Locked in for finals isn’t enough as the Geraldton Buccaneers are gunning for a top-two finish

The Geraldton Buccaneers have guaranteed their spot in the 2024 NBL1 West finals, but that isn’t enough as the team have their sights set on bigger goals. Sitting on top of the ladder, the Buccs have only dropped one game this season, and have dominated on the road. A pair of wins on the weekend helped Geraldton punch their ticket into finals, but the side have no plans to take their foot off the pedal. “Not at all, our goal is to finish top-two, so we can’t afford to drop games or relax or be happy with that part of the achievement,” coach Dayle Joseph said. “Our goals have been set high and we’ve set a really high standard . . . concentrating on ‘let’s make that grand final’.” The side was already dominating the competition, but was boosted even further when 2023 grand final MVP Johny Narkle returned to the side at the weekend after missing the past 10 games with injury. He was given the all-clear on Friday, suiting up at the weekend. Narkle had an immediate impact, scoring 17 points on Saturday and 34 on Sunday. With seven games left, the Buccs are at full strength for the first time this season — a scary proposition for opposition teams. “It gives us a lot of options . . . when we’re thinking game plans and tactically when we’re coming up against oppositions and things aren’t working, we’ve got a variety of situations we can throw at teams,” Joseph said. “That’s the beauty of our team at the moment. We have multiple scorers at multiple positions.” Now Geraldton are back at home, preparing to face the Eastern Suns. With the starting line-up rotating over the past two months, the level-headed Joseph will be happy to have stability in the starting five. “I think, majority of the time it’ll be pretty settled . . . we’ll have a bit of structure in place, but it can certainly change,” he said. “If we need to get an advantage somehow we may change it, but at this point I think we’ll try to get settled.” Narkle’s return to the side taking the load on scoring, lifted a weight off Nik DeSantis’ shoulders, who has been Geraldton’s leading scorer. Having multiple options allows the Buccs to run a versatile offence, aided by players making sacrifices for the team’s success. “I think that’s the beauty of the way we play — the ball gets through most people’s hands at some point in our system,” Joseph said. “Guys that are feeling confident will have opportunities to score. If teams decide to put more time into Johny to stop him from scoring, that frees up someone else.” Sunday was the 450th game for captain Aaron Ralph, which Joseph said was business as usual for the veteran. “Pretty low-key, there was a congratulations that went around and briefly spoke about it in the change rooms about loyalty and commitment,” he said. “It’s been a long process for him ,and I’m glad he got to 450, but I know Ralph and pretty sure what he would prefer to have over the next 10 weeks.” Geraldton fans will have a chance to congratulate Ralph with a belated celebration at home this week, with the side facing the Eastern Suns at Activewest Stadium on Saturday, with tip-off at 7pm.