Vukona seeks 'pain relief' on court

JASON OXENHAM/Fairfax Media

BLACK MOOD: How to get over the All Blacks loss? Breakers' power forward Mika Vukona is going to take it out on the Crocs.

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Breakers' power forward, Mika Vukona, is looking to use tomorrow night's Australian National Basketball League match against Townsville to overcome the pain of a devastating rugby weekend.

The Fijian-born Tall Black watched his two favourite teams exit the rugby World Cup on successive days and says a win over the Crocodiles would be the best form of pain relief.

"You're not a New Zealander if you're not feeling the pain," Vukona said.

"At least getting on the court is an outlet for the frustration. All the boys, bar the imports, are a bit tetchy."

Forced by his mother to abandon rugby and choose another sport when he went to secondary school, Vukona's decision to go with basketball has never made his play any less physical or athletic.

Banging bodies on the court is, in his eyes, an integral part of the sport and he is eager to catch up with last year's first-choice centre Ben Pepper, now playing for Crocodiles.

"He's a class act, so it's going to be quite a contest," Vukona said.

Vukona is just two points away from raising 400 ANBL points for the Breakers.

But he prefers to block talk about personal milestones and focus on the team dynamic.

"It's time to gel. We've had a fair amount of time with the six new recruits and we're starting to work out their strengths and understand how best to play with them.

"The Crocs have won one from five, so they're looking for a win as well.

"With a bit more composure the two games we've lost could easily have gone the other way, so we're still positive and confident in what we're doing."

The Breakers' overall record against the Crocodiles is four wins and nine losses.

- NZPA