ONE'S indoor, one's outdoor. One encourages tackling and the other discourages it.
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Basketball and footy are polar opposites but for Portland Coasters, sporting synergy is paying dividends ahead of Saturday night's Country Basketball League grand final against Horsham.
Several Coasters double up as footballers for Portland Tigers - a Hampden league outfit - and use time on the hardwood to stay in shape over summer.
Jackson Dunlop, a dynamic scorer on both court and football field, told The Standard the Rebel Noter-coached Coasters had strong chemistry.
We're all playing basketball together now and through the winter we're still playing footy together.
- Jackson Dunlop
"We're all playing basketball together now and through the winter we're still playing footy together," Dunlop said.
"We've got a really good chemistry between each other and all year round we're always playing some sort of sport together so I think that helps a lot."
Portland booked its place in the decider via a hard-fought semi-final triumph over Warrnambool Seahawks this past Sunday.
Dunlop said the side - which includes Toby Jennings, David Denboer, Toby Oakley, Sam Peters, Jack Walsh, Nathan Hardingham, Jack Burton, Flynn Chapman, Ashley Hill, Ty Deans and Aiden Rogers - was full of confidence.
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"We've got that very young core and we have that speed that we'll need to bring (on Saturday). We're able to get up the court in transition, get back defensively and just move the ball with a lot of off-ball movement at a quick pace," he said.
"That's our strength and if we can do that and nail our open shots, it should be pretty good."
Dunlop hoped travelling Portland fans would show their support on the road with the club's women's team also to play in the decider in Horsham.
"It's fantastic both sides are in there. Hopefully the girls go really well and get a win and it'll be the icing on the cake," he said.
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