President's Address: November 2022

Can you believe we’re almost at the end of another year? As we roll into the school holidays and the busy Christmas period, it’s been fantastic to see our Taipans rolling on the floor too.

The support from the Orange Army has been sensational so far, and we hope it will only get better as the season progresses – we’re currently sitting third on the ladder!

After a short FIBA break, we look forward to welcoming to team back at home this Friday night to take on the Breakers before a show-stopping game hosting Sydney on Monday 28 November.

It’s a big double-header against the only two teams that sit above us on the ladder, so make sure you get your tickets and encourage everyone to come along. We’re right in the thick of it now, and we need Cairns to come through! Get your tickets online or at HQ, as always.

This FIBA window has been timely for us in terms of injuries, and it was great to get Tahjere McCall and Sam Waardenburg back in the mix in time for a resounding win in Brisbane. Hopefully Mirko Djeric’s return isn’t too far away either, so we can be at full strength before Christmas.

Looking ahead to some upcoming events -

MEMBERS CHRISTMAS PARTY
We haven’t been able to celebrate Christmas with our members for a couple of years so we are delighted to announce that the Taipans Members Party will be at EVENT Cinemas Cairns Central on Sunday 11 December, 11:00am. Keep an eye on your emails to join us and watch an exclusive VMAX movie screening with the entire team!

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Taipans Board have tentatively scheduled Wednesday 21 December 2022 for the next Annual General Meeting. We are just waiting on the completed auditor's report as we are unable to have the meeting without it. Confirmation of the date will be made as soon as possible.

DECEMBER / JANUARY
Our home schedule is stacked throughout December and January, and of course – our marquee New Year’s Eve game is back again! There is plenty of entertainment for the family throughout the school holidays, and we need to make the Cairns Convention Centre the fortress it once was. Don’t forget – this NBL season finishes much earlier than it has in the previous two years, so don’t miss out!
I’ll just reiterate here just how fast this year’s competition will go. It’s already Round 8 and our last home game (for the regular season, of course) will be on Monday 30 January. Get familiar with the fixtures and make sure you get to as many games as possible!

We are also really excited about our new partnership with iAthletic – our new merchandise supplier. They’ve got a great Black Friday sale coming up and we love the new Taipans range they’ve introduced. See it for yourself at all our home games or snakesstore.com.

Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge Melbourne United center Isaac Humphries, who announced some personal news last week. His story is so important, and the club respects the leadership and courage he demonstrated in sharing his story.

Until next time,

Troy Stone
CQUniversity Cairns Taipans President