Roster Update: Dufelmeier named Nominated Injury Replacement

Cairns Taipans point guard Taran Armstrong has been ruled out for three weeks with a calf tear. Armstrong suffered a cramp in the fourth quarter of the team’s first NBL Blitz match against Melbourne United and missed the following game with a suspected strain. Scans have since revealed a tear in his right calf.

He will not play for the remainder of the Blitz and will miss the first two games of the regular season, with his expected return-to-play date set for Thursday 4 October.

Armstrong joins Kyle Adnam on the sidelines who remains unlikely for the start of the season, while Jackson Makoi is also unavailable for game one at HoopsFest.

As such, the Taipans have signed point guard Tad Dufelmeier as a Nominated Injury Replacement Player. The Canberran is well known to Taipans fans after several stints in FNQ, most recently with the Marlins in the 2023 NBL1 North season.  

Dufelmeier first landed in Cairns as a development player in 2019-2020, appearing in five NBL games. He returned the following year as a Nominated Injury Replacement, where he took full advantage of his opportunity and hit the floor 21 times, averaging 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 15.6 minutes per game.

His success in orange earned him a contract with the Adelaide 36ers before returning to Cairns to sign with the Marlins. During his campaign he continued to improve, having his best NBL1 performance to date and was named in the All-NBL1 North Second Team; averaging 21.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists on the semi-finals bound squad.

Now based in Cairns permanently, Dufelmeier was a strong contender at the club’s Open Gym, also joining the extended Taipans squad for Hell Week. He has continued training with the Taipans throughout the pre-season and will suit up against the Perth Wildcats tomorrow night, 7:30pm AEST at Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre.