Geraldton Buccaneers still aiming to improve despite being the top team in the league

While most teams might be happy sitting at the top of the NBL1 West ladder, the Geraldton Buccaneers are not satisfied, despite losing only one game this season.

Geraldton have found new ways to win every week.

Against Rockingham and Perry Lakes on June 15 and 16, they scored a season-high 116 points. They beat Rockingham 116-94 and defeated Perry Lakes 116-99.

The following week they scored a season-low, beating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 77-68.

Despite that, they remain in the winners’ seat but coach Dayle Joseph said it could be frustrating to fall short of their high standards.

“It wasn’t our best game as a team,” he said.

“We got put under pressure and probably didn’t respond to that as well as we would like earlier in the game.

“The thing is we’re a team with high expectations as well, so when we’re not meeting those, it leads to a little bit of frustration.”

After a season of players missing time with injury or being in and out of the line-up, the Buccaneers are finally playing at full-strength.

Although their record might suggest otherwise, Joseph said they were still yet to hit their top form.

“I think we’ve still got a few things to iron out a little bit, just getting those rotations right,” he said.

“Depending who we play, and the match-ups is going to depend on what our line-ups look like.”

With all the depth the Buccs have, it becomes an issue of trying to fit everyone into the game plan when the side is spoilt with riches.

“I think for me, as a coach, it’s great to have. Some of the players might get a bit frustrated if they’re not getting the opportunities they would like from time to time as well,” Joseph said.

“But the end result is hopefully they can trust the coaching staff to get the job done and get our match-ups right.”

With just five games left before finals start, Joseph said there were no issues that the side had not got things perfect yet.

“I think its all coming, I’m not concerned about it . . . we’re away this weekend for two games and gives us a good chance to sort that out,” he said.

“Win or lose, we’ll be concentrating on getting some stuff right for us.”

This week will be the final double-header on the road for the Buccs, their sixth of the season — and while they could complain, Joseph put it into perspective in terms of how they handles the back-to-back games.

“I think the guys enjoy jumping on the bus, getting away and playing a couple of games of basketball,” he said.

“We’ve been pretty lucky we’ve been able to get wins on both occasions … we’ll see how we go.

“It’s all about getting a little bit better and preparing for what’s ahead of us.”

Despite the Sunday clash being a grand final rematch against Joondalup, the side are still focused on preparing for the Saturday match against Lakeside.

With players getting healthier before finals, import Josh Braun is expected to play a bigger part.

“Braun’s had two good sessions during the week, which is the first time he’s trained fully since he’s been here, pretty much,” Joseph said.

“So hopefully we get to see the best of him shortly.”

The Buccaneers head to Perth to take on the Lakeside Lightning on Saturday, facing the Joondalup Wolves on Sunday.