DBL Sharks Sheffield out to get back on track against Giants

The DBL Sharks Sheffield will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats when they take on Manchester Giants at the EIS tonight.

Having lost in the BBL Trophy to Worcester Wolves in their first game of 2017 three weeks ago, a spirited fightback against Leicester Riders the following week fell just short, but after a short break captain Mike Tuck is adamant the side can go one better this time.

“It’s a shame we had a weekend off because the guys were ready to get cracking and get back on it,” said Tuck.

“But it has given us some extra time to prepare and we’ve had a solid week’s practice.”

Tuck said the Sharks are relishing facing Manchester again in a repeat of the fixture back in October which brought up Sheffield’s first home win of the current season.

“Manchester is one of those sides that had a bit of a shakey start. They had a young team and they’ve added a lot of players since the last time we played them.

“I’m really looking forward to having them back in our gym and going up against them again.

“I think we’re playing them at the right time. It’s tough because we’re coming off a two-game losing streak, but we’re a lot better than the last time we saw them.”

Tuck also insists momentum is key at this stage in the season. With just over half the campaign played, the Sharks will be looking to put together another winning run going into the all-important season-ending play-offs, a competition Sheffield won in 2015/16, beating the Riders in the final.

“We’ve got to think about the head-to-heads,” said Tuck. “We play every team in the league three times so we need to win this one to get the head-to-head.

“We’re trying to take it game-by-game and win as many as possible. A top-four finish gives you home advantage in the play-offs and just gives you that little bit of an edge, so we’re looking to finish in the top four.

“But for us, it doesn’t matter where we finish. As long as we make the play-offs, anything can happen.”