I did wonder how Todd Blanchfield has become a DNP guy.

Surely that bench will have some turnover - why Blanchfield and Norton would want to another season of this.

Rillie's coaching philosophy,

Don't rebound.

Don't defend.

Just score.

It worked against SEM.

May even work against Cairns.

It won't against NZ or Sydney

Rillie adjusted his strategy to fit his roster

Norton played a lot of the year injured

The rest of the bench is cooked

Yes Norton played good yesterday but he's been below average majority of the season.

Blanchfield has arguably been the worst player in the league - can’t shoot and can’t defend.

Yes Norton played good yesterday but he's been below average majority of the season.

Rillie said he coaches on feel, what he sees in front of him, it's more the old fashion type of coaching. Now days sides no how many minutes players get and when they go on and off the court even before match starts.
Norton was good and will do ok for the rest of his contract, but it’s going to be a long two seasons for Blanchfield at benches end.

Players tend to withdraw being aggressive once injured for fear of permanent injuries.

Blanchfield, Majok, Norton received injuries and thereafter tended to play easy, no heavy rebounds or going for 'hail Mary' acts.

They were shown up, hence Rillie hit them heavy with career ending ‘sit downs’. Justifiably so, else Rillie will very well finish up with just one year of coaching the Wildcats.

I like that because it is telling people you are taking action on players not wanting to play up to expectation. Secondly, it sets discipline in the team by ‘shaming’ those people, making them sit out most games. A patronising coach would allow players to do as they please and he suffers the consequences.

Rillie is doing well, keep up the disciplining.

Good call dunkman & a coach should raect to the actual game & not egos. A good example is Mitchell injecting a cold & injured Broekhoff to ice the game on thursday & he shot 2 bricks. Te Rangi barely missed all game ???

I'm going with Te Rangi every day of the week.

Season for Phoenix now over...

Norton's been playing a injured a year - he gets a pass...

Pretty sure Tai’s hammy isn’t great - hence the minutes reduction…

The way Travers is playing he could get drafted to the NBA…

What is the injury that Norton has been carrying all year?

Hip.

If that's true, and his form is being attributed to an injury, he should have been stood down and an injury replacement brought in for most of the season

But he wasn't...

Which suggests it wasn't a debilitating injury which was causing his poor form this year

"The way Travers is playing he could get drafted to the NBA..."

Again?

Forde commented on good coaches being able to identify talent and attitudes. Gleeson, Bevo also very good. Rillie certainly good on finding offensive talent. Roth another with a good eye.

"Which suggests it wasn't a debilitating injury which was causing his poor form this year"

Where did the idea of a debilitating injury come from? I think it's more a guy who relies heavily on his ability to play at a high intensity has struggled to do that with an ongoing niggle, and that's left him less effective.

It's probably no surprise that after a stretch where he didn't play much and would have got his body in better condition that he played closer to his best at the end of the season.

Disagree with the comments that Blanchfield is the "worst in the league." I think it has been terribly hard for him to go from someone who plays a lot of minutes to DNP in half a season, would be so tough to grapple with mentally.
Not really sure what that was about, but I do know Manek was playing very ordinary for most of the season and Rillie stuck with him.

- Blanchfield was cooking at the start of the season
- Norton was also cooking at the start of the season
- Webster comes in there is only on ball, the battle of the best cost a touch for both Norton and Blanchfield
- Rillie sat them both not having the balls to demand ball movement.
- Rillie keeps saying it worked, you came 6th buddy.
- Norton being referenced to not performing, he can't sub himself on and unsure how you would all feel being stood done from your role at work without any explanation at all, none.
- Blanchfield same boat

The Wildcats of old is dead and all they stood for is dead, Australian Talent, how the heck are they going to recruit Australian talent when they are treating the ones they have the way they are, building over them instead of coaching them. While blooding the younger boys.

I am told that Norton is the most well respected players in the league, I would assume whoever is thinking of coming is making a call. Seems like a straight forward lad, good luck. I also had Mike Kelly tell me what he does for the younger guys on and off the court is remarkable. Above anything he had seem before in the league.

Blanchfield - gotta feel sorry for him, he has been built over every team he has gone too.

What will be will be.

Perth had the most efficient offense in the league (116.3pts per 100 possessions), and also had the worst defense in the league (116pts per 100).

Lots of focus on their offense for some reason...

Blanchfield has always played well for Gleeson, nowhere else.