THEY were the talk of the town after last Saturday's conference final win, but the Albury-Wodonga Bandits are far from finished.
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Not content to be the best team in the Eastern conference, they're aiming to be crowned SEABL champions.
“It's all well and good to win a conference grand final, it's an achievement we're extremely proud of as a team,” Coach Brad Chalmers said.
“But in this league, no-one remembers who comes second.
“We want to win this.”
Reigning SEABL champions and 2015 Southern conference winners Mt Gambier stand in the Bandits way, with the Pioneers entering the clash as slight favourites, despite the Bandits claiming a narrow win in overtime in their only meeting this season.
After entering their last month's worth of games as heavy favourites at the home court, Chalmers said his side wasn't phased by their billing as underdogs.
“To be honest, I don't talk to the guys too much about that aspect of it,” he said.
“They are all professional athletes, they know what they're doing.
“There's no hangover from the conference final, the desire to win hasn't changed.
“They still want to win games of basketball.”
The Pioneers were without point guard Tom Daly for their last clash, with the enigmatic Deba George likely to line up against the Mt Gambier workhorse.
In this league, no-one remembers who came second. We want to win.
- Brad Chalmers
Chalmers said George had pulled up well after Saturday night's conference final, after he suffered severe cramps late in the final quarter before being fouled out.
“It's been a long year, it was one of those things where Deba tried a few different things to prepare and might have been a little bit lower on fluids than usual,” Chalmers said.
“He'll be ready to go.”
With both sides preferring to play a free-flowing and offensive style, Chalmers said whichever side was able to settle early and make the most of their opportunities would be at an advantage.
“Making shots will be crucial,” Chalmers said.
“Both teams have a lot of talent, it'll be a tough match.”
