Rillie delivers "kick up the arse"

Thursday, October 24, 2024

“I think guys are motivated. It lit a fire under us to see that we’re not playing to our full potential."

Languishing in eighth place with a 2-4 record, the Perth Wildcats have been given a harsh reality from their coach John Rillie.

According to Tai Webster, Rillie delivered the team a "kick up the arse" this week, as they look to turn around their poor start to the season.

It doesn't get any easier, with a clash against the star-studded Sydney Kings coming up, and Bryce Cotton sidelined with a serious rib injury.

“This week we got a bit of a kick up the arse from John on film,” Webster revealed.

“I think guys are motivated. It lit a fire under us to see that we’re not playing to our full potential.

“We haven’t put a full 40 minutes together yet. You’ve just got to be excited about that. We still haven’t reached where we want to be at. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s exciting to be able to do that.”

Webster said the Wildcats players were disappointed with their performance against the New Zealand Breakers, falling to a four-point defeat despite a late comeback.

“It was a normal film he (Rillie) showed us our mistakes and called a couple of guys out and demanded more from them,” Webster continued.

“You need that. Guys can’t just fly under the radar thinking mistakes are going unnoticed. You’ve got to take accountability if you want to be a championship team.”

Webster was one player who stepped it up in Cotton's absence against the Breakers, and said he'd been tasked by Rillie with the job of pushing the pace.

He finished with 20 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds in the loss.

“I thought he looked promising in his return,” former MVP Derek Rucker said on NBL Media's Moments That Mattered.

“I thought Tai played a reality good game and he kind of showed one of the reasons why people have always raved about his ability. But now he’s going to have to step it up.”

Jack Heverin added that Webster looked like “the best player on the court, outside of Parker Jackson-Cartwright”, in Saturday’s clash against the Breakers.

The Wildcats will host the Sydney Kings on Friday night, from 6:30pm AWST and 9:30pm AEST, live on ESPN via Kayo.