Cairns Taipans selection step up for Fisher
The steel cap boots have been buried deep in the cupboard and the days spent sitting in a water truck or a bobcat are now a thing of the past for a new Cairns Taipan.
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The steel cap boots have been buried deep in the cupboard and the days spent sitting in a water truck or a bobcat are now a thing of the past for Cairns Marlins captain Anthony Fisher.
Alongside QBL teammate George Blagojevic, Fisher has this week been elevated to a contracted Taipans player for the upcoming NBL season.
The Ballarat product is one of the longest tenured basketballers in Far North hoops, surviving the clean-out following Aaron Fearne’s departure, sticking with the club as a development and training player while also working on the side.
It has taken him a few years to realise his dream of becoming a full-time contracted player, paying the bills in the meantime by labouring and driving machines.
It is a story of persistence for the popular point guard as there were times he thought his pro dreams had been dashed, before receiving the breakthrough news earlier this year.
The 25-year old has known for weeks he was about to be a NBL player for real, with Mike Kelly informing him of the news before he departed for the NBA Summer League.
The hard-nosed point guard would usually train and do weights in the morning with his teammates, before getting dressed and heading to a building site, sometimes not getting there until lunchtime, such was his basketball demands.
“The last few weeks since I have not been working in the afternoons, I have found it a little hard not knowing what to do for the rest of the day as we were finished Taipans by 1pm,” Fisher said.
“Usually at that time of day I am sitting in a water truck or a bobcat.
“It will take some time getting used to it but I am excited for it.”
Fisher averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game in the QBL this season, just months after being named “Club Person of the Year” for the Taipans.
“It’s extra special that it’s Anthony Fisher, who we all know has worked his tail off to get this opportunity through both the Taipans and the Marlins over the years. I’m excited for him to be a part of this,” Kelly said.
TAIPANS SQUAD
Anthony Fisher and George Blagojevic join Scott Machado, Cameron Oliver, Majok Deng, Nate Jawai, Kouat Noi, Jarrod Kenny, Mirko Djeric and Fabijan Krslovic on the team.
Originally published as Cairns Taipans selection step up for Fisher
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