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Episode 4: The Double-Double Double-Double
171 Plays3 years ago
Episode 4: Squin and Lachy cover Round 2 of the NBL1 East 2023 season. Lachy recaps the Bankstown Bruins vs. Norths Bears women's game, while Squin covers the Newcastle Falcons vs. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles women's game. They also talk about the Games of the Week between Canberra Nationals/Gunners vs. Maitland Mustangs. The episode is topped off with the All Star 5 for both competitions, news and previews.
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Transcript
Introduction and Hosts Introduction
00:00:14
Speaker
Hello and welcome to East Got Game, an unofficial podcast for the NBL One East Basketball Competition 2023. Join us as we review, preview and interview our way through the NBL One East to showcase your new favorite talents. My name's Jacinta Govan from the Central Coast Crusaders. And joining me as always as co-host is the absolute icon from Sutherland Sharks, Locky
Locky's Influence on Sutherland Sharks
00:00:41
Speaker
friends. How are you Locky?
00:00:43
Speaker
I'm great, Squint. I don't know about absolute icon, but I'll take the praise. Oh, look, I spent most of the weekends amongst your beloved Sutherland Sharks crew as they came to visit us at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium on the coast. And yeah, you were very much a part of the conversation and of the crew, even though you were physically absent. So you're certainly part of the furniture there now, I'd say.
00:01:09
Speaker
It does appear that way, which is something I never thought would be the case, but there you go. Look, the place couldn't run without you, mate. Yeah, okay.
Weekend Games Recap and Commentary
00:01:19
Speaker
So how was your weekend in MBL One East this week for round two?
00:01:24
Speaker
My weekend was great, actually. I got to see a lot more games this weekend than last week. Went over to Bankstown and got to watch Bankstown North Swimming, which was an intriguing game. Also caught a bit of Youthly, which was good. And then I came home and watched your fantastic commentary of the Central Coast Sutherland games.
00:01:47
Speaker
and then caught the Sunday games on the live stream as well. So, yeah, big weekend of basketball for me. How about yourself? How was calling the Central Coast Sutherland games?
00:02:00
Speaker
Yeah, it wasn't too bad. I feel like the women's game was quite exciting for the most part up until the third where Sutherland really started to run away
Game Highlights: Central Coast vs. Sutherland
00:02:10
Speaker
with it. And I think our Crusaders gals took the foot off the accelerator a little bit. Really good to see Emily Garland have a fantastic game as well, which we'll probably get into a bit later. And the men's game was also quite entertaining. The Sharks,
00:02:26
Speaker
always feeling like they had control for most of the game but they were a bit like a stalling car where you could tell that they wanted to really put the foot on the neck and take over in the game and that didn't really happen until the last five minutes of the fourth where they just blew it out.
00:02:43
Speaker
Really classy effort still, especially from both Sutherland teams. Callie Hovada was just doing everything she possibly could to get that win. And despite Maddie Norris being quite quiet in the first half, she managed to find her feet in the second half as well.
Young Players Stepping Up
00:03:00
Speaker
But it was all down to Garland in that game for me.
00:03:04
Speaker
Yeah, I'm really happy to see Emily step up in a big way. You know, we had, of course we had Nicholson and Fabro out, but Calver as well was out as well for Sutherland. So great to see the young players stepping up.
NBL1 East Women's Round Two Overview
00:03:18
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree. And while we're speaking of the women's round, would you like to, Lockie, do the honours of taking us through the results of round two of MBL1 East 2023?
00:03:31
Speaker
I certainly can. So the early tip off on Saturday was indeed that Bankstown Norse game that I attended. And it was Norse getting up with a big 80 to 47 win in that one. Whilst down on the banks of the Murray, Aubrey Wodonga Bandits got up 104 to 40 over a very young Hornsby side. In the nation's capital, it was Canberra knocking off Maitland, 71-59.
00:03:58
Speaker
And Penrith traveled down to Illawarra and got the win 83-74.
Men's Game Results and Insights
00:04:05
Speaker
Up in Broad Meadow it was Newcastle defeating Manly 64-55. And at Hills it was the Comets marching in and getting the win over the Hornet 72-41. Centre of Excellence came up to Sydney and
00:04:23
Speaker
dominated the inner west bulls for the most part on their way to an 81-46 win. It was course as we mentioned the Sharks of Sutherland getting the win at Central Coast 79-65 and then on Sunday it was Maitland playing the second leg of their capital double header against Center of Excellence and it was the COE picking up their second win of the weekend 86-64 and they now sit clear atop the table at 3-0.
00:04:51
Speaker
Wow, so outstanding start for the COE, the team that you have picked to take it all in August when we get to the MBL 1 East Finals. We will a little bit later go through some of our All-Star fives for the round as well, just to tease all of our listeners out there.
00:05:10
Speaker
But let me take you through the results for the men. Obviously very similar match-ups as to what Lockie has reported for the women's. Starting off with the Bankstown Bruins hosting the North's Bears and the North taking that win 85-66.
Unexpected Outcomes and Player Performances
00:05:29
Speaker
Crusaders hosted the Sutherland Sharks and went down 60 to 79. Aubrey Woodonga hosted the Hornsby Kerengi Spiders. Aubrey getting a great win at home with 104 points to 61. The Canberra Gunners had the win slippled from their hands in a very, very tight contest against the Maitland Mustangs, losing that 170 to 75.
00:05:55
Speaker
Illawarra hosted the Panerith Panthers and they got a very convincing win 106-63. Newcastle Falcons also a convincing win for their first home game against the Manly-Waringa Seagulls 77-41.
00:06:10
Speaker
Hill's Hornets almost had the win over the Comets just going down by 6 points 64 to 70 at the Hornets nest. Ina West Bulls hosted the center of excellence with a not a bad not a bad loss but the COE getting up that game 81 to 64
00:06:31
Speaker
And then the COE heading back home, going back to back this weekend and they hosted Maitland Mustangs while the Mustangs did their double Canberra away road trip and the center of excellence just with a narrow four point win with 101 to 97. So some pretty interesting results all around for both the men and women lucky. Were there any surprises for you in either competition in terms of wins and losses?
Impact of Missing Key Players
00:07:01
Speaker
I'm not sure about surprises, so to speak, maybe some margins. Um, but I mean, Canberra over Maitland, even with still two players out to, uh, you know, have a pretty comfortable 12 point margin in the end. Uh, thought Maitland might've been able to keep it a bit close and they did come back a bit, but Canberra just pulled away in the end. Uh,
00:07:29
Speaker
Newcastle, they'll be very happy right now, being 2-0. Of course, manly had no Kimberly Hodge, so that was again taking advantage of team, their opponents missing a player and picking up the win, so they're sitting pretty at 2-0 at the moment now, the Falcons. Of course, you mentioned Central Coast Sutherland, that game was...
00:07:51
Speaker
filled with outs. I think there were three major players out for both teams on that side, so not sure how much we can actually read into some of these results even at this stage.
00:08:01
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a really good point. So it's only round two and so many teams are already missing a lot of key players for one reason or another. We'll probably get into the Canberra Maitland games in a little bit more detail a bit later, given they were the game of the week. So we'll have a good chat about that. But as you mentioned, the Crusaders women were missing Jasmine for Cadilla.
Covering Central Coast vs. WNBL Grand Final
00:08:25
Speaker
and Paris and Jonny Witwer against Sutherland and Sutherland, as you mentioned, also missing Loz Nicholson and Eliza Fabro, who are yet to join the team because they're still chasing that chip. So, I mean, if you got a choice between chasing a WMBL chip and coming back home for NBL 1 East, you can afford to miss a few rounds, I think.
00:08:47
Speaker
I think that's fair enough. Yeah, fair enough. And it was a bit conflicting having a Crusaders game to call, which we very much enjoy, but also missing the WNBL grand final game one between Townsville Fire and Southside Flyers. It was on at the same time, so I had to race home and watch the replay. I was dual screening very hard.
00:09:12
Speaker
Yeah, see, I need to level up too and start to get like a monitor or something because it seems like these basketball clashes are going to happen way too often. So, yeah, I really need to save some money and level up to dual monitors. But anyway, let's get into these Bankstown and North women's
Bankstown vs. North Game Insights
00:09:30
Speaker
game. As you said, look, you got to attend in person. Take me through it. Well, in the first couple of minutes that are
00:09:40
Speaker
Bankstown, they looked really physical and I'm not sure. I'm not saying, um, Norse couldn't handle it. They just might've been like, Oh, they're a little bit physical. And, uh, so for the first few minutes, Bankstown, you know, we're hanging with them and then I think Norse like, all right, we've got the hang of this now. And I mean, on paper, Norse should be, should be winning this and, uh, they, they quickly settled into their groove and, uh, you know,
00:10:10
Speaker
came away with the win fairly comfortably in the end. As we all know, Norse, very much a defensively oriented team. I mean, any team with Kate Seabomb on the roster is going to be. They held actually banks down to four points in the second quarter, which really blew things open. It was 24-12 after a quarter and then 44-16.
00:10:37
Speaker
We saw Brittany Wright make her debut for
Individual Performances Spotlight
00:10:41
Speaker
Bankstown. I talked to her after the game because she went to Alabama State University, which is a school I know many, many soccer players from. So we had a good chat after the game and she said she actually hasn't played a competitive game of basketball since leaving Europe a couple of years ago. And she said as much that she needs to like get her match legs under her. So I think we'll see her much improved. She finished with five and four.
00:11:08
Speaker
But for Norse, it was Carla Pitman scoring 22 points in 18 minutes and just getting whatever she wanted, getting to the cup, hitting from mid range, just having a day out really. Not much Bankstown could do to stop her.
Kate Seabomb's Defensive Skills
00:11:28
Speaker
And Kate Seabomb, 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals because Kate Seabomb gets steals.
00:11:36
Speaker
Yeah. And she gets assists too. Like that's a, I think, you know, we definitely know her as the prime and very long time. One of the greatest defenders in our competition. Hashtag. What's the hashtag again, Lockie? Hashtag. Rename it. Rename it. As in rename the defensive player of the year award to the Kate Seabomb defensive player of the year award.
00:11:58
Speaker
Correct. And hopefully now that we've got that on record on a podcast and hopefully, you know, we'll still be able to attract some people to listen to us rambling every week about NBL One East. We can get the word a little bit more out there to change the name or
Team Dynamics and Future Potential
00:12:15
Speaker
rename it. Sorry. Rename it. It would help if I actually got the slogan right, which I will start advocating for everyone else to take on the slogan.
00:12:24
Speaker
Rename it. Okay, so we've got to try and get that well and truly into campaign this year if we can. But something that stood out to me in the box scores was Brianna Mamone and Jadine Barnes, who are both formerly Brianna and Jadine Hennessy. Especially Brianna
00:12:43
Speaker
throughout the years was always known to be quite a prolific scorer. And I noticed that she was kept to zero points and only three shot attempts. Yeah, so Keanu Davis-White was more of their focal point inside, as you can glean from the stats. She took six threes though.
00:13:10
Speaker
It just looked more like when the offense got a bit stagnant, that seemed to be there kind of just go to a little bit, unfortunately.
00:13:21
Speaker
just, you know, put up a three and see what hits because they finished two of 16 from Dape and not all of them were good looks. I'm sorry if that sounds a little. Better decisions could have been made. Yeah, but yeah, they didn't really need to, you know, take all the threes they did. Shalom Dunlop had a good stint there for a few minutes, probably for about a quarter getting to the cup really well, finished with 12 points.
00:13:51
Speaker
But if I remember correctly, when Bankstown first put their roster out, a lot of these names weren't on it. Brie and Jadine weren't. Madison Campbell wasn't. Brittany Wright, obviously, wasn't. They didn't have an import. So I'm not sure how late these players came into the piece to bolster the numbers. They might take them a few games to get their structure really working together.
00:14:21
Speaker
But it didn't help that having players like Kate Seabomb, Hasseling Journey, Amor Straker for the entire contest or for the 13 minutes she was on court. And anyone else bringing the ball up as well was suffering from having Seabomb in their face for much of the contest.
00:14:42
Speaker
So it sounds like that given the potential late roster changes and additions in Bankstown, that it's going to take them a while to gel and really start to be confident with their organization on offense. Yeah. You mentioned Brie and Jayden there. I mean, they can only help, you know, having that veteran leadership, you know, to keep the show on the road kind of thing. But yeah, they've
00:15:06
Speaker
I think once North started handling their physicality and it really didn't take long, it took them a while to figure out what else they were going to do. And they do have some players with a bit of pace like Journey and Shalom. They're both really quick up and down court. So if they get out and running, they can push the pace with those two.
00:15:28
Speaker
At times it looked like, you know, they had one lineup on with all their bigs like Keanu and Bri and Brittany and JD. And then they throw a different lineup on it. It was like going from ultra tall ball to ultra small ball.
00:15:43
Speaker
Yeah. And for Norse, it seems like the stats were pretty, like everyone definitely contributed in some way. Everyone getting some minutes. Like you said, Karla Pittman, 22 points in just under 18 minutes, and she shot at 69%. So am I right? Am I right in saying that she was perhaps a little bit more relaxed this week compared to last week's game against Manly?
00:16:08
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. She looked a lot more composed throughout the contest. Really looks like she was getting what she wanted. Yeah, just a really, really confident performance. And that's coming off playing a Youth League game just a few hours earlier. She had the 11am tip in Youth League as well. So maybe I might partly explain why she only played 18 minutes as well. You know, the score line plus having a Youth League game in her legs.
00:16:36
Speaker
Oh, I didn't realise she was still going to play Youth League as well. So she's still doing the heavy lifting for her. It wasn't just Karla playing Youth League because Karla, Emma Donnelly, Kaitlyn Martin, Peggy Shell and Holly Wills all suited up in Youth League at 11am and then backed up to play MBL1 at 3pm. And that is not a set of five players I'd like to come up against if I was playing Youth League. No, that's almost like an all-star five of last year's Youth League.
00:17:07
Speaker
Almost. Yeah, yeah. Bar a couple of others, you know, like Zoe Miller. Yeah, but definitely five stars of, you know, five stars of Youth League.
00:17:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah, for sure. So at least that sounds like North though, cementing a really good pathway for some of their, you know, the likes of, well, some of them are new to actually North's as well. So, Emma Donnelly, Caitlin Martin and Holly are all new to North's, having played for other clubs previously. But it sounds like they're buying into the women's program there. And if they're playing Youth League and
00:17:44
Speaker
MBL one East at the same time. Sounds like Norse are doing a great job of planning for their prospective core group in the future if they don't go to college. 100% and I mean, none of these players that you just mentioned, I don't think obviously Holly won't, but I don't think Caitlin, Emma,
00:18:02
Speaker
or Holly, yeah, Will, or Carla. So, yeah, they've certainly got a core group. And you know, you see some young players, they'll move clubs and go, no, I'm just only moving clubs because I want to get time playing Waratara and be all one. But yeah, it's good to see them chipping in and, you know, playing Youth League as well.
00:18:20
Speaker
And also a shout out quickly to Sarah Schicke, she did a little bit of everything too.
Newcastle vs. Manly Game Analysis
00:18:25
Speaker
8.63 pounds, three assists, two blocks, sorry, two steals and four blocks. So just wanting to do a little bit of everything like Kate Seabob. She certainly did, yeah. Yeah, really made it tough around the basket for some of the bank sound players. And then there's of course Jess Bygate, just a lazy 14 and 10 off the bench if you don't mind for the former tall ferns player.
00:18:50
Speaker
All right, so moving on, one of my, so that was, we kind of named that as your game of the week last episode in a sense that we knew you were going to attend and we wanted to cover some extra games. So my kind of preferred game of the week or the other game that I had my eyes on was Newcastle versus Manly in the women's comp. Newcastle beating Sutherland in the first round without Nicole Munger.
00:19:19
Speaker
And Manly, stealing an early win against North in the first round. So those three teams are, well, I should say four teams, Sutherland, Newcastle, Manly, North, probably very high contention of making the top four for this year at MBL One East. So interesting that some of them have already played each other so early. But this Newcastle-Manly game, as mentioned before, Newcastle got the win, Nicole Munger,
00:19:45
Speaker
is back on court after just having only probably a couple of weeks off after her successful UC cap season. But just a couple of things, as you said, Manley didn't have Kim Hodge, so that was probably a big loss for them.
00:20:02
Speaker
in terms of talent and in terms of height because that meant Newcastle could probably exploit the loss of Hodge and they were getting the ball inside to McGinniskin a lot more often and McGinniskin did a good job of both being an offensive threat and also a facilitator for her teammates throughout the game.
00:20:22
Speaker
Munger ended up having eight rebounds in the first quarter. So it was basically like she just had to sub herself out for two weeks, hit the court again and was back to her huge stats that we saw last season.
Newcastle's Turnovers Impact
00:20:37
Speaker
It was really interesting, though, that Newcastle also did have six turnovers in the first quarter. So it seems like, based on rounds one and two, Newcastle's turnovers are a little bit of an issue while they're still probably getting some parts of their game together. And they only suited up eight players, which I thought was quite interesting. Yeah, I noticed, yeah. No Hannah Chicken this week, who played last week, and again, no Keely McLean.
00:21:09
Speaker
Yeah, so I'm not too sure of either of their absences. I couldn't see them on the bench, but then again, it was a little bit hard to see sometimes from where the camera was who was on the bench for each team. And there was a part of the start of the game where the camera wasn't even moving with the play. So we definitely missed a couple of the early plays because the camera, I don't know if the cameraman wasn't there or whatever, but it wasn't moving.
00:21:35
Speaker
But also at Newcastle, I feel like they did a pretty good job. It looked like they played plenty of motion, using a lot of cutting action straight down the middle of the key, whether it was actually a cut or a penetration, which was working quite well for them. But then in the second half, they started to change it up a little bit and used a lot more screening action to get Munger open, especially on a secondary screen where she could kind of curl and
00:22:04
Speaker
get an entry from either the high post or from the guard up top. So that worked out quite nicely for them. And with manga ending the game, 21 points, 19 rebounds for assists, which I thought was pretty outstanding. I think it's pretty good.
00:22:24
Speaker
When I talked to some manly people before the season, they talked about Kimberly Hodge playing above her height and she has to because they don't really have a center.
Manly's Missed Opportunities
00:22:37
Speaker
How did that just not having a true big at all up against Munger, Curtin and McGinnis can really impact things, especially how much Newcastle can really throw at you in terms of players who, if they're not all really tall, at least have the size to go at it in the paint.
00:22:54
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like, you know, McGinniskin, like I said, did a good job of Elise being an option. She had that she had six, three and two in the game in 20 minutes. So Manly still did a pretty good job of at least keeping McGinniskin off the boards and walling up when they can. It was a game as well where the first half everyone was just missing a whole lot of bunnies.
00:23:16
Speaker
Like Manly only ended up with 26% field goal percentage for the whole game because they missed a lot of layups.
Game Flow and Key Missed Opportunities
00:23:24
Speaker
Like they lost by nine and they probably missed like
00:23:29
Speaker
like 15 layups maybe. Oh, wow. The whole game. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was a lot, like to the point where the commentators were making comments about the missed layups and the number of turnovers from each team. Manly only had 12 turnovers, which was really good. Newcastle having 17. But what's really interesting is that
00:23:52
Speaker
Oh, and they had 48 rebounds. But yeah, so Manly did a good job of a little bit better with ball protection in terms of only 12 turnovers and Newcastle 17. But I think Manly still did a relatively good job of
00:24:08
Speaker
like compensating in terms of like some rim protection but Abby Curtin yeah she had 17 points and eight rebounds in just under 15 minutes of play but I feel like the likes of Munger and Curtin were getting a lot of their shots either from penetration or from shots points like the short corner or off a curl cut like I said earlier so it wasn't too much and obviously boxing out like boxing out I feel like is something we're going to say a lot
00:24:37
Speaker
on this podcast all season because I know it's only two rounds, but I'm yet to see a team like consistently box out well for like a number of possessions in a row, which is just becoming like AFL when there's a loose ball and everyone's fighting for it in the air. Did you see that at all in that Bankstown Norse game? Uh, it wasn't as, I think that's something that Bankstown really, I guess with their size and their physicality, they really want to
00:25:08
Speaker
that, you know, focus, if not focus on like make a point of, I think would be the best way to say it. Um, because they, they weren't horrendously outreap. I mean, they, they lost a rebound count by 17, but, uh, it didn't feel like one of those games where, um, I mean, didn't, it didn't feel like it, but looking at the stats, it was actually 24 offensive rebounds for North. So, but it didn't feel like a lack of effort from Bankstown kind of thing. Um,
00:25:38
Speaker
When I watched Sutherland against Newcastle, it was really, really noticeable. It didn't feel like that against Bankstown, but for Bankstown against Norse, but looking at the stats, yeah, 24 offensive rebounds for Norse.
00:25:57
Speaker
Which is, yeah, really not good, especially against, you know, like, sorry, just looking at the stats now, the shooting stats were almost identical for the teams. 39%, eight from the field, or from two point range, sorry. So yeah, that offensive rebounding number is probably going to be a theme throughout the season.
Rebounding and Tactical Considerations
00:26:18
Speaker
Yeah. So interestingly, uh, as I mentioned, new castle had more turnovers than manly and manly had far more offensive rebounds than new castle. So that those two really key stats, you would think, okay, maybe manly's going to have, you know, a lot more possession and with possession more possession, generally you're in a better position to win the game. So manly had 18 offensive rebounds.
00:26:45
Speaker
for going to Felicity Henderson. Newcastle only had nine. So only three of Nicole Munger's total 19 rebounds were offensive. So yeah, again, just lots of missed opportunities for Manly. They were taking plenty of good shots, but just missing a lot of bunnies. Some of their regular shooters weren't shooting their best on the night either.
00:27:10
Speaker
But I mean, to be fair, they've got all the parts manly, they had some really great ball movement, they had a lot of great penetration and dishing from the top. And I think all that really came down to other than the missed opportunities and layups was just this one point in the third quarter when Newcastle were a little bit ahead.
00:27:29
Speaker
Then they just managed to get a couple of baskets in a row, mainly went a bit cold on the scoring end. And then that was maintained, Newcastle were able to maintain that nine point buffer pretty much until the end, I think.
00:27:44
Speaker
Um, but yeah, so Newcastle 2-0, um, to start off this season against two very big competitors. So they'd be cheering right now. I think they really would. And this is actually something I noted down is that they would consider themselves
00:28:00
Speaker
as being able to beat both Manly and Sutherland at full, but all three teams were at full strength. But I think one and one would be where you'd probably put them. Maybe they beat Sutherland, lose to Manly, or vice versa. So it's maybe not a bonus win, but it's definitely, you know, it's probably not something you would 100% say, yeah, Newcastle are going to be 2-0 against these two teams.
00:28:24
Speaker
So I think they'll be very happy to have those two wins in the pocket, especially against teams like you said before, North Sutherland, Manly, Newcastle. Those teams all look like they could be fighting for spots anywhere from first to fifth or sixth with a couple of other teams. So the Newcastle will already be halfway to winning a season series against both of them.
00:28:50
Speaker
And having two wins straight out of the gate couldn't be in a better position. So it's going to, it might end up being pretty important for the likes of Norse and Manly to try and, and Sutherland to try, or maybe not Sutherland, but Norse and Manly to get the split against Newcastle if they can, depending on how, uh, the rest of the season pans out. Cause I think we're, I think we're in for a little bit more of a tighter race in NBA one East women's competition in particular this year.
00:29:19
Speaker
Remember, we still got Shyla Hill to join the Comets. It's on stage two, so it's just going to go up from there. So now let's head into our game of the week. The official game of the week available on KO freebies for round two of the NBA One East 2023 competition was Canberra and Maitland. Especially the Canberra man and the Maitland Mustangs being a grand final rematch.
00:29:45
Speaker
And a new look Maitland women's team taking on the Canberra National side. Canberra National side also got a bunch of new players stepping up from their Warrata League women's team, the likes of
00:29:59
Speaker
Mingus Slater and Abby Kettles. They were doing some big things. So just to start off the Canberra Nationals versus Maitland Mustang women, Canberra was still without Lizzie Tonks and Chloe Touliak, who also missed round one, but also missing Bianca Dufoumaia, unfortunately, who, rumor has it, perhaps pulled up a little bit with a Nidgoli injury from round one. But Coach Nat Hurst was back.
00:30:30
Speaker
And Abby Solway. No, Abby Solway played. No, did Abby Solway play last week? Uh, yeah, I think, yeah, I'm pretty sure she did. She had good numbers since round one. Ah, yes. Yeah.
Canberra vs. Maitland Women's Game Exploration
00:30:43
Speaker
So she- I was just, I think my brain just groups those three with Thompson Tuleak together because they all play for the Caps this season.
00:30:52
Speaker
Correct. Yes. They sure did. Yes. But the Nationals missing the likes of Kristen Langhorne this season. But as we said, they've got Mia Slater and Abby Kettles stepping up to the plate. And they had a great game. And I think the standout though for this game was Jasmine Butsos.
00:31:14
Speaker
who had a big 24 points. Now, I think she was someone who was getting a little bit, a couple of minutes here and there, maybe at most 15, 20 last season. Um, but with the absence of Tonks Touliak-Dufimaya, she stepped up in a big way this week. She really did. Uh, I think she, she averaged just over double figures in scoring last season. So she was doing, doing a fair bit, but I mean, if she's suddenly proving that she, you know, she can, uh,
00:31:45
Speaker
becoming a focal point of the offense when required. It's going to be a massive, massive help for the Nationals this season. 24 points in a game that they only won by 12. And as you said, missing three players of the caliber that those three are, that is just a massive, massive bonus for the Nationals on Saturday.
00:32:06
Speaker
Yes, and Jasmine Butsos also shooting 58% overall, including two out of two from three three pointers. So yes, she definitely stepped up for the Nats as well as Mia Slater. She had a double double of 14 and 11 in 23 minutes.
00:32:25
Speaker
And Abby Kettles had 6 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists to go with her 32 minutes now. What I really liked about the Canberra Nationals in this game is how well they used Slater and Kettles.
00:32:42
Speaker
versatility. So they did show their skills of being able to play post to it, like in the back to the basket style. But they also showed the versatility of being able to play from the high post too. And I think that's something quite refreshing.
00:32:58
Speaker
in our league of being able to have these versatile four fives that can play from both positions. Because I'm sure you've noticed as well, Lockie, a trend over the years is that we're going away from that back to the basket post kind of play and the mid-range jump shot. Everything's going towards either layups or three-pointers.
00:33:22
Speaker
Yeah, it's, it's gone beyond the stretch five in a way, hasn't it? It's, yeah, it's more, you know, a perimeter player who can get in the paint. All the things you mentioned about Mia Slater just take me back to the World War Two Women's Grand Final from 2022 in which she won MVP as Canberra won that.
00:33:43
Speaker
Just the way she played and mentioning how she worked and is so versatile and grabbing, you know, 14 points and 11 rebounds just reminded me of how she played against Cops Harbor in that grand final. And at the time I was wondering, you know, when is she going to get the chance, you know, for, you know, an extended stint with the MBL one side. And it's come along this weekend and she's grabbed it with both hands.
Filling Player Gaps
00:34:09
Speaker
Literally, with the 11 rebounds. But it's great that Canberra have a little bit of a different pathway in their program to MBL1, choosing to enter a team into the Waratar League, which is formerly the State League program, rather than entering a Youth League team. But listen, it's obviously working for them very well. They consistently turn over.
00:34:34
Speaker
a great talented players through their pathway. So it's really nice to see when you can see a younger player step up and make an impact on the big leagues. But a couple of outstanding stats for the Canberra Nationals as a team, dominating the rebounds. 53 rebounds for the game against Maitland's 26. So literally doubling
00:34:57
Speaker
the rebound count. But on the poor, on the other side of that is 23 turnovers. So I'm sure Coach Hurst being an outstanding point guard in her heyday in the WNBL will hopefully be able to shape a little bit better ball security and decision making to help shave off 23 turnovers.
00:35:19
Speaker
That is exactly what I noticed as well, because when I went and looked at the rebound count and I saw 53 to 26 rebounds, how did Canberra only win by 12? And then I scrolled over and looked at the turnover numbers and it became incredibly obvious why the margin was just 12 points. But you mentioned those rebound numbers. You know, if you look at Maitland's individual rebound numbers, you know, Canberra obviously keeping Sydney Hunter.
00:35:46
Speaker
off the boards, which is going to be a massive thing for any team that wants to beat Maitland this season. She was held to just four rebounds alongside her 12 points.
Maitland's Team Performance
00:35:55
Speaker
Although of those 12 points, eight of 10 at the charity stripe. So definitely doing a good job there. Few Canberra players on three fouls. Fortunately for the Nationals, no one in real foul trouble by the end though.
00:36:10
Speaker
But if we look at Maitland as a whole, led by, as you'd expect, Shakira Riley with 18 points, but on five of 16 shootings, three of 10 from deep. So probably as a team that want to shoot more efficiently though, that's definitely not a Shakira Riley problem in and of itself, because they shot just 32% from the field and three of 22 from three point range.
00:36:36
Speaker
Mila Washkovic also finishing in double figures with 10 points. She shot five of 12, five of six from two point range, but then 0 of six from deep. So, you know, those misses from three point range, you know, three of 22 and Jasmine Butzos alone hitting five of nine from three point range. Definite swing there in the perimeter shooting between the two teams.
00:37:02
Speaker
Yeah, sorry, it was five of nine from three. I said two from three before, but that was her two point journey. She had three shot attempts, Jasmine boot sauce of two point range and five of nine from three. So I got that completely flipped, but five of nine from three. That's, that is impressive. That is, and it, if you look at the rest of the team, oh, of nine from three. So she was really carrying them from, from beyond the arc.
00:37:27
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And plenty of the good things though for Maitland to work on. I mean, at least they were exploiting the fact of those turnovers, you know, Shaq getting three steals, Sydney Hunter getting four steals. And like you said, Sydney Hunter kept off the rebound count, but hopefully once she gets used to the league and the physicality and the style of play, she'll be able to find different ways of making sure she gets her feet in the paint for a few more rebounds too.
00:37:56
Speaker
Something from Maitland, yeah, was the three point percentage that I'd written down at only 13.6%. But I feel like there are also a team that are lacking traditional post players as well, apart from the likes of Kelsey Moss. She played 12 minutes. She's probably someone who has comfortably played in that four, five position most of her playing career.
00:38:20
Speaker
And for 12 minutes, she did great. She had two points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. So that just too bad that they couldn't use her a little bit more, even if it was just to be a facilitator to three up their shooters on the outside.
00:38:37
Speaker
Um, cause I feel like Maitland took some great shots, but I think as well, they're shooting percentage may be reflective of feeling like they were shooting out of panic a little bit to try and chip away at the deficit when they were, um, when they were down at the end of the game. Um, but yeah, still plenty of, of room to grow for Maitland. Um, but definitely missing some key four, five role players, I think. Definitely.
Canberra vs. Maitland Men's Game Breakdown
00:39:05
Speaker
What did you think of the men's game, the grand final rematch, Canberra, Maitland, Canberra Gunners now as the men's team and Maitland Mustang men. What were your key takeaways from this one? Well, being from the central west of New South Wales, my main takeaway was Will Cranston-Linn. Of course.
00:39:30
Speaker
For those of you who don't know, Will Cranston Land is originally from Bathurst, which is 70 kilometres from the town I grew up in. So yes, always happy to see the country boys or the Western New South Wales boys doing well.
00:39:47
Speaker
Yeah, representing you very well indeed. He ended up with 37 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals, had a bit of a slow start, perhaps to his scoring during the game, but he'd certainly came alive at the right time, I think. Definitely. He shot five of six from deep, but he had a pretty good time getting to the cup as well, especially as the game wound on.
00:40:17
Speaker
Yeah, and it was really interesting this game. I feel like someone had to kind of take control from either team. Someone really had to take control of the game because it was one of those games where neither team really felt comfortable establishing themselves. Neither team got into a comfortable rhythm on the offensive end. There were certainly times where I couldn't tell what Canberra was supposed to be running. And I'm like, are they just supposed to be running motion?
00:40:47
Speaker
um because there were lots of times sorry where the likes of Glenn Morrison found himself with a ball in his hand and the shot clock winding down and he just kind of had to make something happen so lucky he was able to in this uh game where he ended up with 20 points and seven rebounds but um Canberra looking a little bit disorganised compared to what we're used to um Dahl Feig is still apparently recovering from an ankle injury so that's probably
00:41:15
Speaker
why he only played 17 minutes and he came off the bench as well. Um, and there were only 19% from three point land. And so the likes of, uh, Tui unfortunately, wasn't firing this game as well as he did in round one. Um, but also a lot of three point attempts, I think taken out of panic rather than perhaps, uh,
00:41:40
Speaker
out of good ball reversal and well-structured half-court offense that we're used to seeing the Canberra Gunners based off last season. It's interesting you mentioned Morrison getting the ball with the shot clock running down because James Hunter, minutes played zero, seconds played zero. I would have thought in a game with no James Hunter for Maitland that Glenn Morrison would have been getting the ball
00:42:10
Speaker
at every single opportunity. Oh, so I should say he was getting a lot of touches to the ball throughout the game and throughout their regular offense. But I just noticed that he just happened to be the guy where it's like, oh, the shot clock's winding down. Oh, we'll just give it to Glenn and then we'll just watch him. And then there was no kind of like two man game. There wasn't a lot of on ball in the dying seconds. There wasn't a lot of off ball movement either.
00:42:39
Speaker
So he just kind of found himself in those situations where they're like, I'll give it to, apparently he's the Brindabella beacon. He is. The Brindabella beacon. And yeah, he was kind of under pressure to make something happen, I think. But Canberra overall,
00:42:55
Speaker
patches of like the D-trans wasn't as good as we know that the Gunners can be. And yeah, there were lots of times on offense where no one really took any leadership to shoot. But having said that, I felt like there was definitely times where Maitland were also a little bit disorganized in their offense.
00:43:18
Speaker
But I think what gave Maitland the edge is a Will Cranston lounge just taking the ball under his wing and saying, look, let's just end this game.
Maitland's Strategic Victory
00:43:26
Speaker
I'm just going to put this game to bed and score my 37 points.
00:43:30
Speaker
But Maitland actually showed a few more consistent patches throughout this game of playing really great defense and their offense coming out of the really, really great defense and being able to get some ball movement. The likes of Dan Milburn, he didn't play his best. Canberra did a really, really good job of limiting his scoring options and keeping him away from the basket.
00:43:55
Speaker
Um, but I think Maitland just were able to have a few more solid patches, especially in the third without able to play great D and get stops. But otherwise the game for me anyway was, uh, I don't know, a bit wishy washy. I'm just looking at the quarter by quarter breakdown across the middle two quarters, Maitland 50 Canberra 28 after Canberra had an 11 point lead early. So really broke the game open in the middle stages.
00:44:25
Speaker
Yeah, and the Gunners made a really late run in the fourth to try and get it back at least tied, but I think it was a little bit too late there. Any other takeaways from this game that I've missed, Lockie? Just not a major takeaway, but Kevin Warren, Maitland's import, playing 30 minutes, you know, easing his way in, got finished with nine points. Jay Cole, not playing for Maitland either, alongside Hunter.
00:44:54
Speaker
Do you think Canberra is still adjusting to life without Will Mayfield and Akecha Lear maybe a little bit? Yeah, I think so, especially because both of them were, they would both definitely go to scorers. And I mean, Akecha Lear and Will Mayfield, they were really good at making great offensive decisions as well. So I think perhaps they are looking a little bit lost when it comes to the stretch of their half-court offense of what to do next.
00:45:23
Speaker
So I think that's a good opportunity for some existing players from last year's roster to start taking on more responsibility as a scorer and not just have to rely on the Brindabella Beacon all the time. I also noticed, though, as you said, Maitland, J Cole didn't play, James Hunter
Canberra's Offensive Challenges
00:45:41
Speaker
didn't play. I'm not too sure why James Hunter didn't play either. I did try and find out, but I came up with nothing. But
00:45:48
Speaker
Uh, Jack Edwards, also not on the list. Oh, you're right. Yes. Yeah. So he was busy. There's a lot of big names in our conference that were missing this round. That's right. And just back on the Mayfield, a Lear, you know, left for other conferences. Uh, if you, when you think energy players at Canberra last year, you probably think Will Mayfield, Akachaliya and Dalvik. Two of them are gone and one of them still coming back from an ankle injury. Yeah. That real spark.
00:46:18
Speaker
maybe not quite there as much as it was last year. And until Delphi gets back, it might not be there in the same way it was. So someone's going to have to step up and really provide that energy when it's required.
00:46:32
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a really good point. It was something that it was a spark missing for the Gunners. They looked hesitant and I think the only one time I've seen them really look hesitant was when we saw them at MBO1 Nationals and they're up against the likes of, I can't even remember what game, definitely wasn't the Frankston game because they were ball in that game, but yeah. They're middle game.
00:46:55
Speaker
Yeah, was it again? I can't remember who it was again. But nonetheless, there's still plenty of time for them to recuperate and have people with new established roles in the team. And look, anything can happen in MBL1 East, as we know.
00:47:12
Speaker
And it usually does. And it usually does. So what we're going to start from this week, very faithful listeners, is we're going to start to try and go through our All-Star Five for the rounds. And let's test this out, Locky. Let's see how it goes. So I'm going to throw to you and give me your All-Star Five for the women's competition for round two.
00:47:37
Speaker
Okay, I just want to preface this by saying, there were two players that had 20-20 games this week, or close enough to, I'm not picking two players who had almost identical impacts on the game. So, I'm leading off with Vanessa Penussis from Comets, who had 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a 72-41 win over Hills.
00:47:59
Speaker
Alongside her, I've got Ella Dent, 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 steals in keeping Illawarra in the game as they went down to a narrow 83-74 loss to Penrith.
00:48:13
Speaker
I know you'll like this one, Emily Garland with her 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists for a Sutherland team missing a stack of big names, really stepping up in a 79-65 win over Central Coast. And then a pair of players from the border, we've got Emma Mahade,
00:48:32
Speaker
from Auri Wodonga. 19 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists on triple double watch in a monster 104-40 win over Hornsby Karingai and from same team same game Ash Hannon 23 points, 22 rebounds, 2 steals
00:48:48
Speaker
in
Women's All-Star Five Selections
00:48:49
Speaker
that same 104-40 win. I just wanted to throw a few honourable mentions. Nicole Munger had that 21-19. Can't fit everyone, unfortunately. Isla Jufferman's two double doubles this week for COE. Jessica Petrie, also two big games. We already mentioned Jasmine Budsos and Karla Pittman. And Yankira Hudson,
00:49:14
Speaker
I believe she spent a bit of time at Central Coast or Gosford City as they were known, now playing for Hornsby. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So she had 19 points and eight rebounds as they've managed to recruit her, it seems. And it seems she's taken to the league quite well against, you know, the likes of Mahadey and Hannon.
00:49:36
Speaker
Yeah, so very, very tough picks this week. And I think it's going to be the same all week now that we have a 16 team league and eight or nine games each round. Yeah. And Kira Hudson, like you said, a long time and her family, longtime Central Coast basketball players, coaches, referees very much embedded in the Central Coast and Kira taking her opportunity to
00:50:02
Speaker
get a great position with the Hornsby Keringai Spiders. She actually goes to school up on the North Shore now, so I think that kind of suits her as well, playing for Hornsby. But the opportunity arose for Kira to have a starting position as a point guard for an MBL1 team, and she's taken it by both hands, which is great.
00:50:24
Speaker
be great for her development. She's a very crafty little guard, can shoot from anywhere, great court vision. And yeah, putting up those numbers in her debut, she would have been guarded by the likes of Theodore and Ardern as well. And we know that they're like two of the best on-ball defenders in the league. So I think that's a great effort from Kira for her debut. I don't go on. I wouldn't go on court if Brady Page Theodore was guarding me. Don't worry about that.
00:50:49
Speaker
I'd go on court and then as soon as I'd get the ball, I just immediately pass it. I also, apparently I was reading up Hudson at Barker College, very well performed in the Australian schools championships recently. So definitely a player on the rise as we, as you've just explained. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Still only in under 18s as well. So she's got a lot of playing days ahead of her.
Men's All-Star Five Selections
00:51:15
Speaker
I had the pleasure of doing the men's.
00:51:20
Speaker
So who have you got in the men's this weekend? Squin? Definitely lots of, lots of players to choose from.
00:51:28
Speaker
Yeah for sure and like you I also have some honourable mentions. I think I'll start with my honourable mentions first. There were a clear four people out of the five that I was going to pick for my All-Star five this week. The fifth player was a bit tricky because there were a few honourable mentions but the two just missing out on the five were Aaron Redhead from Central Coast Crusaders who had 17 points and 11 rebounds against Sutherland.
00:51:53
Speaker
and Noah Pagotto from Illawarra Hawks who had 16 and 16 against Penrith. I just like that too because I think he did it in pretty limited minutes too, the 16 and 16, and just keeping it even. He's very efficient. If he's going to give points, he's going to give rebounds too with an even 16 and 16.
00:52:13
Speaker
But my five is starting with Junior Medut. Welcome to NBL One East, Junior Medut coming off his season with the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix in the NBL League. I was almost going to say NBL One, but he's just balling in the real NBL instead. He had 30 points in 30 minutes against Bankstown, Junior Medut suiting up for North this NBL One East season.
00:52:41
Speaker
Then we had Jameer Coleman from the Aubrey-Wodonga Bandits with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists in just 25 minutes against the Hornsby-Karingi Spiders. Of course, Will Cranston-Lown, 37 points at 62% against the Canberra Gunners. He also had a pretty outstanding game against COE as well.
00:53:04
Speaker
Uh, and also will Davo Hickey for the Illawarra Hawks with 28 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks. One of those two blocks being an absolute monster where he literally swatted it back into the stands. And if you haven't seen that, please go and check out the MBL one and MBL one East Instagram, where you can see a reel of said block.
00:53:30
Speaker
And the fifth spot, like I said, there were a few people jostling for this spot, but ultimately went to Alex Condon from the Center of Excellence who versus Maitland in that four point win had 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals, six blocks, and he shot at 67%. So if that doesn't say upcoming young Australian talent, then I don't know what will.
00:54:01
Speaker
That is a set of monster performances. And yes, please do go and check out that block from Davo Hickey. And while you're on Instagram, please go and follow EscottGame. We'll throw up graphics of these All-Star 5s and the stat leaders for the week. So tag your mates, let them know they're getting shown love somewhere. Yeah, good shout out, Locky. Well done, buddy.
00:54:28
Speaker
Um, before we, uh, before we preview or at least, uh, give out the game of the week for round three, have you got any major takeaways, news or gossip from round two of MBL One East?
Rebounding and Physicality Needs
00:54:41
Speaker
My main takeaway is rebounding. And I know we talked about offensive rebounding boxing out. I just want to talk about when there's one player on the court who is grabbing rebounds for fun and
00:54:56
Speaker
What are we doing to stop them? Like this week we had Nicole Munger 19 in a game. Ash Haddon 23 in a game. Summer Hanson and Isla Jofferman's 18 each in a game. You know,
00:55:10
Speaker
Can we, can we get a body on these players? Yeah, can we get a body on? Hashtag, can we get a body on? Please, please. I just, it's obviously been something we've mentioned, you know, just the offensive, allowing the offensive rebounds, but just, I mean, stopping players like Ash Hannon is not fun, but you know, I'd rather see a bunch of players get six or seven rebounds a piece because you've actually stopped their focal point than one player grabbing 23.
00:55:40
Speaker
Yeah. And as much as we love the monster, not numbers and the stat lines, we still want to see like people being super competitive and, uh, the physicality under the basket, which is such a big difference between the likes of watching a youth league game or a war tie game versus an NBA one game. It's just that ability to compete under the basket for rebounds that make it more entertaining and exciting. But how good is this match up going to be in the future between Juffman and Hannon? Oh.
00:56:10
Speaker
Can't wait. It's going to be brilliant. I don't know if you can hear it, but that's me rubbing my hands with excitement. I can hear it. Um, so that's your, yes, overall takeaway, a hundred percent agree. Um, rebounding and boxing out. I'm going to second that motion lucky and put down, please, rebounds and boxing out. Have you got any news or gossip for me, mate?
Player Injuries and Roster Changes
00:56:37
Speaker
Well.
00:56:38
Speaker
Couple of things we noticed. Well, one thing I noticed and one thing everyone would have noticed and one thing I was tipped off on is that Georgia Ordov backfill a war. You know, she was like, no, I'm done after last season, but evidently they put the call out. So absolute star.
00:56:54
Speaker
for Metro State in the past, as are a bunch of other players in this league. Parris and Johnny Whitworth, no less, both went there as well. So yeah, George is back for Illawarra, and interestingly, Michaela Domkin's name is no longer on the roster for Inner West on the website, just on the website, as quickly as it was on there. So don't know if something's happened there, but name's not there anymore.
00:57:20
Speaker
Yeah, keep your eyes and ears peeled. NBL 1 East fans about these roster changes, but great that George is back. I know that you're very happy about that because you were quite disappointed in the preseason not to see her name on a roster at least, but not too sure. Big question mark over Dompkins as well. So hopefully we'll get some clarification on that ASAP. For me, I know that Iggy Mitchell unfortunately won't be playing NBL 1 East for his beloved Sydney Comets as
00:57:49
Speaker
He was seen in a very heavy knee brace at the Sydney King's grand final last week.
Iggy Mitchell's Season-Ending Injury
00:57:56
Speaker
And I spoke to someone from the Hoops Capital Camp confirming that Iggy won't be playing at least for the next 12 months. So hopefully Iggy wishing you a very safe and speedy recovery and we can't wait to your back on court. The other news that I probably have is that Noman Schwabe,
00:58:15
Speaker
the Central Coast Crusader legend and dad of Jamal Schwabe, who now plays for the Central Coast Crusader men. He stepped up as coach for the men this week, and it sounds like he's actually going to be the new permanent coach for the men's program. So if that's the case, Naaman, we welcome you. You did such a great job with the Central Coast Crusaders Youth League women last season, earning the title of Coach of the Year.
New Coach for Central Coast Crusaders
00:58:41
Speaker
So hopefully you'll be able to pass on your wisdom as a former player and now coach to our crusaders, one men. But otherwise, I think that's almost a wrap. So Lockie, take us through the matchups for round three in the women's comp. If matchups for the women's comp, we have Bankstown versus Illawarra. At Bankstown, that's the early tip at 3pm. Then Sandra of Excellence taking on Penrith.
00:59:09
Speaker
Manly versus Central Coast, All River Donger taking on hills, Newcastle versus Canberra, Sutherland versus Inner West, Comets facing Hornsby, and then on Sunday we have a triple header, Centre of Excellence facing Illawarra, Maitland against North, and Central Coast facing the Canberra Nationals.
00:59:33
Speaker
Correct, and safe to say that exactly the matchups that you called for the women's is exactly the same for the men. Noting that the Central Coast Crusader men play at one o'clock against the Canberra Gunners, whereas I think the women are at three, is that correct?
00:59:50
Speaker
Yeah, so you've done your sharing it around as you do off on the coast. Yes, we do like to do that on the Central Coast where we like to flip the script sometimes between the men and the women's team of who plays first.
Game of the Week: Sydney Comets vs. Hornsby Keringai Spiders
01:00:04
Speaker
So the official game of the week that will be available on KO freebies is going to be the Sydney Comets versus the Hornsby Keringai Spiders.
01:00:12
Speaker
So make sure you catch both of those games on KO freebies. Otherwise, as usual, the rest of the games will be available to stream or to watch later on the MBL1 official website. So with that as the official game of the week, Locky, what is your personal game of the week for round three?
01:00:31
Speaker
I think it's going to be Illawarra versus COE Men is the one I really want to tape an eye on. We've got two title contenders. We've got Davo Hickey fresh off 28. We've got the old stages, Tim Conrad and Lucas Waxie Walker ready to show the kids how it's done. I think there's a lot of interesting storylines in that one on the men's side.
01:00:55
Speaker
And I, on the women's side, I like, I like Newcastle Canberra. I also like Manly Central Coast. Uh, especially if Central Coast, uh, have everyone back. I'd like to, I really want to see, you know, Jazz Forkadilla and, um, Sarah Matthews taking on the likes of, you know, Zoe Miller, Alex Delaney, see if Kim Hodges back and what she can do for Manly against Central Coast. So two very entertaining matchups.
01:01:25
Speaker
Yeah, I think I'm going to second those motions as well, Locky. They're probably my outstanding games of the week too. I'm probably also going to keep an eye on... No, you did mention Newcastle Canberra Nationals. I'm going to definitely keep an eye on that. Also, Crusaders host Canberra Nationals on the Sunday. So both Canberra and Crusaders having two games in round three. It's going to be interesting.
01:01:52
Speaker
Manly Crusaders women, if Kim Hodge plays for Manly, it's going to be interesting from Crusaders who's going to be able to guard her. Crusaders women also having some issues with boxing out over the weekend, rebounds over the weekend, which you need to know where Kim Hodge is all the time. From the moment she steps in the stadium to the moment she leaves, you need to know where she is.
01:02:17
Speaker
So don't rest on your laurels there, but the Crusaders, Women and Canberra Nationals, I think is going to be a pretty good matchup as well. So yeah, definitely no boring bits. And hopefully, you know, for round three, we'll be taking a deeper dive into the game of the week as we have this episode and also taking a close look at some of the other games as well. We're going to try and make it quite fair.
01:02:44
Speaker
As fair as possible, so to speak, Locky, to make sure that all of the teams get their time in the spotlight. 100%. And I just want to also mention, we guarantee one team to get their first win as Bankstown and Illawarra, who are both 0 and 2, are the early tipping the women this week. So someone has to kick up a first win this weekend. Who are you tipping for that game? Should I ask? Because I know how much you love tipping and giving predictions.
01:03:10
Speaker
All right. I hate tipping in predictions. I'm going to... I'll take your luora. One. Yeah, I'll take your luora too. But I think, I think Bankstown, once Brittany Wright gets her legs under her, they'll be a much better team.
01:03:29
Speaker
Yeah, awesome. Well, we'll definitely keep an eye on her too. But in the meantime, thank you for listening, everyone. Looking forward to round three of MBL One East 2023. Remember to find us on Instagram, send us a hello, tag your friends in some of those graphics that Lockie mentioned before. Welcome to
01:03:49
Speaker
send us a DM if you've got any suggestions. Understandably, we can't cover all the games. We try and stick to an hour so we can't cover all the games as comprehensively as possible because between me and Locky, we would probably have six hours worth of content and no one wants to hear that. Perhaps other than me and Locky. So anyway, we'll catch you next week for round three. Locky, as always, thank you very much for being the co-host. Thank you for being the host.
01:04:19
Speaker
Oh, no dramas at all. And otherwise we'll see you next week for round three.