Set for another explosive season - playing schedule out now
Basketball fans from far and wide can now start planning ahead with the release of the official 2009 Queensland Basketball League (QBL) draw today. All the action kicks off on Friday the 24th of April with a host of blockbuster matches scheduled to whet the appetite of what is building up to be another explosive season of basketball. Basketball in Queensland at the State level has seen accelerated growth in recent years in terms of crowd numbers and the level of entertainment being displayed on court. With recent instability at the national level, the Queensland Basketball League has quietly grown from strength to strength, with the most fiercely competitive season only just around the corner.
The season opens in Townsville with the two-year defending Women’s State and National Champions, the Townsville Flames taking on the might of the Cairns Dolphins. All eyes will be on the Flames to see if they can extend their current 48-game win streak. Expect fireworks to continue with a plethora of local clashes in Round 1 further down the coast – Gladstone renew battle with Bundaberg ; Maroochydore face the might of Caboolture; Brisbane tackle Northside; Toowoomba match up against Ipswich; South West go head-to-head with the Gold Coast and Mackay will attempt to dodge the Cairns bullet.
Grand final rivalries begin with a bang in Round 2 of the Men’s QBL when the Rockhampton Rockets play host to the Townsville Heat, while the Women must wait until Round 9 before the South West Metro Pirates get another shot at the Townsville Flames.
Current State and National Champions Rockhampton Rockets Head Coach Neal Tweedy knows that he has a huge task ahead of him to defend these titles in 2009. “This competition has continued to get closer and closer each year, especially with the way the pools are set-up” Tweedy said. “Each of the 14 teams in the competition has a serious fight on their hands just to get a play-off position” he said. “Here in Rockhampton we are rebuilding due to the retirement of key players Richardson, Scott and Thompson, and obviously we want to defend our titles with a new run of players. Over the years the players in this organisation have created a winning culture and hopefully they can keep performing and continue to win titles” he said.
Book your seats in now for what will be the most explosive season in QBL history.
Download a copy of the Official QBL draw here.
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