The Canberra Capitals could be stripped of ladder points next week despite coach Paul Goriss makings his return from a controversial suspension on Friday night.
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Basketball Australia expects the result of an appeal to be made public on Monday following Sydney coach Shane Heal accusing Goriss and the Capitals of cheating in round one.
Goriss was banned for a month after it was deemed he misused inside information by accepting video footage of a Flames training scrimmage from referee Simon Cosier.
The footage was intended for referee education purposes only before it was given to Goriss ahead of their fixture against Sydney. Cosier has been suspended for the season.
But further penalties linger after Basketball Australia appealed the initial rulings, declaring it was "not comfortably satisfied" with the integrity breach rulings.
The Capitals were initial clear of gaining an advantage in the win against Sydney, prompting Heal to declare: "You can't cheat and keep your points."
"The appeal was heard on Monday, 17 January and BA has been advised by the appeal tribunal that their final decision will be handed down on Monday, 24 January," a BA spokesperson said.
"The appeal tribunal has, however, issued a preliminary determination that they are comfortably satisfied that the original sanction issued to Paul Goriss is sufficient. He is therefore able to return to coaching duties."
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The pending-appeal news came as Goriss prepares to resume duties in the clash against the Southside Flyers in Ballarat on Friday night and after the Capitals lost their third match this season in a 29-point rout against the Perth Lynx on Wednesday.
American-import Britt Sykes suffered a fall during the game, requiring her wrist to be taped, but the Canberra camp assured she would be fit for Friday's match against the Flyers.
Capitals players Brittany Smart and Alicia Froling said the squad had physically pulled up well, after they kicked off their run of three games in five days.
The side is yet to meet the Flyers this season, but are aiming to improve their defensive consistency after two large scoring quarters against Perth cost them.
"It's learning from what we've done. We can't have lapses, especially against a good team like Perth," Froling said.
"Our egos probably hurt more than our bodies. So it's a quick turnaround, hopefully I think everyone will be good. We need to do what we need to do with recovery."
The Capitals have dropped to fifth on the ladder, sitting one place above the Flyers.
One concerning factor for the Capitals will be the much smaller margin (79-83) Southside lost to Perth when they played a few weeks ago.
Canberra's best three-point shooter, Smart, said their Friday night opponents had a similar offensive flow action to Perth.
"It does give us another opportunity to realise that we can't make one or two efforts in a defensive position. We need to make multiple efforts or start hard but then also recover hard," she said.
"I do think that we'll be prepared, and I definitely believe in what we can achieve against Southside. It'll be a good battle, but we're ready to respond."
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
