By Russell Bennett
After an extended, lengthy period away from the court that none of them saw coming, this weekend the Pakenham Warriors are back.
The pride of Pakenham basketball was forced off the court during the thick of the fight against Covid-19, but with Victoria now navigating calmer seas, the Warriors can’t wait to this weekend take the battle right up to the best of the Division 1 Big V women’s competition.
Leading the charge alongside coach Simo Pajdic in a historic campaign will be captain Jacinta Maxwell.
Having been a part of the Pakenham program since 2019, Maxwell has stepped up to lead the group this year.
She explained just how tough the enforced layoff, and non-season of 2020, was on the group.
“The forced layoff wasn’t ideal for everyone, especially having the season postponed the Friday before the first game,” she admitted.
“It was a bit rough having the waiting game for a few months before the season was eventually cancelled. The toughest part was definitely not being able to see all the girls and do what we all love together. It was clear how much we had all missed being together the first few sessions back after all the lockdowns – I don’t think we all stopped talking and laughing.”
The Warriors are well aware of the battles ahead of them in what looms as a brutally tough Division 1 competition.
But they’ll never shy away from a challenge.
Instead, they’re looking those challenges square in the eye and embracing them.
“I think over the last couple of weeks we have really started to see the potential we all have as a group, which is really exciting,” Maxwell explained.
“We took a while to get it all together after such a long break away from the game but I think we are timing it well for the beginning of the season and getting better each week.
“We are all really excited to test ourselves in the higher division and see what we can produce, but I do think we will surprise some people and be a bit of a dark horse.”
Maxwell said one of the group’s biggest strengths this season promises to be its size.
“We have some not only talented bigs, but also really athletic bigs,” she said.
“They are able to run the floor really well and also give us a really strong inside presence, which I think we have been lacking. I also think we have a pretty balanced team across the board – we have a team that anyone could step up on any given day, which will create a few headaches for our opposition.”
Undoubtedly, there’s been a real focus for the Warriors over the pre-season on improving on the defensive end, and Maxwell said there will be some real gains to be seen in that area.
“We want to be able to lock down and keep our opposition to low numbers and not get into any shootouts this season,” she explained.
“We have also been really working hard on our ability to read and react, and just be able to play off instinct compared to just going through the motions and running through the ‘x’s and ‘o’s, so to speak.”
While the Warriors lost their 2020 campaign, like teams from various sports all across the state last year, they’ve been boosted by the return of their core group for this season.
“We were really lucky that the core group all committed and decided to come back this season from our false start of a year last year,” Maxwell said.
“It was great that we were able to get Taylor Jones back down from Sydney and I think she will have a big year as a bit of a playmaker for us.
“(And) adding to the mix some size and presence inside with Tarryn Wilkin and Sarah Slater will be really good for our group. It was something we were lacking in our finals run in 2019.
“One of the positives out of Covid was that now we have been able to have two pre-seasons with the majority of the group and have a pretty good understanding of how each other like to play, but we also have that connection off the court.
“There is a lot of love in our group for each other. Overall, I think Simo has managed to put together a really strong roster – the right players in the right positions, and also just genuinely good people.”
Maxwell’s junior career was spent at Dandenong, but she hasn’t looked back since joining the Warriors’ program.
“When the opportunity came up here at Pakenham – being able to play with a group of girls I had played with before and had known for ages – I jumped at it and haven’t looked back since,” she said.
“I was really honoured to be chosen to be the captain of the team this year alongside Keeley Patterson as our vice-captain. We have known and played with each other for so many years so I am really looking forward to being able to lead the team alongside her.
“I think I am most excited to just be able to play with the group after the mess of a year we all had last year. I am really excited to see how we can go in the higher division this season – we have so much talent in our team and we are only just scraping the surface of our potential, which is really exciting for us.”
The Division 1 Pakenham Warriors women’s team will tip off their season this Sunday at 2pm in Somerville against the Westernport Steelers. The Division 2 men’s team will travel to Wallan for their season opener this Saturday night, while the Division 2 Youth League men’s team will be part of the curtain-raiser from 6pm. The Youth League women’s team will play in the precursor to the senior women’s first Division 1 game this Sunday afternoon.
