Breakers look to bring an edge back ahead of Bullets

SKYCITY Breakers Head Coach Paul Henare spoke of the need for a change in attitude, as well as a look at systems as the team prepares to host the Brisbane Bullets at Vector Arena tomorrow (Thursday) night.

"We are too nice right now and I think we need to bring back a little bit of nasty - and this group is experienced enough to know what that means and how far it goes. It is not about hating each other, it is about holding each other accountable for when we slip below our standards and that is happening far too much right now."

Henare is quick to point out though that the nasty he is referring to is nothing to do with dirty play and that in fact it is just as much about how they deal with each other internally than it is on game night.

"We just need to play with a bit of an edge, from the defensive end there are breakdowns we are trying to rectify that we have seen over and over on film, in terms of that and as individuals it is about making the changes and if they havent been made, it is about myself and players holding everyone accountable for slipping below standards. Sometimes that can be an uncomfortable conversation for some and some people can take it the wrong way, but it is important thing is to send the right messages for the right reasons.

"Everyone in the group will have been through something like this at some time, especially the core group of experienced players. For whatever reason we have times when we have so called form slumps and need to fight our way out of it, what is important is to keep tapping into what is important to us in order to do that."

Henare says that as a group they are looking at making adjustments for the Bullets on Thursday night, but that time has been against them.

"We have only had a short turnaround this week but it is definitely on the cards. We are definitely looking at the rotations and trying to figure out why we are peaking and dropping throughout a game, that is what we are looking at but also systematically as well we are looking at a couple of different things that we can do."

Henare says morale in the team is strong, in fact maybe players are feeling a little too good about things, but there can be no doubting their desire to work hard and get out of a losing streak.

"We are better than anyone would think - and maybe better than we should be if that makes sense. This is such a great group of guys, they are a strong unit - that is why we have spoken about bringing back the nasty. To a fault almost we are too nice and that is one of the areas we need to make a change in."

The team is fit and ready to go, with just Ben Woodside on the sidelines as he continues to rehab his ruptured plantar fascia injury. The Bullets come to town in second place on a congested league ladder, with a 7 win 6 loss record compared to the Breakers 6 win 8 loss first half of the season.

Next Home Game

SKYCITY Breakers v Brisbane Bullets

Thursday 8 December

Vector Arena

7:30pm tip off

6:00pm doors open

Tickets from www.nzbreakers.co.nz

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand