Can't wait for another shot at Hawke's Bay

OPINION: This is a week for us to look at ourselves as a team.

Yes, we are young and a little inexperienced, but if we play like we did in the second half last week against North Harbour we know we can foot it with anyone in the league.

I have always said with this team we will be a few weeks into the season before we are ready as a unit, and we are now getting there. We all need to show patience and develop skills to work hard as a team. We are learning how to have pride in playing for each other and representing the Southland province.

We have had a few injuries to deal with during the past week, and that is always part of the nature of professional sport. It gave others a chance to play and they did well.

On that note, we finally welcome Luke Martin to our team and community. It has been a bit of a wait but will be well worth it. Luke will provide us with leadership and experience and while one player cannot change everything, we will certainly be a better unit for having him involved with us.

I truly cannot wait to play this Friday night in Napier against Hawke's Bay. We did OK against them last time but we have a lot of improvement in us as a team. Napier is an incredibly hard place to win in and many teams have struggled to win there in the past. However, I believe we are in with a chance and our overall team performance will dictate the result. The Hawks had an outstanding game last week as they build momentum, too. They won easily so we have our work cut out for us. It would be great to return from a road trip with a W under our belt.

Many thanks for all the support and good wishes – keep checking updates on our website www.sharksbasketball.co.nz.

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