How to watch & talking points: Cairns v Adelaide (Round 5, NBL26)

Saturday, October 11, 2025

cairns taipans

adelaide 36ers

An undermanned Cairns Taipans host Bryce Cotton and his red-hot Adelaide 36ers on Saturday night.

Cairns Taipans v Adelaide 36ers
Saturday, October 18, 5.30pm AEDT
Cairns Convention Centre

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Talking points

Can Taipans follow Bullets lead?
‍Cairns are facing the daunting task of being down key pieces when Adelaide comes to town, much like the Bullets were in Perth.

Absence creates opportunity and Forde will be hoping some of the young stars step up and play with confidence to try and shock the 36ers. It won’t be easy, but if they shoot well and play together defensively, it will give them a chance.‍

DJ’s happy memory
‍The last two games that DJ Vasiljevic has played in Cairns have been filled with some great memories. First it was his first quarter onslaught last season when he couldn’t miss and then just two weeks ago, he finished off a big win with an incredible shooting display.

What they're saying

Taipans coach Adam Forde on Jack McVeigh's injury:
‍“We sent him for an MRI last week which cleared (McVeigh) of a break.

“We wanted to take a conservative approach for how we manage his wrist. (Currently) his wrist is in a splint which takes away his best aspect of shooting.

"We want him to rest and get his wrist right knowing it’s still early in the season. It shuffles the deck, but we want to manage his wrist and get him back on the court as soon as possible.”‍

Adelaide coach Mike Wells compares superstar Bryce Cotton to Naismith Hall of Famer Tim Duncan:
‍"We're [still] trying to figure out those offensive roles and know that Bryce is one of the most unselfish superstars.

"I've compared him to a lot of guys over the years, and one of the most unselfish superstars I was around was Tim Duncan.

"He was willing to do those things and always pass and good to great [shots] and all those things that the Spurs stood for.

"Bryce is like that at times, so [sometimes] I've got to sit there and say, 'hey, shoot the ball, man. Go get it.' and his teammates know that even when he goes and gets it, that he'll end up passing it to them [if they're open]."