The growing uncertainty on Lauren Mansfield’s injury woes could throw a cloud over the playing roster of the Launceston Tornadoes ahead of the coming weeks.
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The club had just revealed that financial constraints was a contributing factor towards the decision against bringing in a final import signing.
One-time star Tornadoes forward Mikaela Ruef had been earmarked for that role until the American suffered a suspected ACL injury in what was her final club game in France, already four matches in to the Tornadoes’ year.
Ruef is expected to be sidelined for about 12 months.
The annoucement on the eve of Saturday night’s clash with Sydney Uni Sparks was about putting faith in the current squad nine games into the 19-game regular season.
“It was a really tough decision for the board to make, but we are comfortable it is the correct one,” Tornadoes chair Janie Finlay said before Mansfield’s ankle injury.
“When we found out about Mikaela, we started searching for a replacement that could play the same role as her. The board has made the decision not to proceed with the recruitment of another import player for the balance of the 2018 season.
“This decision has been made based on recommendations from the coach, our current financial and the human resource restrictions and the faith we have in our current squad. Our commitment will be to support and develop our local players.”
Coach Derrick Washington said the latest injury blow would not derail the Tornadoes’ ambitious plans heading into the business end of the season.
Ruef had been set to join the club’s other imports Ally Wilson, Lauren Nicholson and Mansfield since homegrown talent Tayla Roberts signed for Dandenong.
“We’re just going to move forward,” Washington said.
“We believe we can win the championship with the side we’ve got. We can’t continue to bring new people in, but at the end of the day I know we’re good enough.”
Launceston has risen from 13th to seventh since Mansfield’s return after winning their past four SEABL games, including three at home.
But the luckless Torns could return to a lineup that struggled without the star guard, absent in Poland.
Club officials told The Examiner on Sunday that Mansfield was continuing to ice her swollen ankle and would seek physiotherapy treatment on Monday to get up for Saturday night’s home clash against Ballarat Miners.
The 28-year-old’s innocuous injury had come about during an attempted layup when her ankle crashed into the knee of Sparks player Shanae Greaves.
Washington was unsure of his captain’s next game, but was still confident of the faith he had in the team.
“We don’t even know yet,” Washington said after the 76-63 win over Sydney Uni.
“I have no idea – not even our physio does. Otherwise, she will be back in a couple of weeks time, but we’ll be fine.
“That’s the beauty of our team. We know we can win games. If somebody goes down, somebody steps up.”
Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
