Key Rocket set to be sidelined

WORTHY CAUSE: Reggie Golson wears the ‘Donate Life’ t-shirt, presented to him by Josephine Reoch.

ALLAN REINIKKA AR--

THERE is little likelihood big man Michael Kingma will suit-up for tomorrow’s clash with the Gold Coast, but even without him the Rockhampton Stadium Nightclub Rockhampton Rockets will go into the match believing it can win.

“We will make a decision on Saturday (today), but he is looking doubtful at the moment,” Rockets coach Neal Tweedy said.

The coach said the Rockets will miss the rebounding skills of Kingma, but, with him suffering an abductor injury, don’t want to risk the big man with finals looming.

“He has been doing light training,” he said.

The Rockets complete the regular season with home matches against the Gold Coast and next week Gladstone.

Any game played at Hegvold Stadium sees the Rockets automatically start favourites, but Tweedy has been around the game too long and is cautious when playing matches his side is expected to win.

“They (Gold Coast) are a solid team,” he said.

The side has a base of experienced players along with a group of promising youngsters on the verge of making it into the next level with an NBL team.

Tweedy expects the vocal Rockhampton crowd to give a big welcome back to small forward Jason Aucoin who returned to the Gold Coast after a stint in Rockhampton.

Some other Goannas players to watch out for will be the experienced Shaun Tilby and youngster Shaun Gleeson who looks set for a big career in the NBL.

“We expect them to come and play an up-tempo game,” Tweedy said.

However, Tweedy knows he has the quality of player in his line-up to dictate the tempo the match will be played at.

Tweedy is looking at a big defensive effort from his team.

“Keeping them to 70 points will be a good defensive effort,” he said.

The Rockets will be keeping a close view on how Mackay goes as the league leader plays Gold Coast today and then has matches on the road against Townsville and Cairns next week.

Reggie Golson will be just one of the Rockets out to raise awareness in the community about organ donation.

Josephine Reoch, organ donor coordinator for the region, has presented t-shirts to the players which they will wear during their warm-up before the clash with the Gold Coast.

She said the “Donate Life” t-shirts are part of an initiative to get the community talking about donating organs.

“It is better people talk about it in their lounge-rooms rather than in the (hospital) emergency waiting room,” she said.