Williams (pictured in Sunday’s game against Townsville) was ruled out of the upcoming NBL season yesterday after scans on his injured knee revealed he had torn his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and will need reconstructive surgery.

While they will require another back-up point guard, searching for a new player was second priority yesterday to planning Williams’ treatment and rehabilitation.

As a local product and a player seen as a long-term Taipan, the club built much of their recruitment around Williams.

"To have him in the mix from an early planning point of view is something that’s not going to be able to be replaced overnight," general manager Mark Beecroft said.

"We think now about what to do."

Beecroft said the Taipans were under both the salary cap and points cap, enabling the club to find a replacement while Williams is out injured.

But coach Aaron Fearne said Williams remained in the club’s long-term plans.

"He’s going to have to have the surgery and do the rehab but he’ll bounce back and be ready for next year," Fearne said.

"He’s been a part of this thing for a long time and a big part of our culture and what we look for in a player.

"He’s a big part of our future."

Williams’ injury leaves the Taipans without a local product, although Fearne said another Cairns junior, Deba George, would come into consideration.

Williams suffered the injury during Sunday’s pre-season clash against Townsville, with George playing a leading hand after replacing his teammate in the match.

"Obviously we need to decide what we want to do in that back-up point guard position," Fearne said. "Deba put his hand up pretty high and hard (on Sunday) with his display.

"But we’ll do what we need to do to be a championship calibre team.(George) will definitely be in that (equation) for sure. We know what he’s capable of doing.

"He’s a great guy. But it’s going to be a tough and important decision because it’s an important position.

"Every guy that’s on that roster of 10 has to be capable of performing if things happen."

Williams’ injury continues a tough pre-season run for the Snakes, who were without four starters – Phill Jones, Arizona Reid, Alex Loughton and Ian Crosswhite – on Sunday due to a mix of injury and representative and personal commitments.

Crosswhite (quad strain) and Reid (hip flexor) are back training this week, while Loughton is due back today after heading to Perth on Friday for the early arrival of his son Liam. 

The Snakes will hit the court in Sunday’s opening pre-season match against their great rivals Townsville gunning for a win.

While they will integrate several new players into the team for the first time, the Taipans will not be at full-strength, with Phill Jones (New Zealand) and Ian Crosswhite (quad injury) out of action.

And in a blow for fans, import forward Arizona Reid is also likely to be ruled out after picking up a hip flexor injury earlier this week.

But coach Aaron Fearne is not about to concede to his north Queensland rival.

‘‘You play to win,’’ Fearne said. ‘‘I don’t care if you’re playing under-12 or under-14 local competition or C grade men, you want to win.’’

But it will not be a case of victory at all costs.

"We want to develop a winning culture and we want to win,’’ he said.

‘‘But understanding that, we’ll play guys for different minutes and try different things. But we want to go and play hard and play to win and go out there and work on the things we’ve been talking about.’’

Fearne said Reid was only a ‘‘50-50’’ proposition.

‘‘And if it’s like that, it’s probably not going to happen,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s super eager to play, but it’s unlikely.’’

Crosswhite’s workload has increased this week after he was unable to do any legwork at all in the days after the quad strain but he too will miss the match.

‘‘He’ll be back in about a week. And Phill (Jones) is in Turkey (at the world championships) and playing very well,’’ Fearne said.

While some players are missing, fans will still get the opportunity to see new Taipans Ayinde Ubaka, Alex Loughton and Daniel Dillon in action.

Sunday’s match tips off at 4pm at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre.  

If the Taipans "hate" Townsville, then point guard Ubaka – who plays his first game in Cairns colours against the Crocs tomorrow – is prepared to be the poster boy for the North’s rivalry.

"I know, Cairns hate Townsville, they told me," Ubaka said of possibly the fiercest rivalry in the NBL.

"So all right, I hate Townsville. I’m up for it. I’m on board here – if we hate Townsville, I’m with them."

Ubaka may have been in a joking mood at training yesterday but he’ll be all business tomorrow when an undermanned Taipans side faces the Crocs at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre.

Already without Phill Jones (representative commitments), Ian Crosswhite (quad) and Arizona Reid (hip flexor) for tomorrow’s clash, the Taipans were dealt another blow with Alex Loughton ruled out yesterday.

Loughton made a dash to Perth yesterday after his wife Michelle went into labour with their second child.

"Potentially there’s four starters not here, we’ve got to make up for the slack," Ubaka said.

Ubaka said the Taipans were waiting to be let loose in their first hitout after an intense pre-season campaign.

"We’ve done all these drills, we’re running hard, now it’s time to get out there and see what we’ve got this year," he said.

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Play had to be halted while Williams was helped from the court and into the dressing room, with Taipans coach Aaron Fearne unsure of the severity of the injury after the match.

"They don’t think it is (serious) but until we hear from the MRIs we won’t
really know," he said.

Williams’s injury was the biggest headache for Fearne out of yesterday’s contest, which saw the Taipans recover from a 15-point deficit in the first quarter to nearly steal a win against their archrivals.

The Taipans’ offence misfired early, with the home team looking every bit like a combination having their first serious hit-out of the preseason.

Crocs big man Luke Schenscher was also proving a handful at the defensive end. The former NBA player commanded the paint throughout the match to finish with a game-high 23 points.

It looked like the Taipans were on their way to a heavy loss before the injection of Deba George sparked life into the home side.

Forced to play more minutes with Williams absent, George was outstanding in the third quarter and, along with Ayinde Ubaka – who was making his Taipans
debut – helped move his team within five points of the lead.

The Crocs pulled away late in the quarter but three-pointers to George, Ubaka and a score to veteran Aaron Grabau early in the final term drew the Taipans level.

When Ubaka drove hard to the basket and netted with two minutes left, the Taipans had the lead for the first time.

But a three-point bomb from Michael Cedar kept the Crocs in touch before the visitors edged away between timeouts in the final minute.

The Taipans had the chance to level the game with the final shot of the match but Grabau’s three-point attempt fell just
short.

Fearne said the Taipans’ poor start ultimately cost them the game.

"There were a bit of nerves early and that probably hurt us in the end because we had to work so hard to get out of the hole," he said.

"But we showed some really good toughness and some fight. We had free throws and open shots to win the game. You want to put yourself in a position to do that and we
did."

TOWNSVILLE CROCS 79 (Luke Schenscher 23, Brad Williams 17, Michael Cedar 15) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 76 (Dusty Rychart 17, Aaron Grabau 15, Deba George 14, Ayinde Ubaka 14). 

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For more information please Click Here to see the attached flyer for more information.

The Cairns Marlins captain was a Taipans development player for two seasons and promoted to the main squad in late 2008 after imports Dave Thomas and Larry Abney were sacked by administrators when the club was placed in administration.

Brebner, a 200cm forward who can play at power forward or centre, was not picked up by the Taipans last year but regained his spot for the 2010-11 season after plenty of work on his fitness and game.

"It was a bit unfortunate for Simon (Conn) because he was injured and probably couldn’t show his best stuff," coach Aaron Fearne said of the battle for the last spot.

"There wasn’t anything glaring that showed that either stood out above the other."

But Brebner’s work ethic, dedication and knowledge of the Taipans’ system helped him over the line.

"He’s definitely a well-liked guy and a very hard worker and very passionate about the team and he’ll go out there and give it everything he’s got," Fearne said of Brebner.

"He knows the system and plays within the system. That’s what it came down to."

While Conn is slightly bigger than Brebner, the Taipans’ depth in the front court and ability of those players to be what Fearne called "multi-positional", meant height was not a major criterion.

Fearne said Brebner had worked hard to earn a chance at selection.

"He came into the Marlins season not in great shape," Fearne said.

"I told him if he wanted me to even consider him, he needed to get in great shape.

"He’s done that and he’s been very solid for the Marlins doing all the grunt work and played out of position.

"He’ll need to continue to do that and continue to improve his game to be a contributor at our level."

Brebner’s signing finalises the Taipans’ main group, although the club is still trialing a development player to join Gareth Dawson.

"I guess you complete your roster when you complete your roster," Fearne said.

"I said all along I was in no rush to get it done."

The Taipans’ pre-season program tips off on September 5 with a game against Townsville at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre.