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Paratene McLeod

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OPINION: Southland Sharks basketball coach Richard Dickel's phone call yesterday to The Southland Times sports department was a big one, writes Logan Savory in this week's Sav's Say.

He rang to confirm 19-year-old Paratene McLeod had been signed to play for the newly formed Sharks team in this year's NBL.

McLeod's commitment to play for Southland is hardly news which has you rushing for for the champagne glasses.

However, don't be mistaken, this signing was a massive step in the right direction as the franchise tries to become a well-backed and permanent fixture in the south.

Dickel believes McLeod has the potential to hold his own and has thrown the local kid an opportunity to prove his worth in 2010.

The Southlander can chase his dream of one day playing for New Zealand while still living in Invercargill and hitting the courts at Stadium Southland.

In professional sport you need results and no one expects sporting organisations to pick solely local players. Outsiders are needed and the Sharks will rely heavily on recruitment for the first few seasons in the NBL.

I believe, though, there is a requirement on the likes of the Stags, Steel and now the Sharks to do their utmost to provide a pathway for our local kids – after all a major chunk of their finances come from community funders.

The Stags took a long time to cotton on but are now developing a group of players locally and the Sharks are starting off on the right note.

You could argue the Steel is a combined Southland-Otago team and their net is cast a lot wider to progress players through the ranks.

But they, too, I feel have a requirement to put their best efforts in place to progress southerners to netball's big league.

This topic is one I've regularly aired through this column and I'm pleased the Sharks officials read from the same book I do.

There is nothing like a bit of Southland passion being injected to spark a team.wOn anther note, if you want to watch top level cricket on your doorstep, I'd advise Southlanders not to miss the opportunity to take in the Otago-Northern twenty20 game in Invercargill on Tuesday evening.

The chance to watch this level of cricket is rare in the southern city.

Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori are big drawcards and should see a big crowd filter through the Queens Park gates.

» Logan Savory is a former Southland cricket representative who was named New Zealand junior sportswriter of the year at the 2007 TP McLean journalism awards. His main rounds are cricket and rugby.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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