Interview with Toowoomba Mountaineers head coach Anthony Corcoran
How is your season going so far?
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At 2W/8L nowhere near where I thought we should be.
How difficult has it been to adjust to all the offseason changes to your team?
We lost 5 experienced players of the core playing group going from 2015 to 2016. The most telling factor is that we lost a lot of experience (Glenn Reimann, Steve Kluck, Anthony Dickerson, Don Stephens, and League MVP Jeremy Kendle) plus we had a few other players in and out (Josh Derksen, Chris McIllhatton, Marshall Adams). In a regional town like Toowoomba, it is difficult to recruit Australian based players as you need great sponsor support or other links to organise a job and accommodation. I think the main thing is that although we are a much younger team, ability-wise, I think the young guys in the group (Jason Ebneter, Manylok Malek and Syd Hume) can play competitively at this level but need continued match experience every week, so with some of these players, we run them in both SBL and QBL so they are getting game time.
You had a successful 2015, how do you adjust as a coach, do you feel that teams take Toowoomba more seriously this season?
I don’t really think at all about what other teams think of us. I impress on our guys that we need to be competitive every time we step on the floor and get better with each game. I think any team can beat any team this year on any given night, and the results have proven this. So it just comes down to turning up ready to play and being effective at what we do. We need to play for pride from here on in to get a shot at playoffs in 2016.
Tell us how did the last week's game vs SW Metro unfold?
Similar to the Ipswich game the week before in that we led for the better part of 3 quarters (by double digits at times) but gave both teams a sniff at the end of the 3rd quarter. At lot of the games this year have come down to the last 5 minutes. Getting stops and controlling possession are the keys. Very hard to win from behind in those scenarios with team fouls so realistically the game needs to be out of reach before then or alternately we need to convert the big buckets in the last 2 minutes, which we have not done. Teys kept them in it with 6 x 3’s in the second half but overall, it was a game we should have won.
Do you feel the next two games vs. Ipswich, will determine whether you end up playing in the playoff?
Perhaps although I think we need those 2 wins, a win over Gold Coast, plus at least another couple of positive results over Brisbane, Logan, Cairns or Mackay, which are going to be tough. I am not writing this season off yet by any stretch.
What do you feel will be the key matchup, in terms of players?
Vs Ipswich I thought we shot extremely well in the first half in the last game. Ipswich had no answer for Chris Whitehead who got 51 points, and 40 of those were from layups both in transition and in traffic. He is also a great passer also so I would hope he will do more of the same. The match-up vs Cade Towers and Brent Wallace will be good. They are both legit centres and I always enjoy watch the big boys go at it down in the body shop. Hopefully the refs will let them play, as both have been foul prone, and I think essentially the officiating is at times too touchy, especially when it is to be expected that there will some bumping in the low block. We have some strategy in place for James Legan and Eustace, so it will be a matter of how we execute this strategy and keep Ben Wilson from making an impact also.
What you think of the league overall this season?
The players this year bring a better standard than last year. I struggle though with the inconsistent interpretation of the flop rules when you look at how certain players will be on the floor 10 times a game with minimal contact, and then being rewarded for it by getting a call. I’m not sure how to address that, as some of the less experienced officials on the night will not discuss it. It makes it hard to get a message to players if they need to change what they are doing.
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