TOWNSVILLE MUST BEAT BENDIGO AT FULL FIRE PIT

It’s a simple equation for the Fire… Beat Bendigo and send the grand final series to a decider… Lose and the Spirit will win the WNBL championship. The league’s breakout player of the year Abbey Ellis is adamant Townsville still has plenty to give.

“We know what’s at stake here! We’re just going to have to play our game, and just having confidence in our shooting abilities and attacking the rim and being aggressive, but yeah it’s definitely going to be on us.”

Home court advantage in front of what will be the biggest crowd in the club’s history has to help! 5300 fans are expected to fill the Fire Pit with just a few seats still to be snapped up, and Ellis has closely followed ticket availability as anticipation builds for the blockbuster battle.

“I’m so excited like every social media update like what tickets are left, it gets us so pumped. And hopefully we can get the win for them on Sunday.”

Lauren Cox has played in front of some packed stadiums in America but the import is eager to see an even bigger orange army out in force.

“We obviously have the best crowds in the WNBL and it’s not just a lot of people, they’re really into the games. They’re loud and they’re disruptive to the other teams, so it’s really exciting. I think this is what playoff basketball is all about and this is going to be a dream for any player to play in front of this crowd.”

The big believes Townsville has to be more forceful fighting on the glass after giving up 15 second chance points in the grand final opener.

“I think we just have to focus on boxing out. They killed us on the offensive boards and got some second chance opportunities, so we really have to focus on that. It doesn’t take any real skill to box somebody out it’s just got to be a mindset.”

The Fire must now claim a first victory against Bendigo this season, in attempt number five, having let a golden opportunity to steal game one the road slip, after giving up a double digit advantage. Cox is confident the underdogs will bounce back.

“We just have to put together a full game. It was a tale of two halves, we played really well in the first half and then not very good in the second half, so we just have to play the full game like we did in the first half and we’ll be ok.”

Tip off for the must win contest is at 2pm and the team needs the fans to leave nothing left in the tank, for the final home game of the season!