Launceston Tornadoes head coach Richard Dickel believes his players may have been looking too far ahead when they played their nearest neighbour.
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Intrastate rivals Hobart Chargers inflicted a hefty home defeat last Saturday just as the Torns were beginning to plot their playoff plans.
“Maybe we took our eye off the ball a bit and were focusing on the playoffs too early,” Dickel reflected.
“The plan now is to take care of our own business.”
The form guide suggests the Torns will bounce back from the 99-73 drubbing but Dickel said the alternating pattern of wins and losses is a problem in itself.
“We have not had consistency over the whole season and hopefully we can fix that before the playoffs and move forward.
“We weren’t there mentally for long periods of the (Hobart) game and we need to address that.
“Canberra will be a difficult prospect although they have a tough ask playing Hobart on Friday and then us on Saturday so hopefully we can play with more crispness, energy and effort than last week.”
Having left the door open for Hobart to catch them in the race for a top-three finish and a home final, the Torns face the Canberra Capitals at 6.30pm on Saturday in what will be their last fixture at Elphin in the regular season.
We weren’t there mentally for long periods
- Tornadoes coach Richard Dickel
Both teams have been hit by international commitments with Torns captain Lauren Mansfield and Canberra’s Mariana Tolo teaming up on Opals duty at the World Cup qualifying tournament in India where new Launceston recruit Miliakere Koyamainavure will also be representing Fiji.
Dickel is pleased with how youngsters Emma Russell, Jayde Brazendale, Olivia Chugg and Bec Abel have stepped up of late and expects more of the same on Saturday.
“It’s good to bring those girls through. They are getting there and doing everything I ask of them,” he said.
After Saturday the Tornadoes face a hat-trick of away games in Bendigo (July 29), Ballarat (July 30) and Dandenong (August 5) which Dickel believes offers the opportunity to bond as a group leading into the playoffs.
The Torns sit third on the South Conference ladder two wins from top spot, and two games in front of fourth-placed Hobart.
South ladder
- Team P W L %
- DANDENONG 19 13 6 68.42
- BENDIGO 19 13 6 68.42
- LAUNCESTON 18 11 7 61.11
- HOBART 18 9 9 50.00
- BALLARAT 17 6 11 35.29
- FRANKSTON 19 6 13 31.58
- MELBOURNE 17 5 12 29.41