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THERE’S a strong mutual respect between Mount Gambier Pioneers and Chris Hogan as the Braves veteran prepares for his 400th SEABL game this Friday night.
The Braves and Pioneers have engaged in countless epic battles throughout the course of Hogan’s enduring career, with the 2018 co-captain having been front and centre in many of them.
Among the more recent battles, the Pioneers eliminated the Braves from the national title picture with a south conference grand final win in 2015.
The Braves extracted their revenge a year later by capturing their third national championship with a 79-61 win over the Pioneers, with Hogan a key contributor with 10 points and seven rebounds.
It’s clear the Braves’ games record holder is held in the highest regard by the Pioneers organisation.
Three-time championship coach Richard Hill said Hogan was well-respected as an opponent and well-liked by the Pioneers playing and coaching groups.
“A few years ago he was struggling a little I think it’s fair to say – and he would admit to that – but he fought back well and had a great year and was a huge part of Bendigo’s (2016) championship-winning team,” he said.
“He had a great season that year and made a real difference to their team.
“I know we were expecting him to play a huge part in that grand final and he did.”
Hill said he was certain Hogan would get a tremendous reception from an expected close to sell-out crowd at the Icehouse in Mount Gambier.
Pioneers guard Erik Burdon, an eight-year SEABL player who last weekend clocked up his 200th game, described Hogan as one of the league’s best pure shooters.
“Four-hundred games is an amazing thing to achieve and it’s always been a pleasure to play against Chris,” he said.
“He’s one of the genuine nice guys of the league.
“He plays hard and is a great talent on the court, but he’s the first guy to shake your hand after the match and to have a chat with you off the court.
“I don’t think there’s any way I’m reaching 400 games, it’s an amazing achievement and just shows the talent and hard work Chris puts in week-in and week-out.”
Hogan said he had the utmost respect for the Pioneers and was proud his 400th game fell against one of the Braves’ fiercest rivals.
“In my experience in this league, the groups that are successful have a very good and strong core component, generally locals, or people who have moved to that area and stayed for a long time,” he said.
“They have guys like that like Erik Burdon, Richard Hill, who is a great coach, and Tom Daly and Brad Hill – they have a great core that has kept that group successful for a very long time and full credit to them.
“We have the utmost respect for them, but that doesn’t mean we are not going to do everything we can to beat them.”