THE Swan Hill Flyers will begin their 2023 CBL campaign against long-time rivals Mildura Heat when the two clubs clash Saturday night at Mildura’s Hothouse.
It will be a tough assignment first up for the new-look Flyers, the Heat having played off in both the men’s and women’s grand finals last season.
While Mildura will be looking to make amends for their twin defeats in last year’s deciders, so too will Swan Hill, with new women’s coach Tess Denham expecting a much-improved performance and season from her young and developing squad.
“They’re (Mildura) a fast team so we’ll have to be smart with our ball movement,” Denham told The Guardian this week.
“I think our smarts will push them and if we can be aggressive and play hard basketball we should hopefully get the result.
“We’re all just super-excited and can’t wait for the season to get under way.
“We’re ready to go.
“We’ve got several new players, which is always handy, and we’ve added to our guards, we’ve got good talls and good shooters, which is the most important part of all.”
With Denham on the verge of returning from a knee injury that saw her miss the bulk of last season, the women’s Flyers team will have a vastly different look about them in 2023.
Joining Swan Hill’s squad is Karla Allen from Mildura and Ryley Purcell from Werribee, while guard Demi Hallam will also return to the Flyers’ line-up after missing last season.
With a signficantly different playing roster from last year’s team that won just one match, Denham was bullish about her team’s chances of forcing their way up the CBL ladder.
“Finals, that’s our aim,” Denham said.
“If we all fully commit and really push ourselves I think that’s not an unrealistic expectation.
“Last year we struggled with commitment and injuries and we were a very young side.
“We still have a young side but we have a good range of ages from 14 all the way through to 30 and we’re pretty even across the board.
“We’ve got a bit more experience this year too, which will help us go a long way.
“We have a different squad every year.
“I think that’s one of the positives about Swan Hill basketball in that we can have a different squad each year but still compete really well.
“Demi (Hallam) is a huge inclusion for us and we’re excited to have her back.
“She and Karla Allen will really strengthen our depth through the guards.
“Ava Crow will play her first CBL game this weekend.
“She’s come out of our under 18s squad and will fit in very well and will be a regular top 10 player for us.
“Riley (Purcell) will be another big addition for us.
“She’s only 19 years old but she’s very strong and aggressive with her body work.”
The men’s team will also begin their 2023 campaign this weekend, with head coach Steven Bowden again taking the reins.
The Flyers will be without breakout star Hugh Broad in 2023 – Broad is set to miss the season through injury – but are still expected to be very competitive as Matthew Gardner and Lachie Somerville were among the better players in the CBL men’s competition last season.
The Flyers’ season will get under way with the Swan Hill women’s team taking on their Mildura counterparts from 5.30pm, with the men’s game to follow at 7.30pm Saturday evening.
