Snake Eyes – Indigenous Round v Bullets

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have plenty to look forward in the last home game of the season on Wednesday night up against the Brisbane Bullets in celebration of Indigenous Round.

The support the Taipans have continued to receive from the home fans right throughout this challenging season has been outstanding and now everyone is looking forward to this last match at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena on Wednesday night against the Bullets.

It presents the Snakes with a chance to deliver a significant blow to the playoff hopes of Brisbane at the same time in the battle of the Queensland rivals, but more importantly the Taipans will want to play well to reward to the faithful support from the Orange Army.

The game will also be part of the NBL Indigenous Round with both teams wearing striking jerseys featuring Aboriginal artwork while two of the league's Indigenous players will be in action with Nate Jawai playing for the Taipans and Tamuri Wigness for the Bullets.

There is plenty to look forward to now on Wednesday night including the following five things:

1. LOOKING FORWARD TO LAST HOME GAME
The Cairns Taipans are playing their last home game of the season and last game at the Pop-Up Arena on Wednesday, and are looking forward to giving the Orange Army plenty to cheer about

It hasn’t been the 2021 NBL season that the Cairns Taipans hoped for, but they can forget about all that now on Wednesday night and finish on a high note in the last home game against the Brisbane Bullets.

The Snakes will be playing at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena for the last time on Wednesday night with the chance to play well in front of the Orange Army one last time this season and to reward them for their faithful support right throughout the campaign.

The Taipans might be on a seven-game losing streak as they return home to host the Bullets, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some encouraging signs and plenty to suggest they could finish with a win.

Nate Jawai is finishing the season in fine form and could take over down low, Majok Deng has returned strong, Venky Jois is providing great energy, Scott Machado continues to lead from the front, and Tad Dufelmeier continues to emerge.

Jordan Ngatai, Jarrod Kenny, Mirko Djeric, Fabijan Krslovic and George Blagojevic continue to contribute too so the Snakes deserve to feel good about it all coming together at home on Wednesday night.

Taipans coach Mike Kelly is looking forward to making the most of this last home game for the season.

"We're still playing basketball and getting to do what we love," Kelly said.

"It's hard to sum up the year but these guys are still playing hard and playing for each other, and I know the people of Cairns appreciate that. It will be fun to go out and get a win against Brisbane."

2. INDIGENOUS ROUND TO SAVOUR
With a spectacularly designed playing outfit to be worn, Nate Jawai proudly representing his people for Cairns and Tamuri Wigness doing to same for Brisbane, and history made with a referee, and what an Indigenous Round celebration it will be

The Cairns Taipans are the league leaders on and off the court in terms of celebrating the Indigenous heritage and Aboriginal culture, and that will be continuing on Wednesday night.

For this year’s Indigenous Round, the Taipans will be wearing a design by Rhianne Williams, a proud Kaiadilt woman who grew up supporting the Snakes. Williams is currently based in Brisbane and was inspired by all Indigenous basketball players throughout Queensland for this year’s uniform.

As a lifelong Taipans supporter, Williams is tremendously proud to get to the design the jersey and to pay tribute to Nate Jawai, Kerry Williams, Deba George and Tim Duggan, but it was about much more than that at the same time.

"With the design, I really wanted to capture the four Indigenous players there have been with the Cairns Taipans so that's Nate, Kerry, Deba and Tim," Williams said.

"Over the course of designing it I wanted to make sure there was a message but that it also gave the players recognition and that it was for the communities that we come from while also giving them all something to look up to. 

"I might be an artist designing something for the Cairns Taipans and there's also the players, so this is a way for them to look up to us and celebrate their culture."

The night will be a special one as well for a number of reasons and will be sure to mean a lot to both Nate Jawai for the Taipans and Tamuri Wigness from the Bullets to be sharing the floor together during the NBL Indigenous Round.

And to top it all off, the NBL's first female Indigenous referee Jacqui Dover will be officiating in the game. A proud Yugambeh woman, Dover earned her opportunity after working as a referee in the WNBL. She recently joined Basketball NSW as its Indigenous, Cultural and Linguistically Diverse Programs Manager.

3. TAIPANS LEGEND LOOKING FOR STRONG SHOWING
Alex Loughton is one of the all-time Cairns Taipans greats, is still playing with the Marlins and is looking forward to a strong last up home performance from the Snakes

Alex Loughton led the Cairns Taipans to their two Grand Final appearances during his outstanding 311-game career in the Tropical Far North, and as a result when the former captain talks he does so with some authority.

He retired following the 2018/19 season but has remained in Cairns ever since and closely linked to the Taipans continuing to play in the NBL1 North with the Marlins, regularly attending matches, working with club partner Kenfrost Homes, and co-hosting the Talkin' Taipans podcast.

Leading into Wednesday night's last home game of the season for the Taipans, Loughton sees plenty of reasons to look forward to it form a Snakes' perspective and he is looking forward to a good performance against the Bullets.

"It's a Rivalry Round, Indigenous Round and a lot of great players will be out there on the floor representing their heritage. The jerseys look fantastic and the game's going to be a cracker actually," Loughton said.

"The last one of the season at home for the Taipans and certainly we want to bring them home with a lot of support. I definitely encourage you guys to all get to the game, show your colours and really support the lads, and support the guys have really lifted. 

"I really like the way Dufelmeier, Jawai and those guys who have lifted their game to another level and are finishing strong. I'm loving the passion and the team camaraderie, and if they can get over the line and get a W, and play spoiler to Brisbane Bullets it would just be fantastic."

4. MAESTRO READY FOR A BIG FINISH
Cairns Taipans point guard Scott Machado is not lacking in motivation and hunger to put on a show for the Snakes faithful on Wednesday night

It has been a rollercoaster season for the Cairns Taipans and for superstar point guard Scott Machado, but he is looking forward delivering a big finish at home for the Snakes fans on Wednesday night.

Opposition teams have focused their attention all season long on doing all they can to pressure, frustrate and limit the influence of Machado being able to run the Taipans offence in the same outstanding way he did a season ago.

Desite that, Machado is still having a strong season overall for the Snakes and he is now entering this final home game in good form including 17 points and nine assists last up against Illawarra, and 17 points and eight dimes last Monday night against Perth in Cairns.

Having gone within one game of reaching the Grand Final last season to where the Taipans are finishing this season isn't what anyone was hoping for, but all Machado is focusing on now is giving the home fans plenty to cheer for on Wednesday night.

"It's just all about trying to adjust the best I can. Wherever I'm put on the court and whatever I'm asked to do, and I'm just trying to lead for the next man as much as I can," Machado said.

"It's an adapting situation and it's constant because you go into a different gym and they are playing completely different. You just have to be quick to adapt in games, before games and then onto the next one with us playing again Wednesday where we'll have to adapt again.

"It's our last home game of the year and our fans have been great. They still come in to support and for every single one of them that is reading this, please come out on Wednesday."

5. YOUNG BULLET BIG LOOKS FORWARD TO JAWAI CHALLENGE
If you wonder why Nate Jawai is still such a valuable asset for the Cairns Taipans, then you only have to take a listen to how opposition players feel about coming up against him

Nate Jawai is finishing the season in quite ominous form for the Cairns Taipans and he's still striking fear into opposition players.

Jawai's numbers have continued to rise right across the board the longer the season has gone on and his performances through May have seen him deliver 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting an outstanding 58.2 per cent from the field.

He has become more and more part of the Taipans offence and his minutes have shot through the roof following the departure of Cam Oliver, and opposition players are certainly now putting plenty of time into preparing for him.

Tyrell Harrison is an emerging young centre at the Brisbane Bullets and is learning all the time with the variety of opposition bigs he is coming up against, but there's no challenge quite that like that of Jawai that he will face on Wednesday night in Cairns.

"For me personally I try not to think about it too much in terms of who I'm coming up against, I just watch the scout with what they like to do and try to take away their go-to moves," Harrison said.

"With Nate it's trying to not let him bury me underneath the ring and taking away his right-hand hook. It's just about paying the attention to detail to our scout, that's what I try to focus. I'm looking forward to playing Nate, though, I'll put on a couple of kgs and see how I go then."