Leon Henry is still in talks with at least 1 NBL club and can play SF and some PF and is a versatile defender so maybe the Taipans.
Will Hudson is still available and may suit Fearnes plans.

Cairns looking good if they can lock down an enforcer to play alongside Trigger in the frontcourt.

Guessing that both Townsville and Cairns will be looking at similar guys for that starting centre spot...?

Matt Burston is not really a great option for either club, but might be all there is....

Mystro re: Leon Henry, 2 clubs now.

Yeah personally I wouldn't go anywhere near him. Not a sleight on his playing ability at all, he's just had that injury cloud hanging over his entire career, and at age 30 you wouldn't think it's going to get any better.

great thing about Hudson is he doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves and doing the dirty work plus he can spend some time at the 4.

Nat. I had thought Townsville may have picked him up but Cairns would prob be a good fit (for Leon Henry).

I really like the look of Steindl but if he can't guard the three then what chance will he have at 2?

I'm not sure why they would play Hudson at PF when the fully fit roster contains 3 legit PFs.

Good luck to Burston and trigger back together and hopefully we see a cairns side like the one that played my wildcats late in the season and not the boring Fearne team that weren't clutch at all for most of the season

"I'm not sure why they would play Hudson at PF when the fully fit roster contains 3 legit PFs."

Injury cover and he can actually box out and rebound.

Yeah I'd much rather go with Hudson than Burston if I were Cairns, then sign someone cheap like Henry for the final spot. Obviously, $$$ permitting...

burston signed,chasing import 2. in the states looking as we speak..

If Fearne picks up Burston I will be absolutely pissed. I'm pretty sure they'd have the finances to go for someone decent like Hudson.

Where the f*** is the defence in that frontcourt? I don't know much about Young but he won't be getting massive minutes. If true, Fearne has made some very very questionable roster decisions ok the last two offseasons.

Getting an import 2 off the bench is nice and addresses some scoring depth, but get the fundamentals right first ffs.

I'm not denying Hudson's ability to play PF but for team harmony I don't want him taking court time off Loughton or Trigger.

I'd still prefer Hudson to join Cairns but Wollongong should chase him too

Burston was in fine form at the pointy of last season - himself and bubbles killed off the Taipans top 4 finish on our homecourt. He already has ship under his belt and brings experience and size to the middle which we lacked.

Getting a 7ft import is highly unlikely given their rarity and price tag. Stats go learn about Young - he is leading the emerging boomers team around the court. Cairns just lacked a consistent big body in the middle - get him under the eyes of the Taipans conditioner and reduce his injury risk and will be a perfect starting centre for this offensive laden roster. An impact 2/3 import with Bruce as wilson's backup and the club is on track for a top4 contention for the next couple of years with the core singed to multi-year deals.

Cairns looking good if they can keep Burston healthy.

But he hasn't been healthy anywhere, ever, so they better have a contingency.

Why not go after Hudson, sacrifice a bit of size for skill and hustle, and bet on a sure thing?

Either way, they have some great young players and a core locked down for a while so they're in great shape.

"I'm not denying Hudson's ability to play PF but for team harmony I don't want him taking court time off Loughton or Trigger."

why because he may play some defense?

Venom, I am aware of Young's exploits. But then again, Steindl came out of college highly touted and represented the country and look at him, pretty useless.

Young plays tough against the college guys but it's a different kettle of fish against adults. He will not be playing substantial enough minutes to prop up the whole team's defensive problems now, will he? Because that's where the problem is, not scoring. it is not an offensively laden frontcourt at all. Loughton and Trigger score, that's what they do, but they do not defend. That was the glaring issue last season for our bigmen. A guy straight out of college doesn't often come in and play substantial minutes on an NBL roster, especially a big man.

Hudson is a much better rebounder. Amazingly, we were towards the top of the league when it came to rebounding last season. But you can never have too much rebounding.

Im pretty sure Steindl will have more of an impact this year, it just takes time to adjust to the step up. Even Gliddon took some time before really clicking in the second half of last season.

What I love about Young is he just does the little things his team needs, I think he will be fine. Of course, he is behind Tragardh, Loughton, Burston and Weigh for time in the 4 and 5 spots, but the minutes he gets I dont think he'll let the team down.