Heading into the heart of Melbourne for a round one showdown with Camberwell Dragons, the Gators couldn’t execute their ideal start to the campaign with scoreboard reading 78-74 in the hosts’ favour.
Despite the unfavourable result, coach Josh Waight singled out solid ball movement as one positive to take from the season opener.
“We played some very good passages of basketball where we moved the ball from side to side well,” Waight said.
“But we had patches where for too long we didn’t do that enough, and that hurt us.”
As for the threat Camberwell posed, Waight pointed to the opposition's clinical shooting as a principal factor in the loss.
Paired with ordinary discipline from his own side, it was a lesson Waight wished to learn from moving forward.
“They hit some big shots at the right time which made a difference in the end,” he said.
“We also had players in foul trouble, but we need to be able to adapt and work around that.
Waight identified a number of Gators to put in admirable shifts, but noted Sam Beks was one who found form, especially as the game went on.
With little time to dwell on the loss, the Gators will hope to dig out some consistency when they welcome Bellarine to Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday.
“We are going to get on the track and work on the things we have identified,” Waight said.
“Bellarine have some really good players, but hopefully we can rectify those areas and pick up a win on Saturday night.”
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