Skytrans Cairns Taipans forward Cameron Tragardh will face at least another three weeks on the sidelines after spraining his ankle against the Perth Wildcats on New Year’s Eve.

Tragardh missed this weekend’s Sydney-Melbourne road trip, which the Taipans split after a comeback win in Sydney on Friday and hard-fought loss in Melbourne on Sunday.

Head coach Aaron Fearne said he was pleased with his squad’s effort since New Year’s Eve despite the absence of Tragardh’s team-best 13.3 points per game.

“Not having Trigger means we had to find different ways to score and guys had to step up,” Fearne said.

“It’s never easy to play three games in five days… overall I’m really happy with what the guys brought to the table over the weekend.”

Fearne said the challenge now would be for his side to find a replacement for Tragardh’s recent strong form.

“He’s averaged 15 points over the last six games, so now we have to go find that from somewhere else.

“He’s having a fantastic year shooting the ball (55.6% field goals) so that’s a huge hole to fill.”

“We have to find a way to get that done – bottom line. Hopefully the boys can rally and do just that.”

The Skytrans Cairns Taipans host the Wollongong Hawks this Saturday 11 January; the winner of that game will claim fourth place on the NBL ladder.