no one else was chasing him so makes sense to take the cash

Thought the same CT. Of course he'd take the option. Presumably decent salary for 7 games in a season, averaging under 14 minutes, 5.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG. Didn't manage a single block. 15 FGM total! Against 8 TO. Surely more to the story?

Maybe no blocks but has definitely altered shots or made blokes think twice about coming inside.

I don't think there is more to the story Isaac. There is no doubt that he has been a bust so far but it is not due to lack of effort on his part. It was made very clear to him when he was first signed that he had to work hard on his fitness and that he would be expected to perform. Fearne made sure Jawai worked hard and although he sustained a finger injury which saw him miss almost all of the that first preseason, he still managed to suit up in the best physical shape he had been for years.

He was lacking in game practice and learning the Taipans system though and struggled early. He also admitted to struggling with the expectations of being the main man given he had essentially been a role player after he left the Taipans early in his career. This included his time at the Wildcats where he played a major part in their championship win 3 seasons ago. He then sustained a shoulder injury in the back part of the season. He certainly underperformed in his first season but wasn't terrible and played a vital part in some of the Taipans wins.

He then had shoulder surgery at the end of that season and only returned to the practice court a couple of weeks before last season began. He said in an interview just before the season began that he was disapointed with his first season performance and had worked hard in the off season (whilst rehabilitating his shoulder) and had made alterations to his diet. That was shown to be true when he lined up for the first game in even better shape than he did the previous season and in the 14 minutes he spent on court he looked extremely good and played very well. Even though he then sustained the foot injury which kept him out most of the season, he played a big part in the Taipans winning that first game. When he came back for the back end of the season he was not in as good a shape and lacked touch. This was not surprising given the nature of his injury.

Jawai is a very big man and I think there is a limit to how much weight he can take off. He can't do much more than he did prior to this season (in particular) to get himself in shape. I'm the first to acknowledge that his on court attitude could be better at times (particularly when things don't go his way) however some of the stuff posted on this forum about him is way off the mark.

An example is a poster yesterday claiming the Taipans could have secured Jawai on a short term deal when the reality is the Wildcats wanted him back and were prepared to pay him top dollars. Another claim by the same poster was that coming home to Cairns would see Jawai not pushed hard enough. That poster clearly doesn't understand how Fearne operates and that Jawai is not spared from that.

There is no doubt the Taipans took a gamble on securing Jawai in the first place however Fearne believed he could get him into shape (which he did) and given Jawai's connection to the area and the difficulty the Taipans have in signing players that could be game changers it is hard to be critical of them.

Its a poor excuse for people to talk weight gain as a pro athlete just because your injured.

Real professionals don't blow up in weight because of an injury they follow strict diets and work with medical/training staff to modify programs to stay active/fit during injury layoffs.

Reality is bang on. Injuries are not an excuse for weight gain.

Rugby players are a good example - very few top-flight rugby players who get injured will ever get too far out of their playing shape. Sonny Bill Williams' is an incredible example - physique did not change even though he was out of action for 7-8 months through a torn achilles.

Hopefully for Cairns sake he can get back in shape and start contributing to give them output for their investment.

Its a poor excuse for people to talk weight gain as a pro athlete just because your injured. Real professionals don't blow up in weight because of an injury they follow strict diets and work with medical/training staff to modify programs to stay active/fit during injury layoffs

He didn't blow up in weight. He was just carrying a bit more than he was at the start of the season which, as I said was understandable, given the nature of his injury. It was a serious foot injury and he was on crutches for some time. I have no doubt he was on a modified program to stay as active and fit as he could. That's what happened when he had the shoulder injury and he came back in good shape. A foot injury such as he had is a different proposition though. I personally think he came back too soon from the injury.

Perhaps he could have eaten better over that period (I don't know) however the point of my original post was that despite people such as yourself looking for any excuse to sink the boot in, Jawai has actually put a lot of hard work in the last couple of seasons and (in general) it hasn't been through lack of effort on his part that he has been a bit of a bust to this point.

By the way, aren't you the poster who claimed it was common knowledge in Cairns that Gliddon and McCarron had told the Taipans that if Fearne returned as coach, they would be leaving?

Wow....the level of BS Cairns supporters will spin to justify Nate's tenure at the club.

I especially like this one....

He was lacking in game practice and learning the Taipans system though and struggled early. He also admitted to struggling with the expectations of being the main man given he had essentially been a role player after he left the Taipans early in his career.

What a absolute crock of sh!t.

He had to learn a new system at the Wildcats, whilst overweight and he did OK there from the looks of the banner. And he came in as a late desperate replacement for Greenwood, Yes, a C replacing a PG. So not only did Nate had to learn a new system, so too did the Wildcats had to re-adjust to leverage off Nate's exceptional passing.

He was the focal big man at the Wildcats, and now you are suggesting he can't be a focal big man at the Taipans???

What you are also suggesting then is that Gleeson is more competent than Fearne.

Cairns had a severe hard-on for Nate and wanted him back at any cost despite not being able to afford him, so they go begging to the government to pay for Nate.

I'm glad Nate is taking Cairns money for another year, enjoy another season of Jerry Evans Jnr.

I don't think there is more to the story Isaac. There is no doubt that he has been a bust so far but it is not due to lack of effort on his part.

If there isn't more (depression, anxiety, etc) then it's down to discipline, focus and effort levels. Loved watching Jawai back in his first years. He was so unique and dynamic, but he hasn't carried that through consistently.

Not surprised he took up the option but I'm glad it's with someone else's team.

Losing Gliddon, McCarron and then locking in Jawai at his price from x years ago is three tough, consecutive blows to take. Oh, and on the back of losing Fearne. And being a small market team to begin with. Rough.

I wasn't taking a shot at you Isaac (if you interpreted it that way). There's no doubt Jawai hasn't consistently carried through the initial promise he showed. The point I was making was that in the last 2 seasons with the Taipans he has put a lot of work in and pretty well done all that has been asked of him from the point of view of preparation. Yes, he didn't have a great first season but it wasn't terrible either and his 2nd season was ruined by injury. I know it was only a 14 minute appearance before he sustained his foot injury in round 1 last season but he looked like he was back to somewhere near his best.

Given the Taipans have lost Gliddon and McCarron already I don't count Jawai taking up his option as being negative. It certainly could turn out that way but there is still some chance he can make a big contribution, he is a local and the Taipans already need to find replacements for Gliddon, McCarron and Weigh.

As for the anonymous poster saying that Cairns fans think Fearne is the only one who can get the best out of Jawai, I'm certainly not saying that. Fearne did get him back in much better shape than he was in at the Wildcats though. That didn't translate to better performances on the floor though in his first season back and, even though he was in very good shape, injury messed his 2nd season up. I actually think a new coach could well be the best thing for him - he just needs to knuckle down again and get back to where he was at the beginning of this season.

Is there a thought that he can't push as hard as others due to cardic issues from when he was with the Raptors potentially?

I'm not seeing it as a negative that he is playing in the NBL still, he is a drawcard for opposition fans as he is unique in our league and I really do wish him well.

He should be close to team MVP this season and if Loughton and Weeks are ahead of him then that's not good enough.

Would anyone want Nanna Egwu back? He should only be a season or two off becoming a naturalised player?

Gordon Hayward from the Boston Celtics didn't blow out when he suffered his injury in the first game of the NBA regular season.. and he has only just returned to straight line jogging.

Please don't provide examples of professional athletes who take pride in maintaining their condition.

Cairns fans are just happy to know Nate has 'tried hard' and for that he must get a Gold Star.

Such is the standard of excellence in FNQ.

Flag this thread and we'll revisit in nine months. Jawai will domiNATE next season

Worth mentioning that Jawai looked pretty fantastic in the Cairns opener game before injuring his foot in the 2nd Q. Different story when he came back, sure, but it seemed like he had a good offseason before the unfortunate injury.