Posted on 11 August, 2017

A milestone month for the Lady Cobras will continue on Saturday night, with Jordyn O’Shea set to play her 200th SEABL game with Kilsyth as they host Geelong in a first round SEABL Semi Final.

“It makes me feel old now (laughs) as we used to look at the wall of singlets and think ‘wow they’re so old,’” O’Shea said in reference the Cobras honour wall on Hugh McMenamin Court.

“And now that’s me which is crazy. It definitely snuck up on me, but looking back I’m just very lucky to have been a part of this club for so long.”

O’Shea’s eighth season in the league has been her best to date, with the floor general averaging career-highs in rebounding (3.6rpg) and assists (3.6apg) while enjoying her second best scoring season (7.1ppg). Her calming presence at the point guard position has helped the Lady Cobras secure the league’s best regular season record for the second consecutive season, while her unselfish play has helped the likes of Angela Beadle and Chantella Perera flourish in Coach Sam Woosnam’s system.

While she may not be the Lady Cobras most explosive scorer, O’Shea’s steady on-court leadership has been a driving force behind the Lady Cobras success over the past three seasons. Playing the best basketball of her career, O’Shea attributes much of that to a more relaxed mentality on game days, while her increased leadership responsibilities have forced to her to increase her performance, too.

“I’m definitely more relaxed before and during games now and just having fun with it a bit more,” O’Shea said.

“And now I’m more vocal on the court which has helped as well.”

Falling agonisingly short of a national championship in each of the past two years, O’Shea – like teammate Sarah Parsons – is desperate to go one step further in 2017. But despite experiencing heartbreak in back-to-back seasons, O’Shea’s approach remains the same, and she enters the postseason with added motivation this time around.

“My finals approach hasn’t changed,” O’Shea said as she prepares for Saturday’s Semi Final showdown against Geelong.

“I have no doubt I’ll still experience some little nerves on game day, but I’m moreso excited. There’s a few girls nearing the end of their playing days so I think that’s motivation enough to go all the way this year and send them off with a championship.”

O’Shea and the Lady Cobras embark on their playoff campaign on Saturday night at home when they host the Geelong Supercats, with a berth in the East Conference Championship Game on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 6.00pm, with the VYC Cobra Men to follow at 8.00pm as they take on Nunawading in Game 2 of the VYC Grand Final series.