THE Swan Hill Flyers will hit the road for a season-defining weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams facing their first double-header roadtrip of the 2023 CBL season.
The Flyers will take on the Bacchus Marsh Lions on Saturday evening, before travelling to Woodend to play the Macedon Ranges Rockies on Sunday.
The Swan Hill men’s team will be aiming to build on last Sunday’s confidence-boosting seven-point win over the Bendigo Braves, while the Lady Flyers will be aiming to get their first win of the season under new coach Tess Denham.
With the Lions and Rockies both sitting above the men’s team on the ladder, this weekend shapes as a season defining one for the Flyers, with dual victories likely to see the Flyers break into the top four for the first time in 2023.
But while the Flyers will go in with momentum, head coach Steven Bowden knows last Sunday’s win will count for little this weekend.
“A result like that will help us build confidence ahead of next week,” Bowden said after the Flyers’ 87-80 win over the Braves.
“Both games (Bacchus Marsh and Macedon Ranges) are winnable, we just have to continue to build on our results as we’re still going to have guys missing, so it will be hard for our boys with rotations.
“We’re limited at the moment but it’s about how big your heart is on the court and the boys showed the size of theirs today (against Bendigo).
“It might be a big roadtrip but it’s a winnable roadtrip.”
While the Flyers will be far from full strength, with Bowden expected to miss at least this weekend with injury, they still possess in-form players Lachlan Somerville, Matthew Gardner and Lachlan Gardner, who will stretch both Bacchus Marsh’s and Macedon Ranges’ defence.
Although still looking for their first points of the season, the Lady Flyers will be hoping that changes with winnable games against both the Lions and the Rockies.
While Bacchus Marsh defeated Maryborough Blazers last weekend, Macedon Ranges are also yet to win this season, with losses against Kyneton and Melton from the opening weekend of the season.
Swan Hill will have to do it without key player Carlee Hazlett, who suffered a knee injury against Bendigo last Sunday.
