Tamworth Thunderbolts Men’s coach John Ireland has described Saturday night’s Waratah State League Division 1 humbling at the hands of the St George Saints as a good wake-up call for his young side.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The high-flying Thunderbolts were brought crashing back down to earth with a 101-57 loss to a well-drilled Saints side that they had earlier in the season beaten at home.
“We were outclassed. They were an outstanding team.They executed well and defended well and limited our opportunities,” Ireland said.
The Bolts were missing a couple of key players but Ireland wasn’t using that as an excuse.
“We didn’t show up,” he said. In saying that he said there were plenty of positives they could take out of what was a negative performance.
“It was a bit of a reality check that we are not invincible. If we want to achieve our goals we’re going to have to work hard,” he said.
The players recognise that and will be hitting the boards for an extra training session as they build up to the finals, and Ireland is backing them to bounce back.
Kyle Gupton top-scored with 20 points, 12 of them from outside the perimeter.
