Behind the scenes with the Wildcats
Their leader is a left-handed marriage celebrant who hails from prominent NSW dairy town Gloucester, but is lactose intolerant.
His team’s longest-serving star is a Nebraskan who delights in regaling his teammates with the intricacies of growing and picking corn. Their starting centre is a giant of a Tasmanian who looks as though he would snap you in half, but is more likely to rub your arm and apologise if he scared you.
Add a Texan and a Californian and you have the starting five of your Perth Wildcats, the team currently representing one of the State’s most iconic and most successful sporting brands.
The West Australian joined the Wildcats in Adelaide at the weekend for a behind the scenes look at their final away trip of the regular season. It revealed, for the most part, a tight-knit team bonded by often self-deprecating humour and a common goal to defend the NBL championship they won this time last year. That defence starts in Cairns on Friday and continues at Perth Arena on Sunday.
GALLERY: ON TOUR WITH THE WILDCATS
WILDCATS SHRUG OFF PERSISTENT CROCS
“It’s often like a big witch’s melting pot brew … you know, hubble bubble,” coach Trevor Gleeson said of the eclectic mix of athletes at his disposal. “I put all the personalities in, mix them up and try to find what’s the strength, what’s the weakness and what you want to stand for. We want to be the best organisation not only on the court, but off the court, too.”
To prepare for their Friday night game in Adelaide against the 36ers, the Wildcats gathered at Perth’s Virgin Lounge early on Thursday morning.
Gleeson’s peaceful few solo moments were interrupted when he was summonsed over the loud speaker by lounge staff as his team mingled around the breakfast Bain-maries like a mini-Red Army. He returned immediately after with a fist-pump to celebrate his upgrade to business class. The move sparked immediate scuttlebutt, particularly when 204cm Matt Knight – his straggly locks crawling around his white “Beats by Dr Dre” headphones - was coiled up in cattle class.
But not one player questioned the coach or asked to swap.
Wildcats in action against the Adalaide 36ers.
Further towards the cockpit, Tom Jervis stretched out in the exit aisle next to new Port Adelaide recruit Paddy Ryder, who had been home in Perth for the AFL’s indigenous camp. Across the aisle, Wildcats import DeAndre Daniels and Ryder’s new Power teammate Nathan Krakouer slept soundly next to each other.
Before takeoff, Drake U’u took the chance to slip in a quick hot chocolate. But when he accepted the barista’s offer of accompanying marshmallows, one pink and two white, team psychologist Sandy Gordon was quick to point out, “You are what you eat”. Later on the ground in Adelaide, players peel off into rented people movers to head to the hotel
We get loaded into the “Fun Bus” with captain Damian Martin, Shawn Redhage, Greg Hire and Jervis. Team physiotherapist and Jonathan Brown-lookalike Dave Philpot does the driving and as if to prepare for opponents, the sledging starts almost on the turn of the key.
Redhage randomly asks Jervis if he is tired and when quizzed why, he says, “Well, you’ve been walking around Perth all weekend with that diver’s helmet on”, in reference to the Giants visit. Jervis barely blinks before admitting a recent photo shoot for his soon-to-be-released bobble-head doll has him worried that it may need an accompanying paper bag for its head.
Hire is aghast that someone has posted a Lego image of him on his own Twitter page. Redhage, who would later say he was forced to wear his Bose headphones to bed because of the nearby karaoke lounge blaring until 3am on the first night, quickly asks if it has short arms. At one point, Hire and Jervis sing Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud in the back seat, Wayne’s World style.
Martin, who reveals he is related to Anthony, the blue Wiggle, talks of his upcoming marriage in April and his regular consumption of smoothies containing the Nanna’s berries embroiled in the recent Hepatitis A scandal. He says he’s not sick before discussing his thoughts on the personalities in the team.
“Matty Knight has played against the strongest, most intimidating players world-wide and they’re just as scared of him, but the only time I’ve ever seen him back down is if his one-year-old daughter wants something to eat,” he said.
“Jesse Wagstaff … there’s a quote, ‘Never take life too seriously because you’ll never get out of it alive’. That’s him to a t. I’ve never seen anything faze him in his life, including body odour. Greg Hire, if he’s not fixing up his top-knot hair-do or on Instagram, he’s always telling dad jokes and being the first one to laugh at them.
Matt Knight takes an ice bath in his hotel bathroom.
MORE SPORT
CAIRNS CLINCH NBL MINOR PREMIERSHIP
CATS STEAL DOCKERS CATCHPHRASE
TOWNSVILLE FIRST INTO WNBL GRAND FINAL
CRICKET WORLD CUP: LIVE SCORES
DJOKOVIC PREDICTS MORE SUCCESS FROM BECKER LINK
“Then there’s Tommy Jervis, he’s just a different human being altogether. He’s a very fun man, but he has to get permission from his fiancée Jazze to do anything and we love it. He’s getting married soon and if he’s not talking about the wedding he’s usually talking about ducks and whether you’d rather fight a thousand horse-sized ducks or one duck-sized horse.
“Jermaine “Dolla” Beal, he’s probably going to be our MVP this year, but I don’t know where the cheque goes to. I’ve never seen him bring out his wallet in the two years I’ve known him.”
More seriously, Martin said the bulk of the team had been together for so long that they had formed a “natural mateship” that underpinned their success, even to the point where Hire is next month expected to be the wedding celebrant Martin was for him and Knight. And being elected captain was a special honour he did not underplay.
“To get voted in by your peers as a leader means the world to me,” he said. “To have the ‘C’ next to my name does mean something to me, it’s one of the highest achievements I’ve had as a professional athlete.”
The whole Adelaide trip had surprisingly little down-time between scheduled meetings, meals, training and recovery sessions and game-time. And one of the most impressive features is punctuality as the whole squad arrives early to every roll call.
The Wildcats lost to the 36ers on Friday night and the disappointment was palpable. But it hardly felt fatal as the players were comforted by the fact their playoffs dream was still well and truly alive. Although, Sheeran’s song came on the radio again on the trip back to the hotel, this time there was no back-up singing.
A middle-aged woman appeared to be having a lovely Saturday morning as she peered over her glasses and around her newspaper at the Wildcat bodies exiting next to her from their hotel pool recovery session. Soon after, they were back on the plane to Perth.
The Wildcats yesterday completed their regular season with a 81-71 win over Townsville at Perth Arena.
