NEWS:  Top brass laud drive of players |
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Top brass laud drive of players THE Taipans` senior caucus has spoken of its pride at the way players pulled together during one of the toughest times in the club`s history. Coach Mark Beecroft - who replaced axed coach Alan Black after the club was placed in administration last December - captain Martin Cattalini and senior player Darnell Mee were glowing in their praise of Taipans players for their efforts in the back end of the season. And while the year did not finish as the team would have hoped, their tenacity and drive was on display again in the 82-80 loss to the South Dragons on Saturday night. ""I think this game was indicative of the way the guys have played, the belief and the pride they`ve had in finishing the season the way we started it out when we were placed into administration,`` Beecroft said following the game. ""It could`ve quite easily at that point been too hard but they refused to say no, they got after it and we made the best of a bad situation. ""I don`t think we were expected to win a game to be honest with you. ""To come in and beat two teams in the top six - Perth and Adelaide - and to nearly beat the Tigers, to nearly beat the Dragons - the top two teams in the league - with a depleted talent pool, with limited resources, I can`t say enough about what we`ve been able to achieve at the back end of the season.`` Cattalini, who will leave Cairns to return home to Perth after four seasons with the Taipans, said he would take fond memories of the past couple of months despite the difficulties. ""The last six to eight weeks (we had) that intensity on the floor and we left everything out there,`` he said. ""(It`s something) that we lacked in the first half of the year. We lacked intensity, we lacked a few things. ""And when we do that, we play games like this and it`s great to be around because everyone around you`s in the same boat. ""Everyone around you wants to be a winner and they sacrifice personal glory to do it, so that`s good fun, that`s good team sport.`` Mee said there had been a different air about the team once post-administration players made the commitment to see the season out. ""When everything happened we were all just like, what else can we do but just show up,`` he said. ""It`s not about the money, not that it was about the money before, but it was strictly about the basketball the and guys that were in the gym that showed up and kept showing up. ""We didn`t just show up and play out the season, we won some games - obviously there were some games where we didn`t play well - and the way that Kerry (Williams) finished the season, Dwayne (Vale), there`s some young talent there that can be harnessed and work in this league and it`d be great to be part of that.`` |
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