Melbourne's COVID outbreak has foiled the long-awaited homecoming of one of the Roller Hawks' stars for this weekend's National Wheelchair Basketball League.
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Round one of the national league is being played at the Shellharbour City Stadium, getting underway on Friday night, and one of the highlights was set to be the return of star national player and founding Roller Hawk Tristan Knowles to Wollongong's side.
Knowles, who has been in Melbourne for the last decade, was to join the Wollongong Roller Hawks as they attempt to win their fourth straight national title.
Yet with the state of Victoria being put into a seven-day lockdown on Thursday, Knowles made the heart-breaking decision to remain in Melbourne rather than fly "home" for the competition.
"There are so many emotions. I wanted to o get on the plane and travel, but I had to make the smart decision and stay put," the four-time Paralympian said today from his home in Melbourne.
"My concern is what's happened in the past when states go into hard lockdown and the response from other states mean people coming from that state need to go into self isolation.
"August 2019 was my last official game and in that time I've trained the house down so I'm absolutely bursting at the seams to get on court, particularly with the Roller Hawks. I'm pretty deflated."
Knowles' main priority has to be preparation for the Tokyo Paralympics in August where he and the Rollers have their sites set on a gold medal.
"In terms of Aussie team commitments we're supposed to leave home ports on August 10, which is only 75 days away and I can't afford 14 days locked up in terms of training," he said.
"As they say, it's an evolving situation. We're scheduled for a national camp in Perth from June 2-6 and lockdown won't end until the 3rd so there is a massive question mark and whether the Victorians in the national team will get to that.
"As much as I want to get on that plane to play, I have to remind myself my main priority is consistent training and getting the body ready to go for Tokyo."
The National Wheelchair Basketball League will resume after a 20-month COVID-induced hiatus with the first round of the 2021 getting underway at our very own Shellharbour City Stadium.
The NWBL will feature Queensland Spinning Bullets, Perth Wheelcats, Spinners (Australian Under-23 squad), Sydney Metro Blue Hornets and the Illawarra's very own Roller Hawks. League games start on Friday night at 5.30 pm and run across the weekend with the Roller Hawks to play four times in the three-day period.
The Roller Hawks play the Queensland Spinning Bullets at 7.30 on Friday night, the Perth Wheelcats at 7 pm on Saturday night, the Spinners (Australian under 23s) at 9 am on Sunday and the Sydney Metro Blue Hornets on Sunday at 1 pm.
Paralympic dream still alive for Roller Hawk quartet
FOUR Roller Hawks are set to represent Australia at the Paralympics in Japan later this year.
Brett Stibners, Luke Pople and returning Roller Hawk Tristan Knowles are all in the men's Australian Rollers squad, while Hannah Dodd is in the women's Australian Gliders team.
Dodd will compete against the men for the Roller Hawks in the National Wheelchair Basketball League which kicks off with round one at the Shellharbour City Stadium this weekend.
The NWBL will be a vital lead-up for athletes as they prepare for the Tokyo Paralympics scheduled to be held in late August.
"With the Paralympics fast approaching, this year's league is vital to the (Australian Rollers' preparations and will see athletes pushing for selection in the final team for Tokyo.
"The Australian Under-23 squad, the Spinners will also be one of the teams in this year's league, which will provide additional competition for the country's emerging athletes and all competing in the competition."
Roller Hawk young gun Jarrod Emeny will play for the national under 23 Spinners over the course of the NWBL, not the Wollongong side.
For Knowles it will be his fifth Paralympics and fourth for Stibners.
"We've been training the house down the couple of times we've been able to get together as a squad in Canberra," he said.
"If we don't go all the way, we'll feel like we've underperformed and let ourselves down."
Knowles said the Wollongong influence in national teams over the last two decades should be a huge source of pride.
"It's been a consistent theme for many years and the Illawarra should be very proud of the representation we have had," he said.
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Julian O'Brien
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
