North Gold Coast Seahawks’ QBL basektball report card

How did the Seahawks rate across the 2019 QBL season?

• Seahawks find their voice: June
• Overcoming halftime scare: June
• Five Seahawks to watch in 2019
• Tough night out for Seahawks

THEY failed in their last gasp effort to make the QBL playoffs, going down to USC Rip City in round 15 to slip out of the top eight. After making finals in their first QBL season, what’s next for the North Gold Coast Seahawks women?

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Women

Ladder position: 9th

Results: Nine wins, nine losses

Grade: C

Top Two Performers

Deja Middleton. Picture: Fan Fair

1.Deja Middleton: The star US import was one of the only three Seahawks to play all 18 matches in 2019. She was a huge presence inside the paint, leading the Seahawks in points scored with an average of 19.56 a game and also in rebounds at 11.89 on average. Genuine force and sharp shooter with a field goal strike rate of 54%.

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2.Casey Samuels: Showed why she’s a WNBL rising star, playing a crucial role all year for the Seahawks. Played all 18 games, came in second on points scored with 15.78 on average per game, and played more than 70 minutes more than the next best in captain Emily Allen. Came second in rebounds to Middleton with an average of 7.28 a game and also led the team in personal fouls for the year.

The Positive

The Seahawks bench depth was a highlight throughout the season. The Seahawks don’t lose too much on court when members of their starting five need a spell or get into foul trouble. While their starting five is full of experience, the Seahawks bench is full of up and coming talent who will shine in years to come thanks to the QBL exposure. Watch for names like Aimee Durbidge, Ella Brow, Charli Reece and Tayla Sleaford in the future.

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Area for improvement

Consistency. One game they’d come out firing and win a game nobody expected them to only to splutter the next week and drop a winnable match. Every game counts in the QBL and the Seahawks will be hoping to be at their best for longer next year.

Best performance

The Seahawks win against top four contenders Mackay up north was huge for the fledging QBL franchise. Mackay unsurprisingly went into the game favourites on their home deck but the lady hawks had other plans and dismantled the Meteroettes to emerge 14 point winners. It’s extremely hard to win up North in such a tight QBL competition but the Seahawks showed everyone that it’s not impossible.

Worst performance

It wasn’t their worst team performance but it was devastating loss considering what was on the line. The equation was simple, win and the Seahawks secured a spot in playoffs but lose to USC Rip City and the Sunshine Coast side would take their place. The home side led at every change but couldn’t hold on for victory in front of a vocal home crowd after Rip City levelled the scores with 43 seconds to play, with a few late free throws sealing the win and a playoffs birth for Rip City.

Player to watch in 2020

In her QBL debut year, Katie Deeble proved that she will be a force to be reckoned with. The 15-year-old averaged eight points a game but it was her skill and transition that turned many heads. With another pre-season under the belt, expect Deeble to take as seamlessly to her second QBL season as she did to her first.

THEY finish third last on the ladder with only five wins and still believed they could push for playoffs midway through the QBL season but what’s next for the Seahawks?

Men

Ladder position: 13th

Results: Five wins, 13 losses

Grade: C

Top Two Performers

Quinton Campbell in action for the North Gold Coast Seahawks. Picture: Peni Taleni

1.Quinton Campbell: It’s hard to go past Campbell. In his second year at the Seahawks, Campbell has gone to another level. Top scored with an average of 15.44 points a game and led the team in rebounds with 7.5 a game.

2.Cameron Goldfinch: After spending the first part of the year playing college basketball for Newman, Goldfinch proved why he is a rising QBL star. The sharp shooter averaged 15.38 points a game and 4.06 rebounds. His long range shooting was particularly impressive, hitting more threes than anyone in the Seahawks side with 41.

The Positive

The Seahawks narrowly avoided the QBL wooden spoon last season after only notching up three wins but in 2019 we saw improvement from the fledging QBL franchise. They won two more games than last year and only really had two blowout margins throughout the season. All we ask is that the Seahawks remain on the upward trajectory in 2019 and maybe even push for a playoffs spot.

Area for improvement

At times it appeared like too much was left to too few at the Seahawks. Their starting five is left to do a bulk of the work while the bench is full of young up and coming players who may take a few more years to reach their QBL potential. The positive to that is that they are young and it won’t be long until they’re fighting for starting spots.

Best performance

The Seahawks had a few memorable moments in 2019 but their win away against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix in round eight was one of the more impressive. Captain Rob Linton was forced to the bench after accumulating five fouls but his teammates stepped up. Four Seahawks reached double digit points while Tom Howard was unstoppable inside the pain, chalking up 11 rebounds as the Hawks put together one of their best team performances of the year.

Worst performance

The Seahawks were blown away by Townsville in round six. After competing with the Rollers until half time in the Coast clash the night before, the Seahawks didn’t land a punch the following night and went down by 50 points. It was a huge blowout which would have sparked some intense personal reflection. Thought Townsville are indisputably one of the competitions best sides, the Seahawks would have hoped for a bit more of a showing on their home court.

Player to watch in 2020

After a two year hiatus from basketball to pursue Aussie rules, Tom Howard adapted back to basketball with ease. He built a fair highlights reel for himself in his first year in Seahawks colours, including an incredible dunk against the Brisbane Capitals. Provides genuine excitement and should improve again next year as he builds back towards the form that saw him signed by the Townsville Crocodiles before they folded.