Mid-season slide proves costly for Storm

A LACK of manpower and height has proven too much for Bellarine Storm’s Championship Men’s side, with the team finding itself in a seven-game losing streak and on the precipice of missing finals.

The Storm’s last win came on June 22 against Camberwell but the absence of Liam McInerney and Rohan Jarvie through injury has caused headaches for head coach Luke Beauglehall since that point.

“We certainly proved in the first half of the year we were in the mix, but after a few injuries and niggles in recent months, it’s all come to a head and it’s put our season on its head,” Beauglehall said.

“Not having size and not having the bodies on the floor is tough, but the boys are continuing to compete, but nevertheless it’s a tough task.”

After starting the season 9-4, Bellarine were well-established inside the top four. Now at 9-11, Bellarine sit in eighth position, two games out of the finals picture, pending results.

Bellarine is still mathematically a chance to make the Big V Championship Finals, but it involves a series of results going the Storm’s way, but even then, head-to-head matchups make it next to impossible for Bellarine to make the top five.

The Storm go up against Western Port and fellow finals hopeful Pakenham in their final two games, which Beauglehall sees as a great opportunity for the side to shape the finals picture.

With the Youth League season also coming to a close, younger prospects among Bellarine’s ranks can earn some high tier court time.

“We’ve made leaps and bounds in the past year compared to 2023, so if we don’t make finals, we certainly wouldn’t label this year as unsuccessful,” Beauglehall said.

“We’ve proven to ourselves that, if healthy, we can compete with the best, but at this stage we’re just looking ahead to these two next games.”

Kavione Green and Nick Velasquez have remained steadfast in keeping the side competitive, while Max Kos has recently been called up to the starting five again, totalling nine points and three assists in 33 minutes of action.

Green has averaged 23.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest in his first season at the Storm, while fellow first-season recruit Velasquez has also been a bright spot, averaging 17.9 points each outing.

Jamieson Hultgren is also expected to receive additional court time in these remaining two games and Jarvie has returned to the lineup but with restricted minutes.

The final chance to see the Storm at home is tomorrow (Saturday, July 27) at Bellarine Secondary College from 6pm.