If Schlensenwagger is fit for this game, how is he not the perfect match up against AJ Overies?

Be interesting to see if anyone bothers to turn up.

It's happening again

So it's confirmed - eight teams including Brisbane next season.

fire crowds seem to be descent.

Oh look....another blow out of a game...

LOL, this league is the biggest joke in Australian sport

Blowout troll is back.

I am absolutely far out trying to understand how in an 8 team league, there are so many uncompetitive games...

I really really don't understand.

How extensive was the Crocs recruiting I wonder. Or was it a case of Conklin saying yeah I'm the MVP and I think my ex teammate from St. Louis would be good and Jett after a year of no ball hops on a plane?

Conklin, Jett, Ellis. Who am I missing?

Oh I remember now Lisch too.

Apparently due to townsvilles financial losses over the past several years...
The total yearly payment for all players is $14 and a free meal at Maccas.

LOL, look at that crowd...how embarrassing for the league

"If the Wildcats was playing awfully they'll still get at least 8,000 to the games."

There's no way you can claim that. The last time the wildcats were cellar dwellers their crowds were measured in the hundreds not the thousands.

I am telling you all, the lack of competitive games on average will take the NBL back into the wilderness.

Sorry, when the score is 14 - 1 , why is that great / strongest basketball ever?

@19:51 I can guarantee you, they pay full price at maccas now........

"LOL Crocs LOL"

"Louder!"

"LOL Crocs LOL"

"I can't hear you!"

"LOL Crocs LOL"

No happy meal for Townsville tonight...

Each happy meal comes with a free aj Ogilvy figurine...

Nah they will still be served Happy Meals, with a free Bulletman toy inside :D.

The blowout troll playing with his blowup doll lol

I thought up there they chant GO CROCS GO.

Although LOL CROCS LOL would be more appropriate nowadays.

It's a worry when your women's team that plays in a much shittier stadium that's in a much shittier location is getting bigger crowds than your men's team.

LOL, look at you guys having a go at me calling me the and caling me the blowout troll..

LOL my bad, every game is so close , every gam eis no nail biting...

Are you people that DELUDED?

They did win the championship..

Haha really Fire get more? That's hilarious.

Where are live stats so I can see AJ statline? nbl.com.au isn't working wtf it's like going back in time when half the game live scores never worked.

Blowout troll you have made your point, no one agrees, now piss off. Your a twat.

Fire and Cowboys now championship winners. Crocs irrelevant, 20 plus years of nothing.

50% of NBA games are blowouts LOL what a shit basketball league LOL

22 pts 8 rbds for aj atm.

The first thing that has to happen is actually have Townsville look like a team that wants to be in the NBL. Everyone else has made an effort with game presentation, engagement or recruitment. I wonder if Townsville think Larry is going to bail them out. And based on this season so far, regardless of the W's or L's I wouldn't waste any time trying to save this franchise. It's dead. And they seem happy to slip backwards further. There seem to be some people committed to the team and I think their coach has the right idea but the rest is just going back.

You aren't always going to win and fans know that. But you have to have game night on point to counter that. Townsville just look cheap. Lord, SEABL teams do it better. Presentation is tacky, music is off, and the announcer needs to call the basketball game instead of trying to gee up a bunch of 40 year olds as the nightclub that doubles as a pub during the week. It's cringe worthy. As much as I don't like them, Melbourne and Perth are the teams to beat. It's not all perfect but I've been impressed with game presentation and it would get me going back even if the teams were losing because it looks like a professional league and not the old bush league NBL Townsville still think they're in.

So if I'm Larry, I'm on the phone during the week telling Townsville to pull their finger out or get out. And yeah, some things take time but time is what Townsville don't have.

"Man there are some real weird people that follow basketball, like socially odd types. Guess every sports code has them though."

LMAO this is so true. I follow a lot of sports online but NBL has to be up there at the top for the most "diverse" community.

"the guy who thinks Dellavedova is a legit NBA star"

hahaha oh him. nbl community online never fails to deliver *under breath* f'in weirods all of you *under breath*

Crocs with their customary comeback this season.

This blows out the blowout.

There are 30 TEAMS in the NBA that play 82 games each..

There are 8 TEAMS in the NBL...8, yes, 8....and you cant even get close games...

This game was becoming close, until the INCOMPETENT referees that are common in the NBL changed the momentum

This league is a SHAM

It'll get even worse for Townsville when Brisbane enters.
Get a tassie team going. All they have is cricket...

LK isn't getting on the phone because it's easier to replace them with Brisbane then have a nine team league.

9 teams each next year...
Nbl
Cairns
Perth
Melbourne
Sydney
Illawarra
Brisbane
Perth
Adelaide
Hobart

WNBL
Melbourne
Dandenong
Bendigo
Townsville
Seq
Sydney
Canberra
Adelaide
Perth

Was there any sophisticated recruiting done by the Crocs at all. Or was it just Conklin getting his old teammate in for the second import slot and to fill the rest of the local quota signing the players rejected from Taipans up the highway in Cairns.

Not much point trying to save the Crocs if the fans aren't interested.
There's no way they'll be in the league next season if this pattern continues. I'm starting to think I should book a trip up there because I've never been to a Crocs home game and this season is my last chance.

#098 LOLwat? Since when do the NBL coordinate their numbers based on the amount in the the WNBL.

"I'm starting to think I should book a trip up there because I've never been to a Crocs home game and this season is my last chance."

Me too. Wanna do a roadie? Last chance to visit a historic nbl venue. couldn't do it last season with that turdtacular rsl place.

It's better if they don't survive. Crowds may funnel towards cairns, Brisbane or the fire.

Is LK subsidising their rent so that at least in his first year in charge (and last year of the Crocs) the product doesn't look tainted with 1/8th of games being filmed at RSL Stadium. All of a sudden Crocs can afford to play at TEC again methinks after LK for purely cosmetic reasons stumps up a subsidy and/or fox said hell no to rsl.

Hobarts the go..
550,000 population and no professional team.
Doesn't interfere with afl...

Townsville doesn't deserve an NBL team.

Hobart won't be in.

Hobart Devils 2016/2017?

The Sun is setting on the Crocs.

were they heavy underdogs tonight? I wouldn't of thought so. but in the end it was another massive blowout just like ABT (Anon Blowout Troll) predicted

WERE ARE TEH STACKTS

IMO the crocs should have spent about $300k on the closest thing they could have got to a Ennis or Childress type player, someone who is a drawcard and would create some interest. Even if they had to lose a little depth and it didnt help them win anymore games it might put bums on seats and be fun to watch.

They have a lot of young talent, and good solid hard working players, but no draw cards, even as good as Conklin is, i wonder if they should have also spent his money on a more exciting import.

Lets say they had Jordan McRae and Al Harrington as there imports (or as close as they can get) instead of Conklin, Jett and Schenscher

I think a team of

Kay/young big ala Hodgson
Harrington/Young
Steindl/Henry
McRae/Djeric
Norton/Maynard

Would be alot more interesting imo, and probably of similar cost to what they are currently spending, assuming Conklin is on atleast $150-200k and Jett and Schenscher are on atleast $200-250k between them.

Obviously some huge defensive holes, etc but this team isnt built to win, they arent anyway, its just trying to make it a bit more exciting.

Having 2 guys that can score 20ppg is potentially more exciting, and at the moment, they dont really have even 1 legit scorer or go to man.

Even if they couldnt get top imports and are spending below the cap, spend the Conklin, Jett, Schenscher money on Blanchfiled (out bid Melbourne) and say Gary Ervin or another proven scoring guard who you could have got pretty reasonable price id imagine and they would be more exciting to watch

"Jett and Schenscher are on atleast $200-250k between them."

I would've thought they wouldn't be on more than say $120k between them. Jett is fat and didn't even play anywhere last season so doubt he would be on more than maybe $50k and Schenscher got a 3 year deal out of the Crocs even though he was done a few years ago so the trade off for that would be less p.a.

The Crocs can't afford 300k so the idea of a super star import would never fly. They are in the situation they are in with the players they have as money talks and they don't have much of it. They are what they are - budget.

I was thinking Schenscher would be on atleast $100k, i thought the 36ers offered him something this off season which would have been atleast $60k so i thought he left for more money, i could be wrong, the 36ers may have not offered him that.

Jett i was thinking $70-$130k, so yea not shocked if its on the low side

Even for $120k wouldnt that get you a Gary Ervin type??

To me that would be better than Jett and Schenscher if they combine for $120k, i like Schenscher but he is a back up these days and the Crocs need an exciting import and a scorer Ervin would give them that.

What is Conklin on?? could they have added that to Blanchfields salary and kept him?? and then got a cheap import even a Montreal type??

Kay/??
Montreal/Young
Steindl/Henry
Blanchfield/Djeric
Ervin/Maynard

could have been more exciting than what they have now and drawn a few more fans

The marquee import would be better but yea if they cant afford it i reckon this would be more exciting than the current team.

Oops i meant

Kay/Young
Montreal/Henry
Blanchfield/Steindl
Norton/Djeric
Ervin/Maynard

Everyone assumes Blanchfield would stay if counter offered. I'm sure after last season's debacle he would of seen the writing on the wall. Let's face it most clued in on here know it's the final season so a player involved with the club everyday would know the ship is sinking. Additionally players don't purely want the highest offer but stability with X years on a contract and a chance of a ring.

Very true, but was the offer even made, i remember a couple of years back when Woolpert was coaching, they started horribly and then got Ervin and Neville, by the end of the season they almost made the playoffs and were looking like a good team, cant remember what crowds they had, but they were sort of looking like building something on court.

Then Woolpert is in the paper saying Ervin and Neville are his priorities, then shortly after he was replaced.

I wonder what happened?

I thought a core of

Neville
Import
Blanchfield
Norton
Ervin

was on the right track and Neville was actually playing decently,

Could have built around that and added most of the young guys off the bench and been a competitive team

Surely the franchise is in a better place.

I always wondered what happened to that, why they got rid of Woolpert and didnt re-sign Neville and Ervin who both played well,

Isn't that when the wheels started to fall off? I recall Gleeson coached for a few decent seasons then replaced by assistant Woolpert. However well credentialled the American was it didn't quite work. Although I do remember he was spending too much time cursing the refs.

Was it at around the same time the original owners walked away? That was the last push and Colbran perhaps saw the writing on the wall with the dwindling crowds and middle of the pack finishes and got out at the right time. There is only so much you can put into a club and he was there since state league in 1990.

The crowds are that bad that there is no official listing on austadiums what so ever.
Crocs you have been great for so long, now just a shadow of themselves. Bye bye.

Dennis furious with slow start.
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/hawks-swoop-on-crocs-after-sluggish-start/story-fnjfzr2z-1227586129237

On Blanchfield ever considered he might've thought it looks like it's going under so make the break now why his stock is hot could've had a serious injury or drop in form this season at Crocs and might not be able to command the money he got from Melb?

#311 it was mentioned above but many seem to miss the point.

Thanks GWB^

The people running the Crocodiles need some serious help. They have known for a long time that we have a fair few home games on a school night, yet you only ever hear about the Crocodiles on game day.
Why don't they give free entry for school kids on school nights or something.

Hate to say it but Jett has to go