Goulding eager to see ‘super aggressive’ lineup against Breakers

Heading into our lone game of Round 19, Chris Goulding said he is excited to see the potential of our fully healthy lineup on display.

Elite guard pairing Shea Ili, who has been out of the lineup since Round 13, and Tyson Walker, who missed the majority of our win over Perth following an elbow to the jaw, look likely to suit up, bringing with them an elite level of pace and defensive intensity.

The duo have only shared the court six times across NBL26, carrying a 5-1 record.

Speaking after an intense practice on Wednesday, Goulding said he hopes Friday’s game will be the launching point for the guards to have a huge end to the regular season. 

“I think the way this team was designed and built has been around those two as the spearhead for us both defensively and with their pace offensively,” he explained.

“We haven't had them together really for most of the season, so hopefully we can get some continuity out of that and they can work into their role together, playing alongside each other and be super aggressive.”

Having held opponents to just 72 points per game across our recent three-game winning streak, Ili and Walker will look to provide even more of a boost to our already staunch defence.

Goulding broke down how great play on that side of the ball will help the team moving forward.

“We've been talking about it for quite some time, how we needed to be better, and oftentimes it takes a little bit of time to put that into place. 

“It's been a focus for a long time about where we need to get to defensively. We're not there yet, so hopefully we can keep improving… At times our offence has been a little spluttery, so any time you can get a stop and get out and run, generally it's a bit easier to put the ball in the hole, so it (our defence) fuels us for sure.”

Our next opportunity to continue to build on our strong form will come on Friday evening when we head on the road to face the New Zealand Breakers from 5:30pm.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN.