KEY POINTS:
Star recruit Kirk Penney will leave it to the last minute to decide if he is fit enough to make his debut for the Breakers against West Sydney Razorbacks tonight.
Penney has been recovering from the calf injury he suffered on the first day of pre-season training but the signs are he will play a limited role from the bench.
Penney plans to make his decision after the pre-match warm-up.
"It's touch and go. I'll just have to wait and see how it feels," he said.
"[Yesterday] was the first time I'd done a full practice, body banging, rebounding and doing everything you do when you're playing ball, not just shooting from the sidelines.
"I want to contribute to the team but I have to appreciate this is only the second game of a long season and the last thing I want to do is come back too soon and aggravate it further."
With Paul Henare out for another three to four weeks following knee surgery, coach Andrej Lemanis is hoping to get at least a handful of minutes out of Penney
"If we can get five to 10 minutes out of Kirk that will be great," Lemanis said. "But if he can't play at all, I'm sure a few of the other guys will step up and take more responsibility."
The Razorbacks are one of the few sides against whom the Breakers have a winning record, having won seven of the 12 encounters between the teams.
During the past two seasons, the 2004 grand finalist Razorbacks posted a miserable 10-55 record but, led by high-scoring American guards Troy DeVries and Darnell Hinson, they have started this season with two wins out of three.
By contrast, the Breakers are playing in just their second match after a two-week hiatus following their 90-95 opening round defeat by Cairns Taipans.
The Razorbacks would be match-hardened but that could offset by the Breakers' freshness, said guard Phill Jones.
"All the other teams are up to game pace and have been playing at that intensity for three weeks. It could hurt us but we could also come into the game fresh. The guys are pretty hungry to play and that could work to our advantage."
An original Breaker, Jones impressed on his return to the club against the Taipans, with his work under the basket belying his reputation as purely a three-point shooter.
"In my early years, I was always someone who could get to the basket and penetrate but I guess in the past few seasons I have probably gone away from that a bit and just sort of sat outside and bombed threes," he said.
"Andrej has been talking to me about trying to get into the paint and creating for others."
Jones was encouraged by the Breakers' first-up performance against the Taipans but felt the team ran out of juice in the closing stages.
The return of Penney, who is capable of shooting clutch baskets, should prevent that happening again, he said.
The Razorbacks' Tall Black centre, Tony Rampton, is under an injury cloud and could be forced to sit out the game.
Big Match
Breakers v Razorbacks
North Shore Events Centre, 7.30 tonight
