THE Taipans are confident of being included in the mix today when Basketball Australia meets to decide on the make-up of the "new NBL".
Taipans president Denis Donaghy said the club had no real nerves ahead of the decision despite not yet having the necessary $1 million guarantee in place.
Entry into the new league is dependant on strict financial criteria including working capital of $500,000 and a $1 million guarantee.
The Snakes seemed on the brink of extinction last December after being placed in voluntary administration but the Cairns community refused to give up its only national sporting franchise and rallied behind the club.
Pledges of more than $750,000 were received through individuals, businesses and syndicates buying foundation memberships worth $5000 each, with the majority of the pledges now converted into cash and held in trust pending the club’s admission to the new league.
The group initially known as Save the Taipans had its application for incorporation as Cairns Taipans Basketball approved and contracts are in place to buy the club’s NBL licence from liquidators if the Snakes are admitted to the new competition today.
But the timing of the state election has been the one wildcard in the pack for the new entity.
After an initial approach to Cairns MP Desley Boyle, talks had been arranged between Taipans officials and Treasurer Andrew Fraser, but with the election called, the Government entered caretaker mode.
Donaghy said talks with the Treasury’s director-general had been fruitful but with ministers only sworn in last week and their advisers receiving first briefings on Friday, the guarantee remains the one box still to be checked on the Taipans’ expression of interest to BA.
"We’re hoping they give us a conditional nod waiting on the guarantee," Donaghy said last night.
"We’ve said we will (meet that criteria), we’re prepared to, we’re just not in a position now to say it’s done.
"I’m hoping the outcome of (today’s) meeting will be: these teams are included; the Taipans are one of those and then we need to meet the guarantee in a certain timeframe."
The Taipans were advised on Friday to expect an answer from Treasury by the end of the week.
"I’d say if it was going to be a ‘no’, they probably would have told me that on Friday," he said.
"I’m still very confident we’ll get the nod (from BA).
"The only hurdle is that guarantee, we seem to have ticked all the other boxes with that expression of interest."
