IT’S the little things that make a huge difference.
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The Albury-Wodonga Bandits have started their SEABL campaign with a bang, unbeaten after three games to sit atop the East conference standings.
With a raft of new players coming together in surprisingly quick fashion, the Border outfit has gleefully reaped the benefits.
And Bandits skipper Michael Watson says it’s no coincidence the team’s star recruits — Donte Nic- holas, Cory Dixon, Deba George et al — have been the catalyst for change.
“Not to knock previous years’ teams but I’ve noticed the extra work everyone is putting in,” Watson said.
“The new guys, every day they’re either shooting or in the gym.
“We don’t have to police people; in the past we’ve had to force professionalism on people and now that’s not the case.
“All the new guys want to share the ball and have everyone involved.
“Deba asked me what the team assist record is, he wants to break it and that speaks volumes about his unselfishness.”
In an early-season blockbuster, the Bandits travel to Geelong tomorrow for a clash with the always-powerful Supercats.
A win would simultaneously push Albury-Wodonga to 4-0, condemn their hosts to a 1-3 start and, crucially, give the Bandits a potential head-to-head advantage in the conference standings.
Watson admitted the Bandits’ focus in years past was to simply be competitive, rather than worry about the ramifications of conference wins and losses.
But in the tighter-than-tight East conference, where six of the seven teams will likely push hard for four playoff spots, every victory could prove crucial.
“The big thing for us now is getting results in conference games,” Watson said.
“There’s no harder place to play than Geelong but there’s also no better place to play because of the crowd.
“It’s not daunting but Geelong is a team that has been together for a while, full of savvy veterans.
“We’re confident we can go with any team, we turn up not just wanting to be competitive but wanting to win.”
After 10 SEABL seasons spent almost purely as a defensive stopper, there’s been a noticeably different role for Watson this year — spot-up shooter off the bench.
With an anaemic career mark of 21-98 (21.4 per cent) from international waters, Wat- son hardly fitted the mould of a reliable shooter.
But a pre-season spent retooling his shot has paid dividends, hitting a pair of triples without a miss last Friday.
“If I didn’t change, I might as well retire because I wasn’t going to get playing time,” Watson said.
