Dandenong coach Dale Waters added another piece to the Rangers puzzle on Friday night, with marquee recruit Michelle Brogan making her long-awaited debut in a home victory over Christchurch.By Paul Pickering
FRESH from a rousing ‘doomsday double’ triumph on the road against Adelaide and Perth, the resurgent Dandenong Rangers injected their veteran frontline with a dose of experience on Friday night’s clash with the Christchurch Sirens at Dandenong Stadium.
With 220 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) games, four championships and almost 2400 points, behind her, Michelle Brogan’s impact for the Rangers was immediate.
Brogan, whose debut for her seventh WNBL club had been stalled by injury, came off the bench to monster the winless Sirens, amassing 16 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action.
With Brogan sharing the paint with in-form duo Larissa Anderson (13 points, five rebounds) and Shelley Hammonds (12, 5), the Rangers showed no mercy to the Sirens en route to a 85-61 rout.
For Dandenong coach Dale Waters, the harmonious frontline display means he can play all three talls – and defensive specialist Emily McInerny – without betraying his pre-season vow to play up-tempo basketball.
“The good thing about those girls is that they’re mobile bigs and they’ve got the ability to get up and down the floor, so I don’t think it slows us down,” he said.
“But we’ve certainly got a formidable frontline, so we can have success in our quarter court offence.”
Having lost their first two games, the Rangers are now sitting safely within the top four and eagerly awaiting the arrival of athletic guard Chantella Perera – the final piece of Waters’ puzzle – in December.
Meanwhile, this Saturday’s home game against the undefeated Sydney Uni Flames in Launceston will allow Waters to gauge the development of his new-look roster.
“They’re a class outfit, they’re high-scoring and very offensively orientated,” Waters said of the top-of-the-table Flames.
“So I think that will be an interesting contrast with our lock-down defensive containment.”
The enticing match-up will be a fitting showcase for league in its return to the Apple Isle – the result of a three-year deal struck between the Rangers and the Tasmanian Government.
“We’re hoping for some home town support down there, because it’s a great initiative and a tremendous opportunity to get out and watch some Opals players in action,” Waters said.
As part of their commitment to promoting the game in Tasmania, the Rangers will be running some junior clinics in the island state on Friday.
