“We want to play better than we did last week, that's for sure,” said Brown.
“And to play better means to play our own game, which means to play physical.”
It has been 23 years since every team in men's club ball had an enforcer of their own, with Chris Andersen (Gisborne Boys' High School), Butch Wills (Celtics), Riki Gear (Ideal), Old Surfers (Scott Low, John Griffiths, Brent McGrannachan) among the more memorable.
The game now is about skill development and standards. Gone are Tom Brodie's Farmboys . . . and a little colour.
But Raiders such as Dale Hailey turned out for Lytton's great Ritana Bulls team of the early to mid-1990s, and take the ball to the hoop as strongly now as they did then.
Green Up under Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown, however, will be no pushover. They are not soft and don't whinge to the referees. Taking a lead from their skipper, they eschew the outside shot if there is a path to the ring and they adjust quickly to how the officials run a game, which is a critical factor in sporting success at all levels.
Green Up are coming off a 73-70 win against Boys' High, who did not push the pace against a team with personnel two years older and only six players, the substitute carrying an injury to boot. Brown and company, though they are the older team in Game 1 in Week 3, have the personnel (Wi Brown) and depth to run.
Tuwairua-Brown said: “We have to play good defence without fouling if we want to win.”
The David Glendenning-coached Gisborne Boys' High School needs to understand what's coming.
Defending Premier Grade champions SE Systems lost 49-70 to City Lights last Tuesday, and while their captain Adrian Sparks is a generous opponent, his teammate Reg Namana is known by a generation of club ball and Rising Suns fans to be the ultimate competitor. GBHS can expect Namana and Rongomai Smith, who led Systems' scorers with 19 points in Week 2, to be very tough.
Sparks's outlook is to enjoy the game and shoot the ball but the Boys' High marksmen can expect fewer open looks at the goal than CL were given. Lights hit 14 three-point shots: irrespective of experience and the opposition's admittedly epic form on the night, no way will SES allow that or anything similar in consecutive games.
Gisborne Boys' High skipper Daley Riri's outfit saw three players put up double-figures against Green Up, with Sebastian Wilson heading the list at 23 and 19 points in the last fortnight. Riri comes from a basketball family. His father, ex-Sun Anton Riri, will be in the SES ranks this evening. Daley said his team needed to run the fast-break and play man-to-man defence, and perhaps no truer words could have been spoken.
If City Lights get into rhythm early, the late game could mean a long night for the Massive Marauders.
The Marauders' regular captain Stefan Pishief will not make their 7.30pm game against Lights. Former New Zealand Defence Force basketball representative Adam Harford will deputise for him. Pishief said: “CL showed how lethal they could be in their win against Systems last week. We need to focus hard, and ensure we continue to play as a team.”
The Marauders are coming off a 46-44 loss to the Raiders in which they showed real heart, determination and skill at the rim. In the first two weeks, the referees, their ranks now bolstered by the return of GBA legend Clifton Blumfield, have been excellent value. Fans will pick up quickly that if Harford, Paul Graham and company get a few favourable calls around the hoop, especially early, they will double their efforts there.
A low-scoring encounter would suit the MMs down to the ground. They don't have the bullets to fire in a three-point shoot-out with Scott Muncaster's City Lights, but if they communicate and hustle ceaselessly at the defensive end of the court, deny CL's guards dribble-penetration, they have a fighting chance.
Muncaster (23), Keenan Ruru-Poharama (20) and Carl Riini (11) all shot the ball well against SES and if Lights' big man Ryan Walters finds his stroke three weeks into the season, the floor could open up.
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