Darwin Basketball throws Australian Rollers Paralympic team training lifeline

The Darwin Basketball Association has come to the rescue of the Australian Rollers Paralympic team, who found themselves stranded with limited places to train in the wake of the Covid outbreak in NSW.

Tom O'Neill-Thorne and Clarence McCarthy-Grogan are part of the men’s Australian Wheelchair Basketball team, which is in Darwin for training ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics. Picture: Che Chorley

DARWIN Basketball Association came to the rescue of the Australian Rollers Paralympic team, who found themselves stranded with limited places to train in the wake of the Covid outbreak in NSW.

Parts of the squad found themselves whisked away from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra following the pandemic, and with other jurisdictions closing their borders the DBA opened their doors.

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Just weeks out from the Paralympics, Darwin is now set to become the final camp for both the men’s and women’s squads.

And for Territorians Tom O’Neill-Thorne and Clarence McCarthy-Grogan this couldn’t have worked out better, with the pair getting to show off their home courts to the national squad.

O’Neill-Thorne got his first taste of Paralympics action in Rio, and alongside his Territory compatriot is eagerly awaiting team selections for Tokyo due to take place next week.

“I’ve been trying to get the guys up here for a long while and it happened almost by accident. But I’m excited for the group not only to train here but to get around the community,” O’Neill-Thorne said.

Shaun Norris is captain of the men’s Australian Wheelchair Basketball team, which is in Darwin for training ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics. Picture: Che Chorley

“I’ve never felt this physically or mentally ready ahead of a game and being back here as preparations have been amazing. Everyone has loved being in Darwin.

“ It’s been a stressful past week but finally being in Darwin was a relief for everyone.

The heat is a big part. We’re acclimatising, it’s really good that we’ve been able to come here and get a bit of a sweat on ahead of the games.”

Captain Shaun Norris is somewhat of a legend of the wheelchair game, having won gold in 2008, silvers in 2004 and 2012 and now eyeing off his fifth Olympics in Tokyo.

Hannah Dobb and Ella Sabljak are part of the women’s Australian Wheelchair Basketball team, which is in Darwin for training ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics. Picture: Che Chorley

“We thought it best to get out of Canberra with the Covid conditions. And then the weather in Darwin is quite close to Tokyo so it killed two birds with one stone,” Norris said.

“Darwin has been great. The people are so welcoming and training has just been awesome.

“The squad is shaping up well. We placed third in the last world champs where we were fairly new to each other and now we’ve had another three years together.”

Female stars Hannah Dodd and Ella Sabljak are also in Darwin ahead of the games and are eagerly anticipating the upcoming selections.

“It’s been a unique experience for a Paralympics. Having the extra year to prepare has been good for a lot of us,” Dodd said. “We’ve obviously had to be really adaptable when it comes to moving around. But yeah, it’s been fun and a lot of hard work.”

“The squad has to rebuild. We had a lot of girls leave after Rio and again after Worlds in 2018 so we’re new but I think we will do alright as we learn different structures.”