KEY POINTS:
New Zealand sporting teams playing in Australian leagues have enjoyed a distinct lack of success.
Soccer's Kingz, Knights and now the Phoenix have all taken the transtasman wooden spoon, water polo's Stingrays foundered and while the Warriors have at least made the finals - and indeed one title game - they too have tasted the bottom of the competition table.
The Breakers sit on the verge of making the Australian National Basketball League finals for the first time since their inception in 2003. Their rise comes after similar post-birth trauma to that suffered by the soccer sides and the Warriors, with coaching and management changes and player disputes.
Are they good enough and do they have the mental and physical toughness to push on? There's a feeling around the club that, finally, they do. And that despite a horror injury run that has forced them to import players mid-season for the second year running - always a disruptive exercise.
In the past, the sudden changes have robbed the side of momentum as the team falters while finding its feet with new go-to guys. The tall, scoring power forwards have been the ones mostly affected.
The Breakers have had their first-choice line-up available for just six of 24 games this year.
"Andrej [coach Lemanis] has done a tremendous job in holding the team together despite losing two major pieces of the jigsaw puzzle," said general manager Richard Clarke.
"All credit to the team and the coaches, losing your two imports in one week is pretty tough but they have battled through it."
There was a feeling the side had been controlling games, grinding down opponents, prior to forward Rick Rickert and point guard Wayne Turner suffering season-ending injuries.
Rickert is undergoing treatment for a bulging disc in his lower back and may be able to train from the end of March. He has indicated that he wants to stay on in a new two-year deal, that was partially prompted by the Breakers' re-signing of Kirk Penney with whom he has played previously. But negotiations with Rickert remain up in the air as the injury repairs.
Turner went down with a thigh problem in December and is in a similar position, the club wanting to re-sign him and Turner keen to stay.
In came Derrick Alston who had not trained in pre-season and was not match fit on arrival. Lemanis said it had taken him four or five games to start fitting in well but he was now happy the combinations are returning.
He is proud of the fact there have been no long losing streaks this season, unlike past years. "The most we've lost in a row is two. That's a sign of a good team, that they show strength and turn things around."
The big area of improvement is in depth and that's the main reason they have fared better through the injury period than in the past. "We play all the way down the bench now, so fatigue is not the factor it used to be," Lemanis said.
He feels the squad are far more professional and credits internationals Penney and Phill Jones with aiding that.
"They've played around the world in tough leagues, they don't talk about the travel because the travel is worse in Europe, they don't complain about injury, they don't have excuses and they don't have doubts about their ability."
There will be no excuses if the Breakers miss the playoffs again, just disappointment.
They must win at least two games from their last six (including last night's encounter with the West Sydney Razorbacks, which was under way at time of writing).
"This is the first time we've been in the top-eight at this time of year, the first time we've had our destiny in our own hands rather than have to chase a spot," said Clarke. "It's how we play: not hoping others struggle."
The on-court improvement has been backed up off it. Season ticket sales went up after the shift from Trusts Stadium in Waitakere to the North Shore Events Centre and have continued to improve. Courtside corporate boxes are all sold out. An improvement in walk-up has pushed crowd average close to 3000, the club's aim. "Already there is strong interest in next season too."
The club has an initial draft of the 2008-09 draw in which it has requested a majority of Thursday nights for its 15 homes games. Taking their night away from competition with rugby, netball, league and other sports has also been a plus for the Breakers crowd and television figures.
The ownership and management has not changed in recent years and isn't likely to, with Albany Pak'n'Save owner Paul Blackwell retaining a controlling interest and Burton Shipley chairman of the four-man board. The club's licence with the ANBL runs in perpetuity, subject to financial health. "We realise that on-court success is a big part of that too," Clarke said.
Attempts to hold the current squad together for next season and beyond were in part a response to the fans' attachment to the players, Clarke said. The only player definitely leaving is Brent Charleton who returns to Canada.
Of the rest, all are already contracted, bar the imports who are lined up and Paora Winitana who the club also wants to keep. In his case it is a matter of the value the ANBL places on him at the end of this season. Instead of a salary cap the ANBL has a player points system which sides must stay within.
The Breakers have four points left, given the imports are a known quantity as all are worth 10 - Winitana's value this season was five so he'll be hoping it drops one. There is also the issue of his unavailability on Sundays for religious reasons but the initial draft of the draw has the Breakers playing just three Sunday games next season.
Without a doubt, the club from owners, to management, to players has been on a steep learning curve in coping with the professional environment and the long grind of the season, Clarke said.
"Most franchises go in too early and we probably did too, you need 18 months to two years to prepare properly and we had maybe six months. We're just starting to learn from those lessons now and that means we have more time to look at what we want to be doing instead of coping with problems. It's been hard work, the travel, the injury issues, being on the outer at club meetings."
The Breakers tried to maintain a high level of communication with the ANBL, Clarke said, "making ourselves heard, being the squeaky wheel, and that's worked for us".
The ANBL wants them in given the extra fan value playing the hated Kiwis plus the added TV revenue.
"We have foundations put in now for the long term. We think we're in a pretty healthy place. We've had four wins away this year, eight losses. We'd like to get that to 50:50 and the home record better than 75:25," Clarke said.
"We've put together a good team this year and I'd like to keep this group together as long as we can," Lemanis said. "We've made progress and I think we can make even more progress next season. I'd like another chance with these guys."
He'll get it. The management is happy with the job he's done.
* COACHES
2003-04 Jeff Green then Frank Arsego, finished 10th
2004-05 Arsego, 11th
2005-06 Andrej Lemanis, 9th
2006-07 Lemanis, 10th
2007-08 Lemanis, currently 8th
