There's positive talk about the new, pared back Australian National mens Basketball League which starts tonight with the New Zealand Breakers hosting Cairns.
The Breakers have been installed the early competition favourite in the 8-team competition, with no representation this season from Sydney or Brisbane, but the coaches are saying every team's stacked with talent and it'll be a dogfight getting into the playoffs with only four teams to qualify.
New Zealand club teams in Australian domestic competitions like the A-League and the NBL have traditionally struggled, and the Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis says it would be a big breakthrough for Kiwi sport if his team justified the bookies' optimism.
