Valentine's Day Massacre

Me^

Wonder if Trev will bench Travers from the starting lineup to keep him away from Creek.
I would.

How random is NBL.

Outside of Cotton and Mooney, Wildcats probably shooting at 10%.
Plenty of open looks but they just can't knock a shot down. Will be the story of their year.

Actually enjoying being able to listen what is happening with the players and .


SEM have a real crack on the defensive end, let's see if it continues.

Let's get blown out by 30-40pts please so there are no more illusions about the poor roster.

Yep the streak deserves to end due to ownership disrespecting the recruitment process this season and not being more on the ball with Cotton's naturalisation issues.

Management too. Troy on notice.

Pretty well known there's less cash for Trev because Bendat is trying to sell before he dies and no-one wants to pick up the cheque. Why they couldn't keep Kay, couldn't attract another high quality guard.

Where are the Mitchell haters ?

"How Te Rangi starts stuffs me... he shouldn't even be on any roster."
That's probably why your a spectator and not involved. He is in the team for defense though 14 points 8 boards plus 19 and. The game ain’t over yet is not too bad IMHO

25pt loss.

25pt loss, after leading 9-0, to make it worse.

This is the kind of performance I was expecting to see regularly from the Cats once I saw the final roster.
Cotton did well to conjure up 9 assists in that offensive mess.
Good game by SEM. Their D was a lot smarter today.

Perth 15 from 43 outside of Cotton and Mooney.

#513 thoughts

Perth without the main two wing shooters for all or almost the whole game. They don't have anyone who can go close to covering when both Blanchfield and Steindl are missing.

A 56 point turnaround, what the!!!

Agree not many would be able to cover. Just pointing out that there is a bit more to the loss than OMG Perth are shit.

Saying Cotton is overrated is the stupidest take I've ever seen on this forum.

" If there was a 3 point shooting contest, just invite Cotton and Bubbles." - Tyler Harvey says hi.

But yes nothing wrong with Cotton's game. He’s still by far the most damaging and consistent scorer in the league. The worry with this Wildcats lineup is their lack of depth (bench very thin) and over-reliance on Cotton. Outside of Mooney who has been very impressive they appear to be lacking class. You just can’t rely on Blachfield, while Travers probably shouldn’t be starting.

Gleeson is asking too much of Cotton

Didn't he post a thank you & good bye to message to the Wildcats fans?

The loss sucks and Cats defended like crap but the scheduling is total BS. Playing a team 4 times in 5 games!?! That schedule will ALWAYS favour the team that lost the previous game as they make all the adjustments. Hopefully both teams can get some form and consistency Playing 1 of the other 7 teams

Playing a team 4 times in 5 games!?! That schedule will ALWAYS favour the team that lost the previous game as they make all the adjustments

Always favour does not mean always result in a win.

Essentially a 56 point swing in a couple of days

I prefer the original Valentine's Day Massacre of 2010.

@TB " Playing a team 4 times in 5 games!?! That schedule will ALWAYS favour the team that lost the previous game as they make all the adjustments".

Do you think making adjustments can tip a result so significantly? I would think it's a minor factor but if a team plays as poorly as SEM did last game, they’re likely to come out pretty aggressive the next matchup and if they hit their shots they’re in with a strong chance. In this scenario the Wildcats seemed off the pace and didn’t hit their shots.

Adam Gibson is still playing great ball, tough defender, good decision maker and can shoot. Everyone gets injuries.

So we've split the series against what should be the worst team in the league.
Is it ok to panic NOW?

I don't mind being brought back down to a less dominant level, but this is ridiculous.


Someone at the Wildcats lost the plot this season.
Blanchfield, White, Bairstow, and Jervis. WTF were they thinking?

Even if you say that we expected to have Plumlee and Jook, that still doesn't explain it.

Blanchfield has been underwhelming everywhere he's played. As a project bench player he might have been worth a shot for somebody, but in what universe did anyone think he could start?
And White FFS.

Unsurprising result. SEM were well placed to bounce back.

On paper I prefer their roster to Perth's.

Cotton and Blanchfield combining for 25 points and shooting <40%.

They lack scorers. Won't win many games with those 2 combining for less than 30.

From the posts above, sounds like what Perth need is another Cotton.

"that is Cotton in a back court with a scoring point guard."(from an an Anon^)

For all intents and purposes, Cotton is nothing if not a scoring point guard. He is called a 2, at Perth, cos no-one else, on that team, qualifies as a 2. With Norton, White and Britt as your other guards, there is only 1 you can call a SG. Any other team (most, anyway) and Cotton would be your PG. Cotton has shown a tremendous capacity to include his team-mates, his assists are equal with other gun PG's.

Currently, Steindl or Blanchfield are starting as the 3. Both/either would be great off the bench but a gun 3 & D type to start is the scoring punch they need, IMO.

The original plan, for when Cotton becomes an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, was to bring Plum back as 2nd import. With Mooney as the undoubted 2nd biggest threat on their roster, (and currently in the 5 spot), and Travers beside him as the 4.

Put Plumlee at the 5, Mooney at the 4, Steindl/Blanchfield at the 3, Cotton as your 2 and Norton:

PG. Norton/White/Britt
SG. Cotton/(Steindl/Blanchfield)
SF. Steindl/Blanchfield/Sherville
PF. Mooney/Travers Wagstaff/Bairstow/Lo Buluk
Cs. Plumlee/Jervis/Majok/Ferguson

Obviously, too many 4's & 5's and 4 of them don't contribute much anyway. Swap 1 or 2 of them for a starting 2/3 local (if a 2, Cotton goes to the 1).

Imagine a Yudai Baba at the 2 and Cotton at the 1:

PG. Cotton/White/*Britt
SG. Baba/Norton
SF. Steindl/Blanchfield/*Sherville
PF. Mooney/Travers/Wagstaff/Bairstow/*Lo Buluk
Cs. Plumlee/Jervis/Majok/*Ferguson

*Not sure if DP or roster. Think the list needs a 2nd back-up guard, so 2 of 3 bigs to go.

[Try watching games LV instead of making comments about "on paper."]

I watch plenty of games

Didnt watch this one but my point stands- Cotton and Blanchfield score <25 on <40% shooting and Perth won't win many games. Perth lacks scorers.

Whether that's due to injury or simply poor form is beside the point.

Anyway Blanchfield played 24 minutes. About 5 minutes less than his season average.

"Missed half the game"? Sounds like you weren't watching either.

The original plan, for when Cotton becomes an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, was to bring Plum back as 2nd import. With Mooney as the undoubted 2nd biggest threat on their roster, (and currently in the 5 spot), and Travers beside him as the 4.

Put Plumlee at the 5, Mooney at the 4, Steindl/Blanchfield at the 3, Cotton as your 2 and Norton:

PG. Norton/White/Britt
SG. Cotton/(Steindl/Blanchfield)
SF. Steindl/Blanchfield/Sherville
PF. Mooney/Travers Wagstaff/Bairstow/Lo Buluk
Cs. Plumlee/Jervis/Majok/Ferguson

Obviously, too many 4's & 5's and 4 of them don't contribute much anyway. Swap 1 or 2 of them for a starting 2/3 local (if a 2, Cotton goes to the 1).

Imagine a Yudai Baba at the 2 and Cotton at the 1:

PG. Cotton/White/*Britt
SG. Baba/Norton
SF. Steindl/Blanchfield/*Sherville
PF. Mooney/Travers/Wagstaff/Bairstow/*Lo Buluk
Cs. Plumlee/Jervis/Majok/*Ferguson

*Not sure if DP or roster. Think the list needs a 2nd back-up guard, so 2 of 3 un-used bigs to go.

Working from last year, Perth needed to replace Martin, Terrico, and Plumlee.

We STILL need another PG. Whether or not Norton can cut it, our depth is White and Britt, and that's just frightening.

Terrico was recruited to play SF, specifically because we needed another outside shooter. And we still do. Blanchfield would have been a Good bench option (if we didn't already have Travers, Wani, and Steindl)

Remains to be seen if Mooney can handle some of the bigger Centres. But either/or, we need another big in the front court. Whether that's a genuine Centre, or we go for a Stretch 4 to bolster the perimeter.