Snakes to move in on Crocs’ swamp: Cairns Taipans explore staging home games in Townsville
The Cairns Taipans will take a leaf out of an NRL rival’s playbook with the club planning to take home games to Townsville within the next two years as part of a plan almost a decade in the making.
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The Cairns Taipans will take a leaf out of an NRL rival’s playbook with the club planning to take home games to Townsville within the next two years as part of a plan almost a decade in the making.
Once fierce rivals, the Townsville Crocodiles folded after the 2015-16 NBL season, ending the vaunted “Reptile Rumble” clashes between the clubs which included an unforgettable semi-final showdown between the regional teams in 2011.
Following Townsville’s demise, the NBL approached the Taipans in a desperate bid to keep basketball alive in the Sun City, raising the possibility of a twin-city team, playing games in both markets.
The proposal was rejected by the Taipans board at the time.
But Snakes president Troy Stone flagged that a Crocs-free Townsville and an increase in games meant the time was right to revisit playing down south again.
“We are absolutely on board for expansion and I’ve spoken with the NBL over the last couple of years about potentially taking a couple of games away from Cairns,” Mr Stone said at the Taipans town hall meeting earlier this month.
“Townsville, Darwin, wherever the financials stack up to do that. We actually have an employee from our hated cousins.
“He lives in Townsville, but one of his tasks is going to be to work on getting a game to
Townsville now with the NBL bringing two extra games into this season.”
Mr Stone said hosting games in what was once enemy territory might seem strange to some diehard fans but added the shift could create new sponsorship opportunities for the club.
“Can we pull it off this season? Maybe not,” he said.
“But do we want to pull it off by next season? Absolutely 100 per cent we do.”
NBL Group CEO David Stevenson said the community-owned club had performed exceptionally well to post a profit last season in a competition full of well-heeled private owners.
“It is a huge credit to the group,” Mr Stevenson said.
“The way that we talk about the Taipans as a benchmark is also that basic principle of how do you keep your expenses below your revenue, and the Taipans have done that.
“And that takes a lot of discipline, it takes a lot of hard work, and they deserve a huge amount of credit for that.”
While having flagged the possibility of selling the club soon, the Taipans have shifted their gaze to the season ahead with the club actively recruiting players and coaches.
Mr Stone’s declaration follows on from the Cowboys moving into Taipans territory, with the NRL powerhouse set to base their NRLW team at Barlow Park from 2027.
Townsville is home to arguably one of the Taipans’ most famous wins with the club beating the Crocs 93-83 in game three of the 2010-11 semis to advance to their maiden NBL grand final appearance.
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Originally published as Snakes to move in on Crocs’ swamp: Cairns Taipans explore staging home games in Townsville
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