Rollers Find Their Mojo To Topple Spain 

Five days ago the Aussie Rollers, coming off an opening game loss to the Netherlands, fell 68-60 to Spain, all-but condemning their Paris 2024 campaign.  

At Bercy Arena on Wednesday, the Rollers gained their revenge.  

By beating Spain 78-74, they proved some valuable points; they do have the game plan to win at the top level, they do have the players they need to succeed, they do have the foundation to prosper on the world stage.  

Unfortunately, however, the Rollers’ first victory of the tournament came too late, the day after their quarter final defeat by Great Britain which put them into the playoffs for minor placings.  

“We started slowly, we were down by eight at quarter time,” Tom O’Neill-Thorne said. 

“There was a bit of fatigue from yesterday, but I think it shows the culture we’ve built in this group that we didn’t fold. I think in the past we would have rolled over and lost by 20. But we really wanted to show that we’ve got that Aussie never-say-die attitude and we came through and got the win.” 

Australia won the second quarter by four, the third by five and the fourth by three. A telling statistical advantage was points by the bench – 30 to 21.  

“Tom McHugh came off the bench and gave us some really solid minutes,” O’Neill-Thorne said. 

“He had 11 points. I’ve been in his position, where you don’t play many minutes in the tournament and then you’re expected to play late and it’s really hard to do that. He came on and really stood up. 

“Same with Shaun Norris. He had a vintage game, he was unbelievable. Bill Latham showed why he’s one of the best four-pointers in the world with 33 points. He was exceptional, the lynchpin of the team.  

“We knew where we’d gone wrong in the first game against Spain, so it was good to put it all on the line again and test out how we match up against them. Maybe in the first two games of the tournament we were affected by the bright lights and the crowds and were a bit shellshocked by everything.  

“It was good to come out against one of those teams and make it all work.” 

The Australians will face either the Netherlands or France in the playoff for fifth and sixth.  

A strong finish would set the Rollers a platform for the future.  

“If we can finish fifth it would be a good reflection of where we’re at, seeing we weren’t even meant to be in the top eight, given how we got here,” O’Neill-Thorne said.  

“Top five would be a good stepping stone. I think we’d get a good run into worlds in two years and then to LA.”  

By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia

Published: 4 September 2024