Oliver Lees
Altona coach Josh Turton believes improving team defence is the key to turning around his side’s slow start in the Big V division 1 competition.
The Gators currently sit 0-2 this season with losses to Gippsland and Coburg.
Turton’s team earned promotion from division 2 after finishing second last season and went on to beat Whittlesea by three points in the grand final.
But the team has had some significant changes since then, with just Samson Rocker and Nicholas Patel remaining from the starting five.
That includes the departure of Adam Anderson who led the charge in the Gators’ grand final win.
Anderson had 41 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in 39 minutes of game time.
Reflecting on the first fortnight of competition, Turton said scoring wasn’t the issue.
“We’ve been scoring at a very high rate which is great, but we still haven’t completely risen to the challenge of going up to division 1,” he said.
“The [Easter] break comes at a good time, we’ll reset and fix the things we need to fix.”
The Gators are currently averaging 107 points allowed per game, which is the highest among teams that have played two games.
Rocker and Thomas Georgiadis have so far provided the offensive spark this season.
Rocker is averaging 23 point across the first two games, while Georgiadis had 21 in round one against United.
Import Brian Adams has also had a solid start in his first season.
So far he’s averaging 13 points, five rebounds and is leading his team in assists, with five per game.
“He’s great, he’s a really good guy,” Turton said.
“We’re a pretty low market team and club so it’s great for us to have him with us.
“In terms of his play, he had a good round one before he got into a bit of foul trouble.”
The Gators’ next match up will be Warrnambool at the Altona Sports Centre on Sunday.
The Seahawks have also had a winless start to the year.
Turton said the game was significant for both teams.
“It’s a big game for both teams, both trying to get our first win,” he said.
“It will be a challenge for sure, they’ve got some stalwarts and new imports.”
The RMIT Redbacks currently sit on top of the division 1 table with three wins.
