Rillie Rotation Gamble Pays Off

John Rillie pulled no punches with his rotation against the New Zealand Breakers last night. 350-game veteran Todd Blanchfield didn’t touch the floor. Long-time club servant Mitch Norton only saw three minutes of action, and captain Jesse Wagstaff only played eight minutes.

That brutal decision to shorten the rotation against the Breakers paid off in spades though, as the Wildcats emerged from a tough and gritty clash with a hard-fought – and much-needed – three-point win.

“That was the shortest possible rotation you could see. He played six guys,” NBL analyst Liam Santamaria said on NBL Today.

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2domzwBELVwljw49SoSI9H?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="152" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

“Ok, Jesse Wagstaff played eight minutes, Mitch Norton played three, but really it was six guys with 22 minutes or more. That starting unit including both the Websters plus Luke Travers.

“They’re the guys he’s trusting right now and they repaid that big time last night because they got the job done.

“Tt’s win or go home … unfortunately Todd Blanchfield hasn’t been getting it done on a regular basis this year. Mitch Norton has been having his quietest season for a decade.”

TaShawn Thomas has looked like a different player since the halfway point of the season and he put together another match-winning performance against the Breakers last night.

Thomas has kept the likes of star centres Keanu Pinder, Sam Froling and Aron Baynes in recent weeks he directly matched up against one of the most imposing and physical big men in the league. Dererk Pardon.

The Wildcats' centre put together yet another remarkable performance and finished with a 23-point, 10 rebound double-double to continue his hot streak.

“He can be big and strong underneath and pound away with the big fellas, but he can also be versatile. You can play through him, he can pass the ball and he can playmake a little bit,” Santamaria said of Thomas’ performance.

“TaShawn Thomas and Brady Manek competed and they were in that realm of getting double-doubles last night … they’re going to need those guys to be those types of contributors the rest of the way.

“To get that Red Army raucous in the jungle is going to be so big in that run home.”