean, you you just won't get a minute off. That's the thing. um
00:11:41
Speaker
You know, it's not often that you can just rotate in great defender after great defender after you great defender in the same positions. Yeah, opposition's going to get worked. Yeah.
00:11:54
Speaker
But, yeah, it's that's going to be very, very exciting when they join. And also similarly to Izzy Morgan finishing her time over at Davidson, ah Millie Pryor, who is a Manly junior, has also finished up.
00:12:08
Speaker
But a couple of sources have informed us that she won't be joining mainly for the NBL One East season. i Had a couple of shoulder injuries, probably need some takes of time off from that. And I think she's still in America supporting Alex Toohey as he pursues his NBA dreams.
00:12:27
Speaker
So it seems like a reasonable course of action to take. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Literally once in a lifetime opportunity. So ah Best lock of luck to both of them.
00:12:39
Speaker
And just before we wrap up headlines tonight, we did have a question via our Instagram at escottgame. So thank you very much to this person for your question. Very good question, actually.
00:12:51
Speaker
ah he says, hey, guys. Any chance you can have a discussion on the rules around restricted players and how BNSW varies compared to other compares to the point system.
00:13:04
Speaker
Some of the other states have in place. Pretty interesting how rosters like Bankstown managed to put a team together and and still with stay within the rules.
00:13:15
Speaker
And Illawarra is also, Illawarra men's team is also and another good example of that, given that there's people like Todd Blanchfield from the NBL, Mims is an import, Den has played overseas, CJ Moran's represented Syria, so played at a national level, et cetera.
00:13:33
Speaker
um So just before we get stuck into this, Lockie, can you give us a quick breakdown of what this is referring to in terms of building a roster, a point system that that other states have? Because there's maybe a few lesseners out there, including myself, that aren't aware of that this is in place.
00:13:54
Speaker
Okay. So NBL1 East, where're we're pretty cut and dry with with our rules. Yeah. We have two categories of import.
00:14:05
Speaker
Oh, sorry. Two categories of restricted player. There's category a, which is your, just your basic import players that aren't born in Australia or Asia Oceania. So those are just your straight up imports.
00:14:20
Speaker
um You can have a maximum of two of those. And then if you have multiple players from Asia, Oceania, only one of them doesn't count.
00:14:34
Speaker
So if you sign... Yeah. So like InterWest Women, they have three players from Asia, Oceania. One of them is their specific Asian import. The other two then get transferred to the regular import spot, restricted spots, import spots.
00:14:48
Speaker
So then... Category B is your Australian citizens. So these are players that obviously aren't in ports because they're Australian citizens.
00:15:00
Speaker
But um if they've played for another national team, so CJ Moran playing for Syria, he is then considered restricted. um If you've played if you played last season in the NBL 10 minutes per game or in the WNBL 14 minutes per game, you're also counted as restricted.
00:15:22
Speaker
that also there's equivalent overseas leagues as well. The only problem is last year's NBL 1 East bylaws don't actually say which leagues count as equivalent.
00:15:41
Speaker
Other states do have a specific list. If you play in these X leagues, this is the same as if you played NBL for purposes restricted players. I on New South Wales doesn't have, they might have a list somewhere, but it's not in the bylaws.
00:15:55
Speaker
um So if a player meets either of those, any of those criteria, they are then a restricted player as well. And you can have a total of three restricted players.
00:16:07
Speaker
So you could have two imports and someone who's played for another national team, two imports and an NBL player, two imports and a WNBL player. That counts as your three. But then there's also special dispensation for homegrown players.
00:16:21
Speaker
So your Australian restricted players, if they have played 120 games for women or 150 games for men for their home association, or if they have played six junior seasons for their home association, or if they have only ever played for one association in basketball New South Wales competition, then they're they're no longer restricted.
00:16:48
Speaker
So would imagine Lauren Nicholson would not count as restricted for Sutherland because shez on yeah she's played so many games for Sutherland and only ever played for Sutherland.
00:17:02
Speaker
um So that's basically how it works in East. ah Yes. So to the other states with their point systems, I managed to find centrals and North.
00:17:13
Speaker
West is a bit like... is a bit like East. um But yeah, so Central and North, um they allocate players' points based on what their experience is, what their level is.
00:17:27
Speaker
So if you've played in the NBA or you're an import, i actually, let me tell you how many points you get. You get 32 points across your first nine players, and then you get one additional point for every player up to 15.
00:17:42
Speaker
fifteen So essentially, you be you six your six last players are going to be your just standard locals. So yeah it's Central, if you're an import or played in the NBA in the last couple of years, you get 12 points.
00:18:00
Speaker
So if Josh Giddey decided he wanted to go play for Norwood instead of down at Frankston on a Tuesday night, he'd cost 12 points even though he's Australian. um If you've played in the NBL, so our rule around NBL, WNBL players being restricted, if you've done that or if you've played in a World Cup qualifier or at the World Cup, you're worth 10.
00:18:20
Speaker
Same for your equivalent foreign leagues. And then it goes down the fewer NBL minutes or WNBL minutes you play, you're worth five points or three points. um Or if you've played in a lower foreign league, you're worth five points.
00:18:34
Speaker
And then your NBL benchies or DPs are worth three. And then all your other locals are worth one point. And North is a bit similar. They're a bit easier on it. The max you can actually get is 10 points for an import for an NBA player.
00:18:49
Speaker
And they don't have the clause about national team players. So like, CJ Moran's a great great example here because he played two World... I think but don't know if he played World Cup qualifying games, but for hypothetical sake, say he did.
00:19:04
Speaker
He would then be worth 10 points in South Australia for playing two games for Syria. But there's no national team clause in the North rules as far as I can find. So he would just be a local.
00:19:17
Speaker
So... i They also have homegrown special dispensation rules. I think they also have it for imports. If you sign as an import for four seasons in central, you get a 50% cut in your, um, in your points.
00:19:31
Speaker
So that'd nice. If you had, if you could keep, well, I think next, next year, sid Hunt would be Sid Hunter's fourth, the Maitland, if she came back. So in that situation, if we had the point season, if she'd only cost six points instead of 12. So, um,
00:19:44
Speaker
so um it I mean it gets difficult to put a put a squad together if you're stacking stacking imports and can't get any um special dispensation or you know point point cuts so i that's basically the difference between things um also ah like in North um your one point locals have to live within 120 kilometers
00:20:14
Speaker
of the association. So you do actually have to get proper locals to fill out your roster, which i think 120 kilometres. yeah That's a reasonable, you know, so if you're in Brisbane, you could get someone and one anywhere in Brisbane. but um Yeah.
00:20:32
Speaker
So that's pretty much the difference. So NBL 1E is pretty much very two rules and dispensation central and North. Very, very different.
00:20:44
Speaker
So with that 120K rule in North, that is essentially, you know, ah so gone are the days where you could, you know, sign someone like a Leilani Mitchell for a season and, her you know, she signs with, say Townsville and then they just fly her in and out because that was ah that was a thing not too long ago. i think perhaps NBL1 was officially implement implemented across the states where they would sign these great local players um that could just fly in and out for, say, ah Thursday training, a Friday shoot around, game on a Saturday, fly home Sunday.
00:21:26
Speaker
No longer the case. No. So, yeah, so we if you we refer this back to Illawarra's roster, I would say that in that situation, Lockie Dent would get a homegrown... I don't think he's... He played in German Division II, I'm pretty sure, so I don't think that would be an equivalent foreign league to NBL.
00:21:49
Speaker
But even so, I think he'd get a ah homegrown dispensation. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, yeah, as we know, the the Dent name is very strong at the Illawarra Club and I'm pretty confident he played at least six seasons as a junior at Illawarra. So that that makes perfect sense.
00:22:10
Speaker
I can see a lot of great incentives in, say, the South where they do have that strict point system. ah and their clubs seem to be, there seems to be a lot more competitive clubs in close proximity, ah financially stable.
00:22:26
Speaker
So I can see how that point system is going to keep everything a bit fairer where teams can't just buy championships, ah for lack of better phrasing. I do remember, though, the Keylor Thunder women's team last season having essentially a WNBL caliber roster.
00:22:44
Speaker
um They had Matty Roche, Izzy Bourne, Tara Reid. I can't remember if Lily Rattuno was playing for them, but they were a really outstanding roster. So it would have been interesting to see how they worked their points.
00:22:57
Speaker
ah But I can also see the incentive for, say, ah West and East, who aren't always ah seen as the more competitive players.
00:23:08
Speaker
conferences compared to say North and South, how not having a point system but still having some rules around not having too much of a loaded roster can be an incentive for players to come come out here.
00:23:20
Speaker
And I mean, i i think it's good in Central and North for two very different reasons. In Central, it's a good system because every club is in Adelaide and you're probably within driving distance of the entire league.
00:23:36
Speaker
So, i but you said, it doesn't take much to draw someone across to another club. um And then in North, for the opposite reason, in that there's so many clubs in major regional centres that have got a lot of backing.
00:23:53
Speaker
So you need some kind of competitive balance there. But I think in East, I feel like if we had this point system, there'd be some players... i don't think we'd get all the homecoming signings we're getting this season.
00:24:08
Speaker
No, definitely not. enough and They're not all homegrown players. like Obviously, like Jason Kadit is. But... um they're not all moving back to their home clubs.
00:24:19
Speaker
um Like Talia Tupaya isn't, Christina Moore at Inner West as well. They're not at their home clubs. um And even like, like Carla Pittman and Caitlin Martin, they, they're not homegrown for Norths. So, you there's a lot of players who might be stymied, but in their movements and also in their movement across East and also moving into East, um,
00:24:45
Speaker
So i I think it's playing out well enough this season. Like we had, i think in the men's comp last year, we had one team with one win and one team without a win. This year we've already ah got, everyone's already got two.
00:25:00
Speaker
So, you know, it's already, it's, it's a reasonably competitive, competitive league up and down the rock up and down. i mean, it's, ah let In the men's comp, it's seven and three for second and four and seven for third eighth. It's not a massive difference.
00:25:18
Speaker
And I mean, yeah, from six down to a third eighth in the women, and that's only going to change more with Bankstown women now having that. They've got it perfect. They've got two imports and their equivalent foreign league slash WNBL player.
00:25:37
Speaker
Perfect. That's exactly the the best Yeah. with ah yeah With Rice, Redmond and now Shiloh Hill as well. And lots of great homegrown talent around them.
00:25:48
Speaker
Certainly do.
00:25:51
Speaker
Yeah, very good. So very nice breakdown there, Lockie. And thank you to our loyal East Got Game listener for that such a fantastic question and reaching out to us on our Instagram.
00:26:03
Speaker
ah But remember to anyone else out there, if you ever have a question that you would like us to consider discussing during an episode or um news, gossip, anything like that, that you would like to bring to our attention, please feel free to message us, ah direct message us on Instagram at EastGothGame.
00:26:22
Speaker
ah But, yeah, that more or less wraps up the headlines of the round, I think. Very nice. Yes, as one of my favourite YouTubers, CityNerd, says, viewer-suggested topics always welcome.
00:26:34
Speaker
Yeah, definitely, because obviously, I mean, especially for me, i can't be I'm not on the ground there anymore. ah And as the boys as the the boys say, getting amongst it as much as I used to. So there's definitely lots of things like that that I miss.
00:26:51
Speaker
And I'll be the first to admit the business side of basketball when it comes to things like putting rosters together in ah in a point system, in bylaws, in salary cap. I do not have that chip in my brain at all.
00:27:05
Speaker
And so I never kind of think of that side of NBL 1 East in terms of a sports administration, um sports management perspective. So anything like that, I'm going to miss. So ask those kinds of questions if you if you need.
00:27:20
Speaker
You don't play my franchise mode on 2K? Mate, I don't even have a working TV, let alone ability to play two k you my My not even not very old TV, the box has just carked it recently.
00:27:37
Speaker
don't have the finances to pay for it, so I have a giant screen here next to me as decoration. Yeah, I don't even have a let alone 2K. So no, do not play that mode in real life or otherwise. Oh.
00:27:52
Speaker
in real life or otherwise but All right, let's get to our East Scott game, game of the week for round eight.
Game of the Week: Newcastle vs Bankstown
00:28:02
Speaker
This week it was our turn to cover a game from the women's competition and the one that was the most attractive was the Newcastle valk at Falcons hosting the Bankstown Bruins more recently, or as we say, in round eight.
00:28:19
Speaker
ah This game ah ended up in Bankstown's favour. They managed to chalk up another win in Shiloh Hill's first game back in the NBL1 East competition with a score being, as the page loads, 68-87 in favour of the Bruins.
00:28:37
Speaker
um The likes of Shiloh Hill having 29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Juju Redmond, one of their imports from Bankstown, had 22 rebounds.
00:28:49
Speaker
five and five and uh and for the Newcastle Falcons Nicole Munger had 16 points 19 rebounds and seven assists so three assists away from a lovely triple double and Sophie Brennan had 13 points and two rebounds so they were the headlining statistics uh from individual players quarter by quarter ah Newcastle Falcons won the first quarter 22 to 20.
00:29:21
Speaker
walkchlan Lachlan, Lachlan, well, Lachie, as we get started, what were your ah immediate takeaways of this game starting with the first quarter?
00:29:32
Speaker
um
00:29:36
Speaker
It was, i mean, Shiloh came in and,
00:29:44
Speaker
it like and yeah It was always going to take a little bit of time for them to get fully used to each other, but the first two plays of the game, or two of the first plays of the game, suggested that it's going to come together.
00:29:58
Speaker
I mean, they got the win, but it was very quickly shown that they've got it together. Because there were two plays for Shiloh. um I set a screen for her.
00:30:10
Speaker
She got to the cup. think she ended up having Jefferson guarding her. She got straight past, straight to the cup. And then very soon after, got her wide open, top of the arc three. And I was like, all right.
00:30:25
Speaker
if everyone's If everyone's happy to play their role, this is going to work very, very well for Bankstown. So I was very, very gratified to see see that happen in the early stages.
00:30:38
Speaker
um and i mean, speaking of three, Sophie Brennan in the early stages.
00:30:46
Speaker
I mean, it's it's difficult. It's got to be difficult coming in as banks as Newcastle. you're probably You know, you would have heard the news or the rumors swirling.
00:30:57
Speaker
You know what Shiloh's game is, but you still have to kind of prepare for a team that you haven't watched. ah And you know you know what Shiloh's going to bring, but it's how how it all interacts with each other.
00:31:12
Speaker
And... and
00:31:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think it felt like it took Newcastle a bit of time to get into the game. I know they took the lead ah into the second quarter, but um I think that was a little bit some of those times where...
00:31:34
Speaker
I guess the big three, I guess we can call them four, Bankstown weren't entirely on the same page yet. um There was one it was one possession where Juju and Shiloh just miscommunicated on defense, left Brennan wide open.
00:31:50
Speaker
um There were a couple of times where Bankstown almost expected Shiloh to just create something out of nothing, and they weren't really... giving her many options.
00:32:02
Speaker
um It's like, well, she can do it, but don't make her have to do it every time kind of thing. um But I think that i was it for me, was watching watching Bankstown sort of come together, figure it out, not totally on the fly, but against a li ah live opposition for the first time.
00:32:24
Speaker
Yeah, I will say that
00:32:28
Speaker
ah while Shiloh had a a great stat line for this game, the 29 points, 13 rebounds, shooting at 55.56 overall, so 10 from 18.
00:32:44
Speaker
She really had to work for those points. Newcastle's defence was outstanding, on-ball defence, pick-and-roll defence.
00:32:55
Speaker
The whole game, they're Their rotation when they're after a scramble in their half court defense, outstanding. So Shiloh had to really, really work for those points. On the other side of that, I would say when you mentioned that Newcastle looked like they were taking a little bit of extra time to feel comfortable in the game, I don't think they were expecting Bankstown's defense to be equally as good.
00:33:21
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Bankstown's defense was really good this game. Oh my gosh. The first note i wrote for them was to Tani's defense on Munger. Very, very good.
00:33:31
Speaker
What a great matchup as well. She has a little bit more height, ah little bit more length, can probably match Munger for strength and her foot speed and anticipation. I was so impressed with really, really great matchup to Tanya Munger.
00:33:47
Speaker
i Yeah, loved it. I don't think Newcastle were expecting that. I don't think they were expecting them to be able to match them in physicality and in strength and intensity on the defensive end. I think that rattled them quite early.
00:34:00
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. ah Titani all game. mean, she did it at both ends, but yeah that matchup, I don't know if that's, like, if Newcastle may be expected... Yeah, Newcastle may be expected, like, Redmond to guard Munger or someone.
00:34:15
Speaker
But the fact that once once Titani proved that she could more than hold her own in the matchup, it just opened... It just opened...
00:34:27
Speaker
Going forward, it opens up so many options for Bankstown as to who who they want to choose to guard each ah opposition player.
00:34:40
Speaker
I mean, she was talking about the first goal. You could talk about all four. Well, yeah. And then even who who from Newcastle got to guard Shiloh. You obviously could have Munger guard Shiloh, Kate Kingham, Sophie Brennan, Giselle Havas. jaze havas guard Shiloh so they could have four people rotating on Shiloh or doing a great job being able to guard her. Like what a luxury to have. And then Susie Wormsley as well, if she needed to be called upon, could probably throw a two cents in.
00:35:12
Speaker
Yeah. So the thing that caught my eye immediately from this game was how strong each team was on defense. And that was certainly the the theme for the game. I don't think that but good and bad.
00:35:24
Speaker
um which we'll probably get into a bit later. um But, yeah, the defence for me from both ends is really, really impressive, and I don't think either team were able to score easily in the half court.
00:35:36
Speaker
The times when each team got scores was just momentary lapses in defence. Mostly for Bankstown it was defensive transition. You know Newcastle are always going to be skilled enough to run. Yeah.
00:35:49
Speaker
and want to run. So there was just a few momentary lapses during the game where Bankstown um didn't have that great defensive transition and Newcastle capitalised on that. Also a couple of times, like you mentioned before, Bankstown didn't miss a couple of rotations, small miscommunications.
00:36:08
Speaker
It was only really here or there. h team was just really, really good at exploiting it at the right time. ah And even for Bankstown, I'd noticed a lot um Jada Rice, you know, she is leading the league and perhaps the the whole NBL 1A's competition in blocks. I'll have to go back and double check.
00:36:28
Speaker
She sags off a lot in the pick and roll to the point where I'm like, she ain't even there. She's camping in the key. Pick and roll could be ah high pick and roll, a step out of the three-point line. She's camping in the key.
00:36:44
Speaker
Like she's not helping, she's not hedging, she's not showing, she's waiting for that person to drive. But then Newcastle were able to come around that screen really easily. Open shot, you've got Brennan, Munger coming off of that open open shot. It was just not the day that Newcastle were able to make them.
00:37:01
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it probably speaks into um one note that I wrote down was that at certain points, Bankstown just almost inviting a mid-range from Newcastle, it almost felt like.
00:37:14
Speaker
Um, and whilst that's a very dangerous proposition because we've seen Nicole Munger shot charts, if she shot five of 19 from the field for the game.
00:37:28
Speaker
So, and I mean, they weren't all mid range misses, but, um, it's still probably the lowest, the lowest, like the lowest value shot there is.
00:37:39
Speaker
ah so more, more power to them if, know, if they're going to DF players to get 15, 16 feet from the basket and shoot and it doesn't go in.
00:37:53
Speaker
Sometimes it's your day. Yeah, just really didn't seem like Newcastle's day. ah But just on Munger's mid-range, I mean, she does like that mid-range jumper, especially ah from around the elbow or extended elbow area.
00:38:08
Speaker
And I do wonder sometimes in games like this where the defense is so physical and there's not a lot of you don't get a lot of breathing space, like it's up in your face, it's very physical, it's very intense, but Those very um almost miraculous moments in those games where you do get an open shot, I wonder if that plays on your mind a little bit where you're expecting someone to come and block you or bump you or something. You're not expecting to have such an easy open shot.
00:38:36
Speaker
Perhaps that kind of sense of panic ah plays into that, and that's why we start to miss a little bit more. I have to say, for a game that had 155 points scored in it, it didn't feel like it for most of the game.
00:38:52
Speaker
No, no. And it honestly didn't feel like Shiloh had 29 either because it wasn't a 29 where everything was run for her. It wasn't like she was dribbling the air out of the ball every possession.
00:39:05
Speaker
Both teams still played to their strengths and played a very team-focused style of basketball at both ends of the court. And Leah, like you said, sometimes it's just your day. mean, Shiloh's shooting an exceptional percentage.
00:39:19
Speaker
And other times it's not. And it was, and it really didn't seem like the Shiloh show, despite the the points. I think it was really a ah great win by the Bruins by committee. Oh, definitely.
00:39:29
Speaker
Yeah, no. Uh,
00:39:33
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, Shiloh is obviously going to take to the ball to the rack sometimes because she's very good at that. She's going to try and hit that step back throw because she's very good at that. But so she did... I mean, Juju Redmond had 22, 5 and 5.
00:39:51
Speaker
She certainly had her opportunities and she took those as well. and um I mean, we had a game last year where Shiloh dropped 50 and Comet lost. So...
00:40:02
Speaker
You know, you you need support no matter how many points you can put up.
Game Analysis and Defensive Strategies
00:40:09
Speaker
We've got a question here on Instagram live from our good friends Two Feet in Da Paint. Question. Haven't seen Giselle Havas play yet.
00:40:20
Speaker
How do you think she fits into the Newey system? So how do you think she fits into the Newcastle's overall system? Yeah. I mean, i have only watched this was only my, I i mean, i called her game for Newcastle against Sutherland, but she was, think, fresh off the plane.
00:40:45
Speaker
Um, it was, think pretty sure it was her first game for the club and she was fresh off the plane. Um, ah interestingly, she had 25 minutes in this one. So she's certainly taking on a bigger role.
00:40:57
Speaker
Um, Seven points, five rebounds. Yeah, she's someone who can just sort of plug and play in the backcourt almost. If you need her to bring the ball up, she can do that.
00:41:09
Speaker
She's more than happy to shoot it. And she went out and grabbed five rebounds despite being far from the tallest player on court. um
00:41:19
Speaker
I think she's and a team, you know, they've got Kingham, Brennan, um starting in the backcourt and why Harper Andrews there as well.
00:41:31
Speaker
And you see someone who can probably spell any one of those three, um given the situation. um And i mean, that's probably why she's already getting the second most minutes off the bench, because she's someone who's already proven that she can slot in ah where we're required.
00:41:50
Speaker
which sometimes that's just all you need to be. ah we also You mentioned this to me earlier ah before we came on, that no Yamazaki in this game.
00:42:01
Speaker
So that was one backcourt member down. But yeah, I think Giselle Havas is just, yeah, a good all-round backcourt player who can, yeah, who's,
00:42:17
Speaker
A very welcome addition to the Newcastle Falcons lineup.
00:42:23
Speaker
Yeah, I see her um really really suiting Newcastle's style of play, especially in the offensive end. It's quite apparent that they're all very well disciplined and committed and on the same page with what they're doing at any moment when they're on offense.
00:42:37
Speaker
ah They make very few errors. The times when there were turnovers was probably just because there were, you know, the ball was stripped or may have dribbled off someone's foot in traffic.
00:42:49
Speaker
um Let me just have a look at their turnovers, actually. It was 10. Only 10. pretty good. Yeah. tends pretty good um And three from Munger and three from Brennan. I mean, that's also okay given that the ball is going to be in their hands a lot.
00:43:04
Speaker
But, yeah, I see, yeah, Newcastle's very ah particular instruction rules on offense suiting Havas because she has – adapted to it so quickly. And I also wonder that given she's just come from a great college career, like she played for Duke, that I imagine would have very structured and rigid systems, maybe um it it suits her and that's it's probably not a big jump from what she's ah or what she's known.
00:43:34
Speaker
And yeah, having that extra height and length over some of the other guards, being able to have her in the backcourt when the likes of, say, Brennan or Kingham might need to be, you know, if they're in foul trouble, if they're injured, if they have some other kind of defensive assignment, then I think Giselle's going to be a little bit more versatile being able to guard, say, the one to the three or maybe even the four.
00:43:55
Speaker
um So, yeah, I can see her fitting in really nicely with Newcastle. Yeah, like you said, Lockie, she's already got great minutes. They're just such a loaded roster, aren't they? I mean, the f like we'll talk about the fouls as well in a minute, but given that how many of the the studs of this Newcastle team got into foul trouble, they still had so many talented people to call upon. Yeah, I mean, Hannah Chicken, 11 and 9 off the bench.
00:44:30
Speaker
ah But, yeah, so the first quarter, essentially 22-20, still quite an arm wrestle. The second quarter, very, very similar. ah Bankstown winning in the second quarter, 18-19, but also one of those games where, yeah, quarters where...
00:44:49
Speaker
Pretty physical, um not a lot of huge changes. i think by the second quarter, that's when I really noticed Jada Rice to be stepping off ah when she's guiding the pick and roll.
00:45:00
Speaker
I mean, it was there's drops and then there's, you know, dropping back right into the key. ah And she, I think, and and Newcastle had scoring opportunities because of that about anywhere between three to four times in a row. Like Kingham hit a jumper at about six minutes 24 in the second quarter where you can see that interplay.
00:45:24
Speaker
um And then what I really liked from Bankstown in the second quarter at four minutes, 55, Juju, Redman and Titani together play this two men game in a little bit of a precarious spot on the court. It wasn't traditional 45. It wasn't kind of guard to guard at the at the top.
00:45:44
Speaker
It was somewhere in the middle, ah but basically Titani's gone and set a screen ah for Redmond, didn't work, set an immediate re-screen, and then this beautiful slip from that screen situation where Munger and Brennan switched the first one, didn't switch the second one.
00:46:02
Speaker
Titani was open on the roll. Redmond gets it in there. It was so good that I had to watch it like three or five minutes. loved that play. It was so I wrote that one down as well.
00:46:16
Speaker
um I feel like that was almost a turning point for Bankstown, that play, because um the second quarter, it felt like like um but Newcastle got it out to an eight-point lead, and I felt like that was where Bankstown were, it was probably their only one real lapse of more than a you know a couple of possessions.
00:46:36
Speaker
And then almost that play, it kind of turned around, and that was when Bankstown really started going on a run. and got it back within two.
00:46:47
Speaker
um And it was probably the first time that Newcastle really looked like they lapsed. Unfortunately, that kind of progressed further than Bankstown's did.
00:47:03
Speaker
but yeah, it was was quarter where both teams, you know, but given opportunities by the opposition, and in the end it all kind of ended up ba it back at equilibrium at 40 to 39.
00:47:17
Speaker
And on Instagram Live, the two feet in the paint boys, just say thanks, friends. Making a North and Nui video tomorrow. Promise we won't totally copy your Havas homework, but very helpful. That's all good.
00:47:32
Speaker
But I did write a note here ah going back to what I mentioned earlier about Havas being able to just slot into ah the offensive rules in particular that Newcastle seem to have.
00:47:43
Speaker
Her timing of her cuts. or the timing of most of their cuts, but particularly Giselle's cuts in ah Newcastle. It's like they're, I don't know if it's because they just have such a great playing history together in a short period of time or if they're friends off the court. I don't know what the X factor is um they or they've just all got high IQs, but their timing in some of their cuts sometimes is like they're telepathic.
00:48:09
Speaker
It just makes every, it just shows how simple rules done well can really be really, really hard to beat. ah I, yeah, really like watching them because of that. um But I should also mention, we we, just circling back on our conversation, our mention of fouls, I will mention that by the end of the first quarter,
00:48:31
Speaker
Kate Kingham and Meg Jefferson had two fouls each. And by six minutes and one second in the second quarter, Hannah Chicken is on two fouls. And by five minutes in the second, Brennan's on to her second foul and then picks up a third at three minutes, 49.
00:48:48
Speaker
And at 3 minutes 49 in the second quarter, this was also the Newcastle Falcons' fifth team foul, which also started to set a bit of a trend of the game that was already high intensity on defense and very physical.
00:49:02
Speaker
The foul trouble, Lockie. Like, oi! What a headache. It really was. And it really dish disrupted the flow of the game as well.
00:49:16
Speaker
yeah just i think I think there were 46 fouls in the game in total. Yeah, 27 by Newcastle, 19 by Bankstown. And for a game that, you know, wasn't close at the end and had teams fouling to stop the clock kind of thing, getting the foul count up, that is a lot, a lot of fouls.
00:49:39
Speaker
um I mean, it's...
00:49:45
Speaker
it's, it harks back to the physicality and, you know, you, you trying to play really good, hard physical defense, but there's a lot of players on both sides that can play through it. That won't be remotely detracted by how physically you play defense. And,
00:50:02
Speaker
they're good enough to draw the foul as well. It's just a pity we don't have a fouls-drawn stat on the box score because I would love to see how many fouls each player actually you know drew from the opposition.
00:50:19
Speaker
Because sometimes as well in NBL 1, not just in East but everywhere, there's sometimes this attitude that particular and NBL and WNBL players can be protected species, so to speak, like that they're always going to just attract more fouls or draw more fouls, whether they are fouls or not.
00:50:38
Speaker
But what I did like in this game is that when it came to the physicality, especially on the pick and rolls, I thought that that was very well officiated. They let a lot of the physicality get played through. i think a lot of it was legal.
00:50:53
Speaker
ah If again, if anyone needs evidence that women's basketball can be aggressive and physical, we've got plenty of pick and roll options just from this one game to show you how physical it can be and all legal.
00:51:05
Speaker
And to be fair, they did a really, really good job of calling the illegal screens. ah So Jada Rice, I think got called for two or three illegal screens from her 5,000 total for the game.
00:51:17
Speaker
And even if you go back and watch the the replay of that particular segment to see what happened, Definitely illegal screens. little bit too late, not in great position, a body turned in, that kind of stuff. So I thought the officiating around that was really, really good.
00:51:34
Speaker
um And considering the pace of the game, that stuff's hard to keep up with. I think where it started to get haywire towards the end of the game is that, the like you said, probably too many fouls started to be called, so the flow of the game was disrupted.
00:51:51
Speaker
But then I think... it started to get a little bit carried away where it's like, oh, we called a foul for that thing that probably shouldn't have been called, but now we have to call it the other way, but then we're going to miss this one.
00:52:02
Speaker
Like it almost seemed like there's a little bit of overanalyzing happening with some of the fouls being called because it was definitely a case in some way of like, okay, you called that one there, you've got to call it down the other end too. yeah it's It's one of those things where you've thought you've,
00:52:18
Speaker
you call something that you perhaps weren't calling before and suddenly you set a new standard. Yes. Yes. Yeah. That is the more succinct way of what I was trying to explain. Rather than going, oh, maybe you shouldn't have called that one. You've kind of made a rod for your own back because exactly the same thing happens down on the other end.
00:52:37
Speaker
yeah Yes, yes. Yeah. um I think that's kind of where it it got carried away a little bit, unfortunately. And yeah, big foul count, like you mentioned before. So king ah Kingham and Brennan and Hannah Chicken all on three fouls for Newcastle.
00:52:54
Speaker
oh Claudia Wahope, Andrews, Nicole Munger, Meg Jefferson all on five fouls and fouled off for Newcastle. So that's, you know, their call.
00:53:05
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Other than, say, Giselle Havas have been restricted or taken or eliminated from the game. ah Meg Jefferson actually gets fouled off at 7 minutes 14 in the fourth quarter.
00:53:23
Speaker
And that Munger got her fourth only like a minute after that. Yes, that's right. That's right. Yes. And then the foul count on the Bankstown side, though, you know, Tatani had three. Shiloh Hill had three.
00:53:37
Speaker
Jada Rice was fouled off with five. Kiana Davis-White had three as well. So a lot of their key players, too, getting getting caught up in it. And the free throw count, though.
00:53:50
Speaker
ah So Newcastle had 13 from 20.
00:53:56
Speaker
Bankstown, 25 from free oy, oy. Chyla are a perfect 8 of 8. Jada Rice, 4 of 4.
00:54:09
Speaker
Juju Redmond, 5 of 7. So, you know, they're putting there getting their stars to the free throw line and they're converting 17 of 19 at the line between their three big names. aye Lesson for the future.
00:54:22
Speaker
Well, yeah, you know how much I love to harp about how important free throws are, but this game in particular where each team were really having to earn their points in any other way of the game, nothing came easy for either team, even more important that you need to make your free throws because, I mean, 20, wait, what did say? It was 25 of 32. Yeah.
00:54:44
Speaker
twenty wait what did i say it was twenty five or thirty so Yeah, 25 of Bankstown's points. So more than a quarter of their points came from the free-through line and they win by nine.
00:55:03
Speaker
yes Yes, it is. Can't math. Can't math. Can't math, can't spell, can't read. 19. Yes. nineteen ah yes So points,
00:55:14
Speaker
ah winning by nineteen Yeah, make your free throws, seriously, because, yeah, he did you're not going to get a layup easy. You're not going to make your two-foot jump as easy. You need to be making those layups, those free throws.
00:55:28
Speaker
Definitely need to make those free throws. Certainly do. um But, yeah, in the third quarter, ah this is when Bankstown – Yeah, essentially started to tear away a little bit. Like I shouldn't say tear away. they They chipped away. They started to consistently chip away.
00:55:48
Speaker
They won the third quarter fourteen to twenty four and Bankstown also won the fourth quarter fourteen to twenty four And this is, I feel like especially in the third quarter is when a lot of the main themes for this game kind of came apparent for me.
00:56:05
Speaker
hi We've spoken a lot about the defence from each team in this game. uh how shots aren't coming easy and essentially what it came down to for me and this is going to sound very simple but and very silly at the same time bankstown just scored more should put more shots in than newcastle because yeah pound for pound play for play A lot of things were were very, very equal except for the outcome.
00:56:34
Speaker
Newcastle were just missing shot more shots. Bankstown were just making more. And that's literally all you have to do to win. And think two notes I made that really encapsulate the putting the ball in the basketball was the first is that Nicole Munger didn't make a shot after the 736 play mark in the third quarter.
00:57:02
Speaker
Yeah. second speaks to shot selection and it's Sophie Brennan driving. Well, she doesn't even get into the paint before putting up a floater from about 18 feet.
00:57:15
Speaker
Was that because of the shot clock running out though? Yeah. But she took her time getting there is the thing. It was just like, yeah. And I think it was a bit of the shot clock, but she hit three threes at the time.
00:57:32
Speaker
it was just one of those things that, you know, even if it's shot clock, it's still, you know, the offense. Not, yeah, 100% there.
00:57:43
Speaker
um And I think the frustration kind of started to show on Munger, which is unfortunate. i mean, it's going to happen to, was going to say, even the best, but she is literally the best in the league, so.
00:57:58
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I do. I do. We'll give her credit, though. You could tell she was getting frustrated with a couple of things, but she doesn't resort to whinging and yelling and stuff. Like sometimes she'll get at the end of the game. She was kind of getting a little bit animated with some of the fouls called, but that's normal. Everyone does it.
00:58:19
Speaker
Instead, what she does when she's frustrated, she plays harder. She'll defend harder. She'll chase more rebounds. She'll start to show that desperation and do whatever it takes to try and get the momentum back in her team's favor or to try and get more scores.
00:58:36
Speaker
And that's a great leadership quality too, because if that's coming from your best player, you're just going to see that and be like, yeah, I need to go do the same. Yeah. ah But, yeah, third quarter for me, honestly, Jada Rice got her, I think, her third foul quite early in the third quarter after halftime.
00:58:56
Speaker
And even though you mentioned that Shia hit the three in the first quarter, they counted that as a long two. did they? Oh, that would explain the maths. Yes. because Yeah, because she only had one three for the night and it was that step back when they switched or they switched Jefferson.
00:59:12
Speaker
Yeah, so her first three was actually only, yeah eight minutes and one second in the third quarter. Yeah. ah after a good And then it was a good few minutes of scrappy play by both teams. wrote scrappy as well.
00:59:24
Speaker
Yeah, it got really scrappy there in the third. It was very... rushed um panicked nothing was organized was physical there was there was one stage where though i said thought to myself there are so many bodies on the floor and even the commentator was just like it's lot of bodies on the floor it so someone just needed to call a timeout or something needed to to break because it was getting wild wow Yeah, but um what I also noticed was that recover Jada Rice and Juju Redmond were good at making things kind of happen out of a broken play.
Second Half Turning Points
01:00:03
Speaker
There were a couple of plays in the third quarter where a ball was tipped or, you know, something happened and things weren't quite working and think there was especially why like that...
01:00:20
Speaker
ah that little shuffle step on the dribble that Juju has that she used it on a few of her left wing threes to get in position. It, it, it and really creates separation.
01:00:32
Speaker
And I actually, i really like it. Like we, know, she's got a teammate who's step back three is world famous, but yeah, Juju, I like that little move she's got to ah kind of get a three ball, three ball open. It almost looks like part of her shooting motion at times.
01:00:49
Speaker
Hmm. Yeah, so I think it was Juju Redman who broke that drought between in that real scrappy couple of minutes there. ah she She hit this right-hand layup over like four people.
01:01:06
Speaker
ah was I had to watch another thing I had to watch a few times. I'm like, wait, how did this? She got past Hannah. well Maybe she got past Havas, I think. And then chicken Chicken kind of half committed to help and other people kind of half committed.
01:01:20
Speaker
And she just ended up being loosely surrounded by four people and just kind of went all over them all and made this great layup from like the block. ah and then the momentum really started to pick up for Bankstown.
01:01:32
Speaker
Rachel Dunlop comes from the weak side with this huge block at 4 minutes 56 seconds. Bankstown goes down the other end, and that turns into a three-pointer for Juju Redmond as well. So i think the timing of Redmond's scores were really important in this game.
01:01:50
Speaker
really like how Redmond and Rice, two imports who – could probably like they're not kind of like taking over.
01:02:01
Speaker
They're getting bought the ball in great scoring positions. They're taking their scoring opportunities when it comes to them. They're not forcing anything. They're very good at both what they do. Love Jada Rice's back to the basket post moves, textbook, beautiful finishes.
01:02:16
Speaker
um But, yeah, that's when the momentum really started to hit. And then Titani hit that three-pointer in the corner. off another Newcastle turnover to get Bankstown up by 8. And that is when they were rolling.
01:02:29
Speaker
Yeah. And back back to Titani, honestly. yo And that's the because Rice and Redmond and Hill don't, aren't trying to take over the game.
01:02:46
Speaker
That is what allows players like Titani to, tiny so they trust her And she repays that trust.
01:02:56
Speaker
And if they talk that were trying to take over too much, it would just be three players with 25 points and maybe they don't win.
01:03:07
Speaker
it No matter how big your big three is, there's still five on the court and how you can utilize them is half the battle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so it was – yeah, that was when the momentum, chipping away, chipping away, definitely in Bruins' favour. I think at the same time in this point of the game for Newcastle, like I mentioned, Meg Jefferson got her third foul to open the third quarter.
01:03:35
Speaker
um But then, you know, her and Munger had that really nice transition basket ah where – um just a really nice pick and roll. Jefferson straight down the middle. Munger just throws a dime.
01:03:50
Speaker
Then Meg got a steal, goes for coast to coast, gets fouled. So that, you know, Newcastle was still showing lots of positive signs. They just couldn't put the ball in the hole. But Brennan gets a steal at 3 minutes 57, trying to keep Newey in touch and breaking some of that Bankstown momentum. But then, yeah,
01:04:09
Speaker
May gets a fourth foul with two minutes and 27 to play. um And Newcastle continued just to make a lot of great plays, great decisions, and getting some open shots just kept missing.
01:04:20
Speaker
Yeah. Someone had cursed that ring for them in the third quarter. Yeah. ah but Yeah, then rolling into the fourth, as we mentioned, Meg Jefferson fouled off at 7 minutes 14.
01:04:35
Speaker
Munger actually got her fourth foul at 8 minutes 46, even before that. even Even before that. So, yeah, playing with both of them on four. um Yeah. I mean, newke just going back to the third, Newcastle 23% two-point range, range.
01:04:51
Speaker
one of nine from three point range Bankstown, 37.5% from two-point range and 50% from three. Yeah. Literally, Bankstown just making more shots.
01:05:04
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Yeah. And it wasn't much. I mean, it wasn't it wasn't as um massively. The discrepancy wasn't that massive in the fourth, but it still flung heavily Bankstown's way. Yeah.
01:05:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And just on that three-point percentage as well, ah not the greatest for both teams. Newcastle were five from 24, which was 20.83% for the whole game.
01:05:33
Speaker
And Bankstown, six from 23, 26.09% all not ideal shooting from either team. It is tricky on those rings as well sometimes. They can be unforgiving.
01:05:48
Speaker
those are rings in Newcastle. um yeah i say that I say that about the Sutherland rings, but Lauren Nicholson was down at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on Saturday morning while we were setting up.
01:06:00
Speaker
I'm not saying anything about the rings anymore. It's clearly it's clearly not the rings. yeah She couldn't miss. Oh, geez. Looks like she hasn't hasn't missed a beat.
01:06:12
Speaker
yeah ah had Had a baby, ready to get back into it. hope so. and see ah Yeah, so yeah fourth quarter, not a great start for Newcastle. Both Jefferson and Munger on fourth fouls very early.
01:06:27
Speaker
ah When Meg Jefferson gets fouled off at 7 minutes 14, at this stage of the game, the Bruins are now up by 14. And essentially for me at that point, the rest of the fourth quarter was very similar to how the third quarter played out.
01:06:44
Speaker
Physicality continued, lots of fouls getting called more and more against Newcastle, and then Bankstown again really just making more more shots than Newcastle. That's kind of what, other than the fouls, as we mentioned, and the free throw number of free throws taken, just made more shots. I think the percentages in the fourth quarter,
01:07:08
Speaker
for Bankstown was 45.45 from the two-point range, 37.5 from the three-point range. so oh consistently really good percentage from the two-point range for Bankstown and and just happened to capitalise from the three-point range in the second half.
01:07:26
Speaker
Yeah.
Game Conclusion and Insights
01:07:27
Speaker
The main difference me between the third and fourth quarters is just as it wore on, the fourth quarter wore on. And, you play it, Meg fouled out, Colgato fourth, you know.
01:07:38
Speaker
It just felt less and less like Newcastle were likely to get anything out of any one individual play. You know, it felt like plan a was less plan A was less likely to work due to the Bankstown defense as the game wore on.
01:07:59
Speaker
And I guess that partially comes from who the first player fouled out was, which was Meg, who is someone who can go kind of go toe to toe with Rice in the paint.
01:08:13
Speaker
um So I think that yet who fouled out first was probably a big part of things.
01:08:24
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. So, uh, Yeah, and that that was essentially the game. It didn't feel like a 19-point win. 19 points on paper, you're like, ooh, that's a bit of a, not a flogging, but, you know, it's a very healthy win.
01:08:44
Speaker
it was certainly a win done by committee a committee, win done by chipping away, chipping away, ah taking their opportunities, capitalising,
01:08:55
Speaker
on those small but important opportunities in the third and the fourth and, uh, Newcastle just very, one it very, uh, um, i had a lot of struggles with a lot of fouls and things like that too. So, um, but yeah, both teams really good on D, um, Newcastle done it. Yeah. All the other, all the other notes I have, I've already spoken about essentially,
01:09:22
Speaker
um But, yeah, it was it was one of those games I'm starting to notice more and more ah we do these game reviews. The games that I find the most interesting or the ones that have a lot more to talk about are always the games where – I'm going back and reap re-watching certain plays over and over and over.
01:09:44
Speaker
And I'll watch a play, focus on the offense first. I'm like, okay the what was it go back and watch the defense again and go back and watch it. They're the most interesting games to me. Like when we did the COE Hornsby men's game a few rounds ago same thing. I to watch things over and over and over just because there's so much detail to it. And sometimes to me that is the sign of a really good game.
01:10:06
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it was the same with the ah the fourth quarter of Illawarra women against Sutherland, mainly what Illawarra were doing, I will admit. But that that that I could probably go back and break down even further, some of those plays.
01:10:24
Speaker
Yeah, especially helps when you were there, I guess. No, no, it did not help. I did i did not like being at that game. Yeah. That's not true. Any game where I get to watch Ella Dent fall out is a good game.
01:10:37
Speaker
That's a good game. But yeah ah yeah, so basically my final thoughts were just great D from both teams. Both teams able to exploit the momentary lapses in their opposition's defence.
01:10:50
Speaker
Bankstown just put the ball in the hole more than Newcastle. um If I'm going to make it a very but a very ah generalised summary, what do you think? Yeah, I think...
01:11:02
Speaker
Physicality, as I said earlier, didn't feel like a game where 150-odd points were scored. um
01:11:13
Speaker
I think the one thing you can take out of it is that, you know, this was probably the perfect game for Bankstown to have up first. um If they lose it, if they lose Shiloh's first game,
01:11:27
Speaker
and it's not a blowout. If it was reasonably close, you could just say, oh, they'll be fine. They just got to get Shiloh into the mix. Instead, they've gone out and in a game that They probably wouldn't have been favored in before.
01:11:40
Speaker
Maybe not even completely favored in with their current roster. They've come out, got to win, and put that on the board. They've got to come back from three. They were two and eight, so they've got to keep winning. They've got a lot of winnable games coming up and they've just added an extra.
01:11:52
Speaker
It was, you know, ah r yeah there was not a lot to lose here and a lot to gain and they gained a lot. Yeah, and and gave Newcastle their first loss of the season. So their undefeated strength is, as they say in Kath and Kim, O-V-A-H.
01:12:10
Speaker
Over. Over.
Upcoming Games Preview and Signings
01:12:13
Speaker
ah But Banks down, yeah, they have a lot of winnable games coming up in the next couple of rounds. They are playing a doubleheader away in round nine, starting with Penrith Panthers on the 30th of May. So that's the Friday night.
01:12:30
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Yes. I hope it is because I'm meant to be commentating the next day. So I hope that's the Saturday. Yeah. i was like, I'm commentating the Saturday too. And I'm pretty sure that's the 31st where you'll be at Sydney Comets commentating the Bankstown Bruins.
01:12:45
Speaker
I will be. And then round 10, they've got Illawarra away. And in round 12, they've got Hills and Maitland. So of those five games, I reckon Bankstown on ah on their best day, they're winning at least four of those five games.
01:13:02
Speaker
ah Honestly, the they've got Maitland and Manly, I think, are the ah only two top eight teams. I'd have to check the exact table as it stands.
01:13:16
Speaker
But I think...
01:13:19
Speaker
Maitland, Manly, and Comet. So they're only three games against current top eight teams to come. Yeah. And they play Penrith in round nine and in round 13. Oh, so there's a team they can hang two losses on and really break it open.
01:13:37
Speaker
And just a side note, I had someone ask, ah ah Someone just made the comment how they were surprised that Shiloh signed with Bankstown.
01:13:47
Speaker
And ah my guess, educated guess, is that she has a has she has been coached by Lauren Curtin before. i think she ah that was the quote, actually, that was on a post.
01:14:00
Speaker
Oh, there you go. Did you already join up with Coach Curtin again? Yeah, I think when Shaila, you know, first started playing for New South Wales Metro all those years ago and when she started playing for Sutherland as a junior, made a good relationship with Lauren. So, ah like, great job recruiting Lauren and just shows that those relationships always, you know, come in handy are certainly the missing piece of this Bankstown puzzle. So, yeah, really, really excited now to see them.
01:14:31
Speaker
see the back end of their season ah just continue to improve because they're currently, making sure I look at the right ladder, they are currently 13th with three and eight. So that could very quickly become seven and eight in the next three rounds.
01:14:52
Speaker
Yeah. um The old Super Smash Brothers, a new challenger approaching.
01:15:01
Speaker
and you What? A new challenger approaching? As in Bankstown. Ah, yeah, yeah. For the chip. Yeah. Who dis? Yeah.
01:15:13
Speaker
Newcastle, how on the other hand, they now have North's next round, which is probably my highly most anticipated game in the women's competition perhaps so far.
01:15:25
Speaker
of the state so no but Isn't that what I said, that you don't want to be Mike Tyson facing Buster Douglas and you asked me who Buster Douglas was? Yes. Yes, I did. That's exactly what happened. Bankstown went out and blew up the undefeated battle.
01:15:38
Speaker
Yes, they did. They sure did. ah Sending shockwaves through the league, which we love. So, yeah, Newcastle next round now have Norse Bears.
01:15:49
Speaker
Then they have the COE away. Then they have Norse Bears again in round 11 with a doubleheader away with Penrith as well. And then they've got Manly in round 12 and Sutherland in round 13.
01:16:07
Speaker
So really, it's ah that's a hard road. That's a hard road ah the to the rest of the regular season for Newcastle.
01:16:17
Speaker
it It is, but they've banked so many wins already that are...
01:16:23
Speaker
I mean, it it is tough, but, I mean, they can go out and win any and all of them. sorry Oh, yeah. And it's its and it's you can also see it as great preparation for the finals.
01:16:35
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. All
Guest Interview and Player Journeys
01:16:38
Speaker
right. Well, that was our EGG Game of the Week. Now it's gonna it's time for our ah guest interview for this week.
01:16:48
Speaker
And as we're probably picking up during the season, and now that we've gone live on a Tuesday night, lots of teams are probably at practice while we are going live, which is understandable. So we were lucky enough to record an interview with our special guest this week, which we'll be playing now.
01:17:09
Speaker
So let's put that up and enjoy.
01:17:14
Speaker
Time now for our very special guest interview. Our guest this week is someone who is no stranger to playing in the East. They are a Newcastle native who was in St.
01:20:52
Speaker
fantastic coaching the whole way through from my club teams to my rep team and that's not something that everyone is blessed to get so yeah just really lucky who was your first uh rep coach i mean having purse cox edge come to your school and pretty much recruit you is already a good start who was your first rep coach is it anyone that's still involved in the club now um the very first ones i can't remember exactly, but my club coach was Rod Cleman, um who was also my under 14s coach and we went on to nationals and that kind of thing. So um yeah, he was kind of instrumental in that, that first bit of getting into the game and building confidence when I was a kid.
01:21:41
Speaker
My gosh, also the iconic coach of the Newcastle boys hi high school team back in my day when they would be making a long run at all the CHS championships.
01:21:53
Speaker
that's ah That's a throwback I wasn't expecting. Yeah, and we were really lucky. like He would run the same drills as he would run with them and be like, they're hitting this number and they were in the under 18s. Newcastle team and we were we're going to beat it, but we probably didn't.
01:22:09
Speaker
We had to try and do it. Yeah. Bit of an unfair comparison, but it obviously helped with the motivation. Definitely. Yeah. and you you and Sophie played New South Wales country together in 18s?
01:22:25
Speaker
We did, yeah. I was lucky enough to make the team when I was bottom age 18. So we played it kind of every off year together. rep for Newcastle but then and made the state team, the New South Wales country team bottom age so we got to play together in that tournament which was really cool to see.
01:22:46
Speaker
um We had some really amazing players in Newcastle and I mean the pathway still really great there but um growing up Katie Ray Ebzeri, Sophie Cleman, there were so many players coming through and Yeah, it was just a really great place to to train and you at training we were always coming up against really, really talented athletes. So it was really good to go up against each other and it was probably the strength of our al rep team and getting to go up against those players week in, week out that kind of allowed me to to develop my skills enough to be able to make that team.
01:23:29
Speaker
And i once after playing New South Wales Countries 18s, you went off to ah to junior college at Western Wyoming. i did. it was how does a ah How does a Newcastle beach lover end up in Western Wyoming? i had been speaking to a couple of schools and at that point,
01:23:53
Speaker
not many players were going over to college. It's not, the pathways weren't really the same as they were now. But at the time I was like, I'm only going if I get a division one scholarship and that kind of, I had that attitude, but then ah coach kind of knew a coach and um Ken Schwartz, the coach there at Western Wyoming reached out to me and just the things he had to say just really aligned with the values that I had. And I, we set up a Skype call with,
01:24:23
Speaker
some of the players on the team. And I just felt it within myself that that was the right place to go. And that, and I had the best experience there. I was really lucky.
01:24:34
Speaker
Um, just met some amazing people and was kind of starting from the moment that I got there. And so was able to develop my skills, um, both at training, but in the games. And during that time, I just got a lot better. And in Wyoming,
01:24:51
Speaker
Not many people know where Wyoming is, but it's a really cool place, but it also gets really, really cold. And so in the middle of winter, you can't really go outside, so you're just training. So there was a lot of time there that I spent in the gym and I got a lot better being there.
01:25:11
Speaker
Yeah, can confirm it gets cold in Wyoming. I went there one late October to watch my friends play soccer. Yes. had Had to borrow someone's ah someone's winter jacket.
01:25:23
Speaker
Yes, and we're very lucky basketball is an indoor sport. Yes.
01:25:28
Speaker
But ah then you moved on to Hawaii Pacific, which nowadays, every time you turn around, someone from Australia is going to Hawaii Pacific. was it Was it like that back then?
01:25:40
Speaker
It wasn't, actually. When I went to Hawaii Pacific, there was one other girl who had been there, an Australian that had been there a couple of years before me. um But when I went there, I was the only Australian girl um on the team and it was a big change from being in Wyoming, that's for sure. But it was, I'm a beach girl growing up in Newcastle. So it was such a great place to be.
01:26:05
Speaker
ah My team was great. I had really great coaches. And from that point on, my coach kind of developed a pipeline and started bringing more and more of these in. so as the years passed while I was there, they kind of brought more and more in, which was really cool.
01:26:24
Speaker
So did you actually get to play with any other Aussies later on your HBU career? I did, yeah. My senior year, I played with Ieva Nodj, Boti Nodj's daughter.
01:26:37
Speaker
She was a really talented shooter. And it was really cool to have her on the team as well. I lived with her and I lived with a few other girls. um But Yeah, it was really cool to have another Aussie there, definitely. And ah your college profile says that your favourite athlete is Kelly Slater and your favourite singer is Jack Johnson. So can I assume you spent a lot of time around the beach while you were in did. reckon that might have changed a little bit now.
01:27:07
Speaker
um But, I mean, can confirm Kelly is a fantastic athlete. um I don't think many people would think otherwise. I don't know if he's my favourite athlete now. um But, yeah, i then a being in Hawaii with the island lifestyle, I think it did that influence a lot of my choices back then.
01:27:36
Speaker
Sorry. yeah sorry um No, I was going say you're up next. Yes, I am up next. um So as Gwyn mentioned, you were your grand final MVP in 2016, winning that Waratah League championship.
01:27:51
Speaker
um And then you moved on to the Sydney Uni Flames. So did that just come about from your play in Waratah League or did you have open tryouts or how did the Spel with the Flames come about?
01:28:03
Speaker
Yeah, it was. I think it was very much from that game. um We won the championship that year, which was really cool to do it after going to college and then coming back.
01:28:14
Speaker
We probably may not have had the best team on paper, but we it was just a great team to be a part of. And following that game,
01:28:26
Speaker
I got a call to go down a couple of days later to Sydney to do some open tryouts with the Flames. And then in that next few weeks, it was a little bit of a whirlwind and then got offered a development player contract for that next season coming up.
01:28:46
Speaker
And I think in that same breath, like it was not something that I had ever pictured for myself. Going to college, I knew that I wanted to play basketball and I loved basketball, but at the same time, it was a pathway for me to get an education paid for. And I would use that education to then become, and do something in my career um that was not being a professional athlete.
01:29:18
Speaker
Now, during that time, I worked full-time as well as playing full-time. um But at the same At the same time, I didn't think that that was going to be something. So it was a really cool experience her to get that opportunity.
01:29:34
Speaker
And, I mean, that that blames roster. I mean, that was Leilani, Snelli, Asia Taylor, Jen Hampson.
01:29:44
Speaker
what How did your development, you know, how much do you take out of training alongside and playing alongside players like that? ah a Huge amounts.
01:29:55
Speaker
When I... Like I would guard Leilani most training sessions and just to be coming up against someone of her caliber day in and day out, you just, you get better no matter what. And then they say a few things to you to, to help your development and, and assist you. I was so lucky in that time and Snelly,
01:30:18
Speaker
um she took me under her wing a bit as well. And yeah, just so lucky to have those girls. But then we had the young ones coming up. Ali Wilson is absolutely flying now. She's doing such amazing things. And she was young in that team. And Tali Tapaya, who, i mean, at that point had been around for a long time, but was still a baby in the league.
01:30:38
Speaker
um Yeah, there was just so many athletes that were, you could learn so much from and and being able to train every day with them. I was able to get a lot better as a player.
01:30:52
Speaker
i Yes. Funny how you talk about how long Talia's been around because i still remember it was about her third season in the league. And so but instead of giving her a bottle of wine and in the end of season awards, they gave her a bottle of Coke because she wasn't actually old enough to drink and she'd already been in the league for two or three years.
01:31:12
Speaker
Yeah, I can imagine. And like so talented.
Reuniting Players and Newcastle's Talent
01:31:16
Speaker
And it's so great to see her back in the league as well.
01:31:21
Speaker
But a lot of names there, you mentioned that you played within with the Flames and won a championship with the Flames that you get to guard again now that you're back in East with Leilani playing for the Crusaders and Talia playing for Inner West.
01:31:33
Speaker
It's a little bit of a reunion. it is, and it's so great to see the East is kind of going from strength to strength. There's been so many signings this year, um both in ports but local players coming back to play in the East. And it's really cool to see New South Wales has produced so many fantastic athletes, both in the women's and the men's side. And and to see the East just getting stronger and stronger as the years go on um is really great.
01:32:03
Speaker
And we definitely want to talk more. Sorry, you go, Locke. I think that's something Newcastle's always been good at is having a really strong local core. I mean, obviously you get input imports like Nicole, yeah you know, or an EJ or Leo on the men's side, but just having that local core just really sets you up to, you know, you only have to add a couple of pieces and you're on your way.
01:32:28
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. And, We, as i like as I started, we have some amazing coaches here and some really great pathways here in Newcastle. um And so there's so many talented athletes that are coming through and and continue to come through. Some of our junior players now in teams that are in our squad ah are so talented and in state teams. And we just continue to develop really good players here in Newcastle. And it's so great when people...
01:32:57
Speaker
either stay here and continue to play through or go off to college and come back and want to represent Newcastle um because it is such a ah great place to play and it it is a great culture here.
01:33:10
Speaker
um We have so many amazing supporters and you just go to a Newcastle game and the stands are full and the atmosphere is unreal. Like there's not many places that I've played that match the atmosphere of a home court and a home game in Newcastle.
01:33:27
Speaker
I was delighted to see in your recent game a um against the Bankstown Bruins that Agnes Derricotte has still got a prime location in the grandstand in a box seat. I'm glad she's being very well looked after.
01:33:40
Speaker
yeah She's definitely there at the games. And, I mean, I've had Agnes as a manager from when I was in under 12 to state teams and she has been around. So, um yeah, it's awesome to see so many familiar faces.
01:33:57
Speaker
still in the in the crowd when we play at home. I think we could probably do a survey of current NBL1 East players and see how many people have had Agnes as a manager at some point in their career because maybe I don't think There'd be a lot.
01:34:14
Speaker
There'd be a lot. Even coming to mind just randomly, locky Lachlan Dent, that's now suiting up for the Illawarra Hawks, he definitely had ah Agnes as a manager and that was the same year he was 18 and I think so like Luke Cassidy from the Crusaders and that age group all had Agnes as a manager. So that's already like, i mean, that would be a bunch of players already.
01:34:38
Speaker
Absolutely. We'd have most associations covered, especially the country ones, that's for sure. Yeah, yeah. yeah country tour ticking off a lot of names but I definitely want to get into later on about your return to Newcastle and perhaps comparing the NBL1 North to East a little bit later but in the meantime you did as you mentioned earlier you did move to Queensland and yeah haven't played here in the East since 2016 and played on and off here and in in Brisbane I think mostly in the Gold Coast is that right
01:35:14
Speaker
Yeah, it was in the Gold Coast. So after I um i was kind of in the meantime while i was playing for the Flames, I played in Seabull with the Sydney Uni Sparks, which was a short but amazing couple of years. Out of that team, so many of my friends, ah we still see each other. And I was just on the phone to Sinead Greaves, who um played WNBL and played with me for with the Flames and with the Sparks.
01:35:42
Speaker
She's one of my best friends. So A lot of us have stayed in contact, which is really cool. But um after that time with the Flames and Sparks, I went up north to Queensland, just needed a little ah little break. And I had planned to just go up there for one season, play for Gold Coast and ended up loving it up there. We did really well, actually became runners up in that first year. And um and again, not probably the best team on paper, but we just,
01:36:12
Speaker
really played together well and it was a really cool experience and ended up getting a job um for the Brisbane Bullets and stayed up there for five years so it was a long time.
01:36:27
Speaker
And yeah the Gold Coast Rollers, are wait so were you with the Rollers when it changed from like QSL NBL One North? Yeah so the year, the COVID year, I actually called my ACL so I was, rehabbed. So I played for two years there and
Media Exposure and Managing Roles
01:36:49
Speaker
loved it. And then I tore my ACL. And so I rehabbed kind of through those that COVID year.
01:36:55
Speaker
And then into the next season, I did a bit of coaching actually. So I assistant coached with the rollers, which was cool to be on the other side, although I just wanted to be back out there.
01:37:06
Speaker
And then kind of pushed myself to, um, to get back out onto the court and played one year with the Rollers and then one year with the Southern District Spartans in the NBL one.
01:37:24
Speaker
Was there much of a change? Did you notice at that time when everything went from QSL to NBL One North, was there much of a difference in leagues when it changed or do you feel like it took a little bit of time to um to ah perhaps develop into what NBL One North is now?
01:37:42
Speaker
Yeah, I think it took a little bit of time but and there was also a lot more, probably where you saw the biggest difference was around, I guess, the social media and the media.
01:37:54
Speaker
and the following of the league. Definitely having that injection from the NBL and the resourcing around that, you could definitely tell the difference with all the games being live streamed and so much more media content.
01:38:09
Speaker
And I guess working in the media space, I was kind of across all of that as well. And so that was definitely the biggest change. Now clubs probably had a little bit more money or were putting more money into the programs and trying to get better players into the league. So there was a really strong league. But at the same time, that QSL league beforehand, there were some pretty good players coming up and playing in their kind of and NBL or WNBL offseason as well. So yeah, that biggest difference was probably more in the the media space.
01:38:47
Speaker
So, yeah, you you did mention before you did have you got a job with the Brisbane Bullets and you were working in media while you were up here ah in Queensland. So probably a good segue to talk a little bit more about what your role was with the Brisbane Bullets while you were here.
01:39:03
Speaker
Yeah, so I was the media and marketing manager at the Bullets and it was a really good place to work. a space to be in because I kind of knew a lot of the players or knew of a lot of the players and could talk basketball and, and could write about basketball and also just loved kind of building relationships and, and being able to speak to to media about different things. So yeah, it was a really great way to kind of merge my passions, which was kind of media writing um and teaching
01:39:40
Speaker
that communication side with basketball itself. So, yeah, I was really lucky to have that opportunity. And i i worked for the Bullets over two different periods, so kind of pre and post COVID. But that second time I was there for three years in that media and marketing manager role and just the people you were able to meet and the opportunities that I had to work.
01:40:03
Speaker
um I was yeah really lucky and very grateful for the experience. Have got any kind of highlights of the forefront of your mind ah from when you were in that role, like a funny moment or kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of moment?
01:40:21
Speaker
and There were a few different moments when we had kind of NFL Hall of Famers, just forgetting his name, but like sign on with the ownership group, so working with his media people or just different moments um interviewing Sobey after Nathan Sobey after he came back from the Olympics about his experience there. Just, I think the biggest part was kind of being able to tell the stories. Jason today, when he played his 300th or 350th NBL game and talking to him about that experience and I guess growing up alongside of him and going to all those tap camps and, you know, NITCP or whatever,
01:41:07
Speaker
you know, all of those camps growing up and then just seeing, I guess, their careers come to life was, yeah, really cool. but It would have been such a strength for you in that role. Like I bet you when you applied the bullets were just like so happy that you applied because I think being a former, like being a pro basketballer and then going into that role in basketball just would have been such an asset to the club because you have that lived experience and better understanding
01:41:39
Speaker
ah of when you're having to interview players and ask them to do particular, i guess, media spots or um things like that that go off the court too?
Media Career and Player Engagement
01:41:51
Speaker
Yeah, I think it was really beneficial and and knowing kind of when to ask for things or when to kind of leave things or, you know, that was probably a strength working with the players.
01:42:05
Speaker
I was probably a bit too soft on them at times. um but But that was okay. It was good for probably the relationship and, you know, getting to know, like be able to get their personalities to come across over over media is is tricky. and And you're doing this podcast, you'd probably understand that sometimes you're doing interviews and it's hard to kind of get people's personalities to come out when there's a camera there.
01:42:33
Speaker
oftentimes you kind of you're talking to someone and their personal personality is so bright and and they have this way about them and then the camera comes and you know people kind of go into their shells a little bit so I think that was probably one of the if you talk about highlights that's probably the biggest thing is just seeing the growth of of certain athletes over the time and getting you know getting them to a place where they're in you know, in-game interviews and their personalities really shining and and that's a really cool thing to be able to help them with in their career.
01:43:08
Speaker
And just this's going putting your ah experience with the Sparks together and your media and comms experience together, um because you also play that at the Sparks with Meg Jeffs and Emily Simons, right?
01:43:21
Speaker
And now they also work in media and comms as well. Like they did some really great work with a lot of FIBA events held in Sydney over the years. I mean, can we start manifesting some kind of businesswoman Sparks reunion now and this ah women in sports media conglomerate between you three or is is that a little bit too optimistic? We have we have spoken it about it over dinners.
01:43:47
Speaker
um I do see them. That's awesome. I'm close with them and I see them also quite often. Yeah. And, yeah, we have spoken about it before, but ah Emily's doing amazing things right now and she's kind of working with the agency, with the NBL and the WNBL, and and Meg's working on Vivid at the moment. So, yeah, they're both doing amazing things.
01:44:12
Speaker
So, yeah, maybe in the future that would be wonderful. Yeah, sign sign us up any way we can help. Thank you. And now, yeah, and you are back home in Newcastle, as we mentioned. ah So what what brought you back home i Family, honestly, I am really close with my family and they are the most supportive, amazing people. And i
01:44:43
Speaker
and come like have come home every chance I can get. But when you're living in a different state or a different place, um you don't get to see them as much as you want to and I have nieces and nephews who are now in high school and primary school and you just miss all the little things and so I just got to a point where I was ready to come home and I'm so grateful for the time now that I'm spending with my family so yes that was that was the big tool I was just ready to come home and I think talking to people Newcastle does that a lot of people kind of
01:45:20
Speaker
go away and get the pull to come back to Newcastle.
01:45:26
Speaker
Yeah, and why not? You've certainly come back at a terrific time, not just to be a part of the club in your new role in media marketing and comms, but also to be part of this loaded roster of reigning champions. ah What has Coach Bultitude asked you to focus on as an individual to bring to this team this season and how do you see your role in this team?
01:45:50
Speaker
I think it's still weird for me to say because I still feel quite young, but I am a veteran very much so on this team. So I think that just bringing that experience and and we do have some unbelievable players on the team, and um but we do have a lot of young girls as well. So I think being that veteran presence and and bringing my experience um is is helpful um for the group. So I think that's probably the biggest thing is more the off-court stuff.
01:46:20
Speaker
um But on court, I mean, they tell me to shoot the ball. So I probably don't do it very, very often. adam But we have some amazing players on the team. So um I'll just kind of play my role and and try and get a few stops and and do whatever I can to help us win.
01:46:44
Speaker
And have you noticed very many differences playing between NBL 1 North and NBL 1 East? I mean, you said before yourself that NBL 1 East is going strength to strength. ah But, yeah, was now that you're back in East, does it compare to the level of competitiveness and talent in North?
01:47:02
Speaker
Yeah, I really think it does. And probably in a couple like a couple of years back, maybe the depth wasn't there, but you're seeing the teams kind of reload now. and and there are so many young talented juniors and you just look at a team like we'll look at a newcastle team right now and we do have nicole in and we have a ah couple of girls um that have come in from from canberra um or sydney but at the same time there is that local core as well so there are a lot of talented athletes coming through you look at the north and the manlies and and their cause are also kind of a local core but they've
01:47:43
Speaker
been together over a few years now and and each team is kind of building and building. And so i think where that depth was maybe lacking a little bit a few years ago is really just growing and growing. And I think there's a lot of parity there now. Yeah, one of Lockie's favourites is Sophie Brennan, who is also a young homegrown talent. And she had another great game on the weekend against Bankstown.
01:48:09
Speaker
see She's playing so well, Sophie, and shooting the ball. unbelievably and um she she's from Canberra and is like, it's so great to see her come down here and just grow in confidence from game to game and and we're just lucky we have her on our side. you wanna ask the last couple?
01:48:39
Speaker
I'll ask yes, i can I can certainly do that. it's like but Actually added a couple of sub questions to our book ending question, but we we end every interview or conversation with but the question, who is Susie Wormsley off the court?
01:48:58
Speaker
Off the court, I... That's a very hard question. Off the court, I love spending time with my family. I'm a bit of a homebody, although I love being at the beach. um i read a lot.
01:49:17
Speaker
I, yeah, I just, I love to be around my friends and I love to be around my family. And that, I guess, is filling my cup right now as I've taken a little bit of time, I guess, stepping away from my career a little bit um after being at the Bullets and that being such a big part of my life, being able to come home and and spending that time kind of finding who I am again is is really cool. So I guess that I'm trying to find out who I am, but yeah, in the meantime, just enjoying all the little parts in between. You've certainly got a very stacked shelf behind you there. So...
01:50:04
Speaker
Yes, I'm very lucky you coming home. um We have a whole library of books here. So I can't really get through them all. There's no way. But I do like to cook books as well on the side. I love cooking. So I do spend a lot of time um I try to spend a lot of time when I'm at training.
01:50:23
Speaker
I don't. I'm lucky to get some meals cooked for me. So thank you to the parents. But um I do love cooking. so that's one thing that you know, I do try and get through a few of those cookbooks as well.
01:50:39
Speaker
We've had ah some guests in the past who also have similar interests of reading and cooking and we had Bianca Dufelmay on, I think, last season who mentioned she's learning how to cook and she mentioned how she's learning to make beef with broccoli or something and it just became a running joke with her her teammates and I think some of her teammates were calling her out for it on Instagram. Oh, wow.
01:51:02
Speaker
hello Well, at least she's trying and learning. Yeah, that's right. yeah yeah Have you got any books you can recommend to our listeners?
01:51:15
Speaker
I've read some very good ones. The Tattoo List of Auschwitz is one of my favourites. It's a little bit heavier, but it's an unbelievable read. um So that's probably the recommendation I'll go with today.
01:51:30
Speaker
That's a good one because there's also a TV series. is Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There is the tv To be fair, I actually haven't watched the TV series and I do need to get on to that. Have you read that book, Lockie?
01:51:43
Speaker
I haven't actually, but I like the idea that someone's happy to just recommend something so heavy and say, just go and read it. Yeah. Yeah. People, people always go with like the soft touch with the recommendations. Just,
01:51:56
Speaker
Yeah. To be fair, I do like a rom-com. I am, when I'm watching something, I don't want to be frightened or scared. So I do like a rom-com. But books, I can go a little bit heavier.
01:52:10
Speaker
I was going to ask you too, because um I knew that you worked for the Bullets, but forgot that you actually played and probably lived on the Gold Coast, right? And I was going to ask you how you survived living in Brisbane without a beach. But the way to survive what it sounds like is to live somewhere else.
01:52:26
Speaker
Yeah, so I was, yeah, actually, yeah, living on the Gold Coast. I was very lucky. I was living in Burley with a couple of friends and I would commute. Now, the commute was not always fun, um but to wake up and be in the Gold Coast on the weekend was just the best.
01:52:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's delightful. i'm I'm struggling up here with no beach still. ah It's yeah not how my brain is wired. Can't relate, sorry. yeah Because you did the opposite. You grew up without beach. Now you've been living by the in a beach town for a while. So now it's part of your brain too, Lockie. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. grew up in Windsor and Mudgee and now live in Cronulla. So happy days. Yeah.
01:53:09
Speaker
Happy days. yeah Although I've got to say it has not been it has not been beach weather for a good long while. No, but hopefully now. Hopefully now it's getting a lot better.
01:53:23
Speaker
And, Lachie, I remember you wanted to ask ah Susie if she still dabbles in one of her old hobbies. Yes. Because, yes, your college profile at HPU is far more in-depth than what we get from most players. And it says that when you were studying business that you liked to dabble in the stock market.
01:53:44
Speaker
Was that just something to keep you going through college? The dabble was very loose. i am I was taking a lot of accounting classes and I was taking you know international business classes and things like that. And I was so interested in it, but I really should have really stuck my teeth in at that point when I was younger because it it really fell off and I didn't do much dabbling from that point forward. So I probably should have stuck at it, but here I am.
01:54:16
Speaker
It's never too late. Well, that's what they say Very true. But it also said something that actually resonated with me more because you got asked what you wanted to be in 10 years and you said happy and successful.
01:54:38
Speaker
Oh, that's very, I haven't looked at that profile for a very long time, but 20 year old Susie really, or i I don't know how old that was, probably 20. 19 20 year old Susie was very kind to herself so I'm very glad to hear that and I mean that's the aim in life really isn't it is to kind of be happy and you know find success in things so it's not always easy to do but I guess finding the little joys in in life uh um I guess in hindsight now you've
01:55:14
Speaker
Now I'm a little bit older, i can see that. And I think if you relate it back to basketball, I think just being out on the court and being able to, you know, get up and down and um be fit and and enjoy each other's successes on court is a really cool thing. And I'm lucky enough to play with some amazing players. And so there's quite a bit of success there and there's a lot to enjoy. So, yeah, just really lucky to be a part of it still.
01:55:44
Speaker
Yeah. And hold on to that fitness Susie. Cause once you stop, it's hard to get it back. That's the plan at this point.
01:55:54
Speaker
And, uh, Just as we're preparing for ah to interview you today I have just been recently talking to our friend Mal on his podcast, Ball Don't Lie. He's starting a podcast series where he's just talking to commentators about their experience. So i got to recall how I started and i started at the Waratah finals and one of the first people I commentated with ever was yourself.
01:56:22
Speaker
Yes, and to be honest, My mum brings that up quite regularly. She's like, you guys just spoke so well together. And um I agree. It was a a really fun game to to commentate. And I think we're actually, Shiloh Hill was on the court at the time for one of those games. So to bring it back, played against her this weekend and comes kind of full circle. But, yeah, that was kind of one of my first real world media moments
01:56:54
Speaker
experiences as well so i guess um yeah we're it's pretty crazy how it all works yeah ah yeah and so that was yeah the first time and i remember that game i thought we did really well that game as well and admittedly knew nothing about commentating back then as much as i do now but could you see yourself returning to commentating or something similar yeah i think i would like to i mean last year i had the season off playing.
01:57:24
Speaker
i was just working and trying to stay fit, but also i was doing some of the Gold Coast games commentating and I really enjoyed it. So i think maybe one day get back into it.
01:57:38
Speaker
um as Yeah, it's fun talking about it. And I guess when you've been around the game for so long, as as you both have been, um it it does get easier and easier. And I think the first time you do it, you're so nervous because What if you say the wrong thing and and you may not have to talk for two hours and not stuff up anything? But, I mean, you can and you just make up for it the next time the ball comes down the court and no one's going to hold you to that. So I think, yeah, it's a really fun thing to do and maybe I'll be back there soon.
01:58:12
Speaker
The coach can't sub you out for making a mistake when you're commentating. You've just got to play through it. Exactly. Exactly right. So, I mean, it's fantastic.
01:58:23
Speaker
We've got a third headset. If you're ever at Comets or Sutherland, spot's open for you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Yeah, was going to ask, Lockie, you get to commentate a Newcastle game at Sutherland or Comets this year where you could perhaps pinch Susie?
01:58:41
Speaker
Susie had to run off quite quickly after the Newcastle game, unfortunately. That's fair. I called Sutherland New, yeah, saw Susie, think, two or three weeks ago.
01:58:52
Speaker
Yeah, we had a home game the next day quite early. So we were, um yeah, racing out of, usually I'll stay and watch the men's games, but we were racing out of there pretty quickly.
01:59:07
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's fair enough because it looks like you have had, ah like your draw has been really interesting where you've had doubleheaders but ah you've had a lot of one home and one away over those doubleheader weekends.
01:59:19
Speaker
Yeah, they have there's been quite a few that have been split ones. So, um yeah, you just kind of make sure you're recovering well and getting on the road. But then from Newcastle, you' kind of used to the travel.
01:59:32
Speaker
The first year I was playing with Flames, I was kind of commuting from Newcastle, kind of driving down. every other day so yeah we're pretty used to being on the road so it's all right metro players wouldn't get it no no and all orbury bandit fans are going to listen to this and go newcastle that's nothing yeah yeah definitely they but i'm really I didn't realise you were commentating some games for the Rollers last season, so that's awesome. I'm glad that you got back into it and that you're still kind of keen to perhaps read dabble, but maybe dabble more in commentary than you were with the stock market perhaps. yeah
02:00:18
Speaker
hopefully people will listen to this and also it's planted the seed for something similar that we can get you involved in when you're ready. Yeah, definitely, yeah. and um I think the biggest thing is I guess throughout my career, I haven't really known exactly what I was going to do next yeah at certain points, but kind of when offered things or asked things, I've kind of jumped at the chance and that's put me in some really great positions throughout.
02:00:50
Speaker
Awesome. Oh, that sounds really, really good. Don't need to always cement a five-year plan. That stuff's overrated, I reckon. I think so. um But, Lachie, do you have any other questions for Susie before we finish up?
02:01:03
Speaker
No, I think we covered just bit just about everything. um I made sure to put away my ah my pull-up banner before the interview, which I still have.
02:01:15
Speaker
Amazing. Don't need you looking at yourself all all evening. No. i no
02:01:25
Speaker
Pretty cool piece of memorabilia to have, though, I still say, Lockie. Like, that that's one of those things that really ah take you back to a certain time and place and in the Flames history. and And the history of, like, Sydney Uni basketball for women, too, because the sparks were, like, I mean, they were a spark. They were there for a short period of time and they burned brightly and then it ended.
02:01:47
Speaker
So Sparks is probably a very good name for that. But it was such an important time for that whole program. And now I guess the the next thing is the future flames that Renee has started with Hoops Capital.
02:01:59
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. It's a really cool pathway and um so great to see so many young new South Wales basketballers continue to, to you know, be amazing players and and continue on.
02:02:16
Speaker
But Susie, you've been such a great guest, probably one of my favorites so far of season three on East Scott Gang. Thank you so much for being with us this week. Thank you so much for having me.
02:02:27
Speaker
I appreciate it Of course. And now that you've been a guest on the podcast and you learnt what our bookend questions are for all of our guests, it's time for you to learn the most important phrase. and i'll what Can you tell Susie what that is, Lockie?
02:02:44
Speaker
Don't sleep on the east.