Rollers To Face USA In Coastal Continental Clash

The Rollers are set for a pre-Paralympic tune-up against the Americans with a squad heading over for the Coastal Continental Clash in North Carolina from 7-9 June.  

Across the three days, four games will be played against Team USA, which has claimed three gold medals in the last four major tournaments, including the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

A strong performance will be essential for Rollers veteran Shaun Norris as the team looks to reunite with the podium for the first time since 2018.  

“It’s going to be a great hit-out against the current world champions. We have made good adjustments since we last played them and it's going to be a good chance for us to get some quality on-court games,’’ said Norris.  

It’s been a decade since the Rollers sat atop of the throne. From 2004 to 2014, the program claimed six medals (three gold, two silver, one bronze).  

Norris, who was part of the gold-winning team in South Korea in 2014, will be gearing up for a sixth Paralympic journey alongside his teammate and Captain, Tristan Knowles.

"It's been a really good year for the squad, it's felt like a gradual build for us. We went undefeated at the qualifiers and booked our spot for Paris and so we knew we were onto something potentially pretty special,” said Knowles via South Coast Register.  

The Rollers will return to Australia in time for the start of the domestic NWBL season, with round one launching on 15 June, and for the Ford BALLIN'24 tournament in Melbourne from July 2-5.

The Coastal Continental Clash kicks off on Friday, 7 June with all games streamed live via NWBA’s Facebook page.

SCHEDULE  
 
GAME ONE | Friday, June 7, 8am AEST  
GAME TWO | Saturday, June 8, 8am AEST  
GAME ONE | Sunday June 8, 8am AEST  
GAME ONE | Sunday  June 9, 11pm AEST