Preview: NBL24 Round 9 v Cairns Taipans at Cairns Convention Centre

The Brisbane Bullets will have a full squad available for the first time this season as NBL24 resumes with another edition of the Sunshine Stoush rivalry with the Cairns Taipans at Cairns Convention Centre.

After the FIBA window that gave the NBL a general bye last week, the season resumes this weekend and that presents a Round 9 double-header for the Bullets beginning on Friday night in Cairns and then wrapping up on Sunday at home to the Illawarra Hawks.

Friday night is the next instalment of the Queensland rivalry with the Taipans in the second meeting between the two teams this season with the Bullets coming up just short in Round 2 89-86.

The last time Brisbane beat Cairns was May 26, 2021 so Friday night presents the chance to defeat the Taipans and to get back on the winners list.

Before the FIBA break on the back of wins against the Perth Wildcats, Tasmania JackJumpers and South East Melbourne Phoenix, the Bullets were then in winning positions against each of the JackJumpers, Sydney Kings and Wildcats.

However, the way each game finished wasn’t quite ideal and as a result Brisbane now sits on a 5-7 record and are looking to return to the winner's list in Cairns this Friday night.

Helping that cause will be the fact that the Bullets will be at full strength for the first time all season as well with import point guard Shannon Scott to return after missing the last six games with a hamstring injury.

With Josh Bannan having missed the first five games, Aron Baynes then missing five and Scott having missed the last six, Brisbane has been missing a player that was pencilled in part of the starting line-up every game so far this season.

That's why Hostplus Brisbane Bullets Head Coach Justin Schueller is so excited to have everyone fit and available for Friday night's match up with the Snakes – even if Cairns will also be fully fit for the first time this season too.

"It's been a long time coming to get the squad together and I guess the weird thing is that the starting group we thought we'd have we're not using that one anymore," Schueller said.

"But I'm really excited to have all 12 guys available, fit and ready to go."

The last two weeks has provided the chance for plenty of reflection on those three tough to stomach losses leading into the FIBA window, but the reality is the Bullets did so much right and what they have produced over the last six matches has been mighty impressive.

That's why Schueller has taken a positive approach with the players to focus on what they are doing right, and then just learn from those tough lessons late in games.

"Part of that is getting guys the shots that we want them getting, but also part of it is learning what winning looks like in this league," Schueller said.

"We still are relatively new together and these are the lessons that I believe we needed to now be able to go and do what I believe we can do. I'm looking at it as a learning for us and now I think we'll be able to really see the understandings that we've got out of those games.

"There's been some really grumpy reviews post-game after how the results have gone and the things we wanted to do but perhaps didn’t quite execute in the right moment.

"But they are our learnings and that's our growth, and we know we're in a good position for where we want to go the rest of the way.

"The window's been good for us, we've been able to work on key areas and there's a hunger in this group that knows we could have a much better record, but that's behind us and we just keep moving forward."

Friday night's game is the second clash between the Bullets and Taipans this season, with the first meeting at Nissan Arena back on October 7 quite the eventful affair where the Snakes ended up winning 89-86.

Schueller knows that he has stepped into quite the rivalry between the Queensland foes, but more than anything he can't wait to get back into action with his Bullets team and try to get back to the winner's list.

"It's a rivalry for a reason and they really only grow legs when certain incidents happen, but for us all we care about is a win," Schueller said.

"We've got two games this weekend and we really want to come out playing our best basketball against two great teams.

"There'll be a lot of talk about it, but for us that's ancient history and it's about the team we are now from when we played them last time. We're excited to show that on their floor."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs Cairns Taipans

Tip off: 6:30pm (AEST), Friday 1 December, 2023

Where: Cairns Convention Centre

Watch: ESPN via Foxtel and Kayo