"Confident" Cairns seeking much-needed win

It’s win or go home time for the Cairns Taipans. They’re currently sitting outside the Finals positions and have one of the toughest runs home of any team in the NBL, but inaugural Next Generation Award winner Sam Waardenburg says confidence is flowing throughout the camp.

The Taipans will take on second-placed Perth on Saturday before they return home to face a ladder-leading Melbourne side in Round 20. Anything less than two solid victories will almost certainly spell doom for their post-season hopes.

The Wildcats have defeated Cairns both times they’ve clashed so far this season, but Waardenburg says his side is primed to thrive under the must-win pressure.

“The dudes are excited, we’ve had a good week of training and we’ve had some time to rest the bodies as well with a whole week off,” Waardenburg said.

“We’re confident we’re going to get this win. We’ve dropped the first two against them but we’ve learned from those and we know we need these to have a chance to make the Playoffs. Confidence is high.

“You can tell at practice the intensity we’ve had in the last week that guys know these last two games really do matter a lot. There’s a lot of pressure behind it but it’s pushing us at the same time.

“That’s the vibe of a lot of the team – confidence.”

After impressing as one of the most talented local rookies in the NBL last season, Waardenburg has been beset by injuries in NBL24 and struggled to replicate that form in this campaign.

The 24-year-old has played 23 of a possible 26 games this season, and spent a chunk in the middle of the season sidelined with concussion.

He says he’s put the frustration of sitting on the sidelines behind him, and is looking forward to clashing with former Cairns teammate Keanu Pinder.

“The last month or so has been a little tough personally. With a concussion you can’t really do anything, you can’t really work out so it’s been nice this last week to just get into the gym and get a lot of shots up,” Waardenburg continued.

“The coaches have been great just being there rebounding. That helps me and it gives me a little bit of relief to be able to just get back into my safe space and get shots up.

“I always love matching up with KP. Every practice basically last year I was matching up with him and he was a great older guy to be around, especially with his experience in the league as a big man.

“He gave me a lot of tips and pointers last year, so I’m always happy to match up with him and I’m looking forward to it.”

The clash between Cairns and Perth will tip off on Saturday night at 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.