UTS
How their year went
In hindsight, the Bats had a tough start to the season playing three finals-bound sides in the opening month. They lost all of those matches albeit in relatively close encounters before winning their next three including a nail-biting four point win over North Shore. It went downhill from there though as they only won one of their next seven before salvaging some pride with three wins and a draw in their last month.
What they need
The Bats need more speed and better ball-users. They are a physically imposing unit but they get beaten too often in transition.
Shining lights
Tom Zilm was impressive after moving down from South Toowoomba. Zilm quickly made his way into Premier Division and was often in his sides best players playing as a key forward.
Season defining moment
The Round 8 loss to St George by 77 points signalled a marked decline in fortunes for the Bats. They then struggled to win what should have been an easy win the following week against Sydney Hills before then losing their next five games.
Grade
C-
Many pundits expected the Bats to make the finals after finishing sixth with eleven wins in 2012. They went backwards this year in simple win-loss terms and seemed to fall away in the back-end of the season.
2014 prediction
This season will force the club to re-look at the recruitment strategy. Changes are likely and need to happen if they are to improve and recreate a winning culture that was there when they dominated Division One a few seasons back. As it stands, they are too far away from the finals for that to be a realistic aim in 2014.
Last Modified on 30/09/2013 13:15
