Division One Men Grand Final Game One Preview
Added 16 August 2007
BigV Basketball
Division One Men
Hawthorn vs. Mildura
Grand Final Game One
Saturday August 18, 7pm at Boroondara
The competition between the Heat and the Magic is set to intensify this weekend, as the two team's battle it out in the Big V Division One Men's Grand Final, in what promises to be another tight contest that will go down to the wire.
Hawthorn have plenty of Grand Final experience after losing the series in 2006 and 2005, and the Magic will no doubt be looking to turn this around when they come up against a tough Mildura who have continued to be the in-form team of the season, in their first year in the Division One competition for some time.
"We are hoping for third time lucky this year...we have learnt a lot over the past two seasons and the performance we have shown in the semi finals showed if we can stay with our game plan we are able to achieve great things," Hawthorn Coach Glenn Rees said in the lead up to this week's big match.
Mildura coach Russell Knights is expecting some tough competition from both teams in this week's Game One, setting up for what will be a thrilling series.
"Both sides play very good team games which will again be the factor in this Grand Final series," Knights said of this week's game.
Rees has similar views on how this week will pan out, saying that the Magic are hoping for third time lucky.
"I expect both teams to come out and make a big statement in Game One. It is the most important game of the series and will allow the team with the win on the boards to go into week two with a lot of confidence," he said.
Knight's said that he doesn't believe any player will dominate the series this year due to the understanding that both teams have for one another.
Rees also touched on the respect between the two teams.
"We have the utmost respect for Mildura and they will look for Glen Barlow, Matt Gange and Jason Spratt to step up for them. These three have done a good job for them all season and are a major reason why they finished clear on top after the regular season."
"We will need to curb the player's that I have mentioned with constant defensive pressure. But on the flip side Mildura will also have to stop our team. We have a lot of experience with Jay Allen, Steve Carter and Boyd Smart. This is a very good mixture as we also have a lot of younger players like Seb Belfrage, Peter Jordan and Glenn Watts," Rees said.
With a season head to head tally of 2-1 in favor of Mildura, the competition between these two teams is set to be a big one, with both teams eager to enter Week Two of the Grand Final with a 1-0 advantage. And with so much talent to take the court for both sides this game will be one that goes down to the wire, making for great viewing and setting up for a thrilling Week Two.
"The Boroondara complex is fantastic and of all the venues the boys love playing there, we are really excited about Game One," Knights said.
Full Story at www.bigv.com.au