FROM a skinny 17-year-old who sat on the bench for two games in 2000, Todd Earle has come a long way. He has two championships to prove it.

The 194cm forward played a combined 72 minutes in his first three seasons, but those days are long gone.

Earle, who was recognised before Saturday’s match against Stirling for becoming just the sixth Goldfields Giants player to notch 200 games, has developed into a free-scoring asset off the bench for the SBL champions.

The 26-year-old showing once again on Saturday his skill from beyond the three-point arc, draining two vital shots to seal victory with Earle’s 14 points and three assists crucial.

“I saw Shamus (Ballantyne) coming in for a sub and I was 100 per cent sure that was for me, so I thought I better hit the next one,” Earle said.

“Then I saw Shamus go back to the bench and I got the next shot and I knocked that down, so I thought ‘stay there Shamus’.”

Fighting for his spot in the team has been a common theme throughout Earle’s career.

“The first two to three years there were very few games and minutes were pretty hard to come by,” he said.
“After a while I got a bit better, developed and the opportunities came and it sort of went from there.”

Earle’s development has been fast-tracked again in the past two seasons, particularly with injuries to captain Ballantyne.

On occasions, it has opened the door for Earle to become a member of the Giants’ starting five and he has grabbed it with both hands.

“It’s unfortunate when guys get hurt or are unavailable – Shamus is a cripple,” he joked.

“It’s good to get the chance to start. I enjoy it and I’ve been doing alright at it.”

As for reaching the 200-game milestone, Earle described the moment as “a big honour”.

“When I first started I wouldn’t get much of a game and to go on from there to play consistently and play 200 is a pretty big deal for me,” he said.

“It’s something I’ll cherish.

“My first coach was Randy Miegel in 2000 so this is my 10th season.

“It’s scary (how fast time goes by), now I see the kids coming through like Tane (Moran) and Garry (Sidebottom).”

Article by Jarrod Lucas (Kalgoorlie Miner)