Mystery of Eagles' 'diabolical' periods

Dec 15 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

FAB Flournoy has called for an end to Newcastle Eagles’ third-quarter “meltdowns” as the BBL champions prepare for a tough-looking weekend double-header.

The Eagles have won six of their last seven games to move into fifth but player-coach Flournoy admits he is concerned at the way they are playing after the half-time interval. On several occasions they have been in commanding positions only to let their opponents back into the contest.

And while they have usually been able to wrestle momentum back in the final quarter when playing at Sport Central, they have not had the same success in away games.

That is a major stumbling block as they look to retain their BBL title against a seemingly unstoppable Mersey Tigers, who are already ten points clear of the Eagles – albeit having played three games more.

“The big point that I have been making to the guys is about the third quarter,” he said.

“We have been having diabolical third quarters and while at home we’ve been able to survive, away from home we’re really not able to pull it back.

“I can’t really put my finger on why that is but other teams are pushing it up in the third quarter and we don’t seem able to respond really.

“Now we need to make sure that we’re starting the third quarter with energy and intensity because it is costing us points and really we need to be moving forward with this crucial run of games coming up.”

The return to the fray of Flournoy himself should give the Eagles much more defensive energy.

He hopes to finally return – after a succession of aborted comeback attempts – on Friday when the Eagles host Worthing Thunder.

Twenty-four hours later they travel to in-form Guildford Heat in a double header that could go a long way to deciding whether they have much of a chance of retaining their BBL title.

Flournoy knows the importance of the matches – hence his interest in playing his part.

“I didn’t play on Friday but I have now been given the clinical ‘all clear’ to play a part this weekend,” he said.

“On Monday I had my first fully-fledged practice session from beginning to end.

“Before then I’d only been taking part in bits of the session so it was a big step forward for me. I intend to play over the weekend.”

Meanwhile, Flournoy has played down talk of recruitment in January – despite admitting that the Eagles are looking over a list of possible new arrivals.

The emergence of 17-year-old Ross Wilson has added numbers to their training sessions, with the teenager slated for a big role for the remainder of the campaign.

And while the Eagles were looking at veteran guard Ralph Bucci, currently playing for Tees Valley Mohawks after leaving Greece, it appears they are now happy to bide their time and see how they perform over the packed festive period.

“We have been talking about different players here and there,” Flournoy said.

“But there’s nothing concrete at the moment.

“The biggest thing for me really is trying to get every single one of the contracted players that we’ve got out there and playing again.”