“Self-belief” driving NBL1 ascension

GEELONG United will have “nothing to lose” when it puts its five-game winning streak on the line this weekend away at Bendigo, facing off against an undefeated Braves side (10-0).

Geelong United Supercats women’s head coach Matthew Paton says morale is “sky-high” following his team’s fifth-straight win in the NBL1 South, most recently over Nunawading, 86-67 at home.

“The team as whole has a lot of self-belief at the moment and the good part of that is, from a coaching perspective, they know they still have room to improve,” Paton said.

“I think at the same time, we’ve made an incremental progress in our performances, and adding some new and helpful faces to the roster.

“But the manner in how we’re getting our wins is the most pleasing part for me, we’re not relying on any individual efforts, we generally have multiple contributors providing a visible impact.”

Geelong United’s winning streak started after a disappointing result against Frankston in Round 4, losing at home 68-81 with new recruits Agnieszka Skobel and Chantel Horvat watching from the bench.

Skobel and Horvat contributed 11 and 22 points respectively in their season debuts the following game against Mount Gambier, then assisted with four more wins against Nunawading, Diamond Valley, Hobart and Launceston by 31 points – the team that eliminated Geelong United last season.

“Ella [Tofaeono] has also been a game-changer for us and I feel like we’re only just scratching the surface with her,” Paton added.

“She’s fun to coach and fun to watch, and she’s coming out of a program that did limit her opportunities a bit, so she’s fallen in love with basketball again and it’s terrific to see.

“She’s practicing well, demanding high standards of her teammates, and that expectation whether it be of Ella, Chantel or Agnieszka, is really making the squad better each week.”

Bendigo has remained the benchmark for the NBL1 South conference for multiple seasons led by coach Mark Alabakov, seasoned WNBL veteran Kelly Wilson and star centre Meg McKay.

“We’ve gained three and lost one in terms of personnel with Monica Okoye leaving us temporarily to focus on international duties, but we know what Bendigo is capable of and we’re their narrowest lost this season – albeit it was a loss,” Paton said.

“Really I think all the pressure is on them for this weekend, they’re undefeated, it’s on their home floor, we can look at it as a bit of free swing knowing we’ve come a long way since we last faced them.”

Former Sandringham Sabres player Puga Deng is the latest addition to Paton’s roster after playing her first season minutes last weekend against Nunawading.