Rockets ready to fire
A FIRED up Tony Campbell doesn’t mince his words.
Campbell suits up in his 19th season at the Republik Nightclub Rockets and can’t wait to take to the court tonight in this year’s biggest regular-season match.
The Rockets veteran has reminded the roster of the enormity of the challenge at hand when the Rockets meet arch-rivals Cairns Marlins in their round 10 men’s QBL match at Rockhampton’s Hegvold Stadium.
“The guys are really fired up this year. Last year’s loss is a bit of a sore spot for everyone,” Campbell said after the team’s final training session.
“The motivation at the moment is that Cairns beat us last year and are the only team in the last 56 matches to beat us at home.
“This rivalry stems way back to 1994. We were the top two teams in the league back then and it’s generally been us two at the top of the ladder every year.”
While Campbell’s minutes on court have decreased over time to make way for the next crop of Rockets’ stars, coach Neal Tweedy believes his presence is invaluable on and off the court.
“He’s one of the best shooters in the team, but he’s also a player that we rely on for leadership and he has a lot of respect from the players,” Tweedy said.
The 36-year-old Campbell believes he can still cut it at the QBL level, and knows better than most that it takes more than individuals to win championships.
“I’m a competitive guy. I want to play more minutes and every guy will say the same thing and want to play more minutes,” he said.
“But, you don’t win championships on playing more minutes, you win them with an all-round team effort.”
Cairns arrive in Rockhampton on the back of a win over Gladstone last weekend and are sitting in seventh place on the ladder.
Since the arrival of his full roster, Tweedy’s men are playing some quality basketball and are looking to extend their six-game winning streak this season.
The Rockets’ effort in defence last weekend, in which they restricted Maroochydore’s shooters to just 55 points is what Tweedy is hoping for again tonight
“If you can restrict a side to 15 to 17 points a quarter you’ll go along way to winning,” Tweedy said.
“And, that takes a team effort. It’s important for our team defensively that we defend as a group.”
The Rockets will need to contain the Marlins’ top scorers in Dwayne Vale and Dean Brebner.
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