WITH the minor premiership already sewn up it was like playing with house money but Adelaide coach Joey Wright was willing to gamble on the result of of his side’s clash with Cairns to give his second unit some valuable closing experience on Thursday.
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The Taipans win threw yet another spanner in the NBL’s final-four race, including Illawarra’s hopes of a top-two finish, with Wright opting to leave the like of Majok Deng, Terrance Ferguson and Adam Doyle on the court to chase the win.
They made a decent account of themselves but ultimate fell short, though Wright said it was a valuable experience for his younger brigade.
“We wanted to test some guys so we know what we’re going to get in minutes come playoffs, and we know [Cairns] were fighting to stay in playoffs, so it was going to be a playoff atmosphere,” he said.
“I thought some of our young guys did real good under pressure. They’re confidence should be riding high.”
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
