Perth’s Missing Piece Revealed

It’s been 17 years since the Perth Wildcats last lost five games in a row.

For such a proud, successful club, it’s a harsh reality of where things are at right now.

Frustration is growing, and the Wildcats now sit in eighth place on the NBL standings.

So what’s the solution? How can John Rillie reverse the script? Five-time All-NBL team member Adam Gibson made his thoughts felt on the NBL Today Podcast.

“They need to make a change,” he said.

“They’ve lost their identity and that’s not how they want to play.

“I think they need to change pretty quick, otherwise the season’s almost going to be over for them. I would assume after this weekend. You can’t go five losses in a row. That’s unheard of to lose that many games for that club, for that organisation.”

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Gibson said Perth’s success was built around role players and they were missing “toughness” and players who would do the “dirty work”.

“You look at their team over the past … (John) Mooney, Nick Kay … their four-men have been super crucial for their success … even Greg Hire,” he said.

“They don’t have role players anymore. They don’t have defenders. You take out Damian Martin, Bryce Cotton now has to carry the load.

“You bring in super-talented players like Corey Webster and (Brady) Manek, but they’re not defenders and that’s what Perth have had over the years.

“You look at the game last night; Tassie are Perth five years ago. They (the JackJumpers) have that core group that move the ball, their shooters shoot, defenders know their roles – like Matt Kenyon, Jarred Bairstow, they rebound, they crash the boards, they set hard screens and that’s what Bryce Cotton’s been used to over the years.

“They (the Wildcats) need Jarred Bairstow back, they need Matt Kenyon there, they need guys that don’t care about scoring the ball that play hard and play dirty.”

The Wildcats’ incredible 35-year run of finals action came to an end last season, a span that saw them win an incredible 10 championships.

But that success seems a world away right now.

“What Perth have been known for over the years … Greg Hire, all he used to do was set screens, crash the boards and bump the people. Who’s doing that at Perth now? Who’s getting offensive rebounds and getting it out to Bryce for wide-open shots? Who’s playing that role?,” Gibson said.

“Nick Kay was a lock-down defender who could also score. The four position, it’s super important. That’s where you win and lose games.

“You look across the league, a lot of the teams that are doing well … Xavier Cooks (Sydney), Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne), Keanu Pinder (Cairns) … they have great four men.

“They’ve (the Wildcats) got talented pieces, no question about it … I’m not saying those guys can’t play, they really can. But it’s not what has made Perth so good and why the Red Army love that team.

“They don’t have those in-and-under guys that go and do the dirty work.

“They’ve relied on offensive rebounds for years. They’ve relied on second chance points and offence is easier, but they’re not getting those second chance points.

“Teams know how to guard them. They can lock in on Bryce Cotton because they know they’re not going to get hurt when he gets rid of the ball.

“I think they need some toughness. They need some guys that don’t care about wanting to score the ball, that’ll do the little things that made Perth so good. The Red Army love those sort of guys.”