Two things became very obvious after Round 5 of the NBL; 1. Wollongong are legit, 2. Townsville are an absolute train wreck!

I’m sorry to say it about our local rivals but the wheels have all but fallen off this proud franchise. It took the Taipans, however, to get on top in extra time to tame the Crocs, but then they got whipped by the Melbourne Tigers a few days later to leave them with a big fat donut in the win column.

I caught the local derby on TV on Friday night and it was my first real look at this seasons' squad and I’m very impressed with the two College boys.

Cam Gliddon was exceptional for the Snakes and Clint Stendl did one of the most ferocious put back dunks I’ve seen in a long time. That’s the kind of stuff that makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand up!

These guys have good length, range and play great ‘D’ and I can’t wait to catch a glimpse of them live as soon as I can make it down.

What’s good for the Taipans is that they got the hard fought win and the boys seem like they are slowly starting to gel. There’s certainly no shortage of fire power on this roster and I’m expecting many more wins to come.

In other news the Melbourne Tigers have released point guard Kevin Braswell and replaced him with possibly the most experienced American import out shores have ever seen.

Now that’s a big call as we’ve seen plenty of guys over here who’ve played NBA but this guy – Johnny Flynn – was playing big minutes just last season for Minnesota Timberwolves and he’ll certainly be worth watching when the Tigers come to town.

Coach Chris Anstey has obviously gone all out to save his own arse as a few more losses might see him without a job. And as for Townsville coach Paul Woolpert it might already be too late!

Keep rolling Snakes...

Round 6
Friday
Tigers vs 36ers - Tigers by 12
Kings vs Gong - Gong by 15
Crocs vs Breakers - NZ by 25

Saturday
Taipans vs Breakers - Snakes by 12

Sunday
36ers vs Perth - 36ers by 2 in O/T!

Happy punting y’all.