WITH the 2010 SEABL competition edging closer, the Frankston Blues are knuckling down to the business of pre-season and hoping to maintain their place at the top of the competition.
The good news is that captain Grant Dennis has decided to play on, no doubt spurred on by again narrowly missing out on the elusive silverware.
The bad news is SEABL's most valuable player and scoring machine Dave Gruber is going to sit the season out after four consecutive years playing for Frankston and in the NBL with Sydney Spirit and now the Wollongong Hawks.
To help plug the hole, the Blues have signed veteran import Chaz Briggs who has played in Holland and Turkey as well as Australia.
Briggs, a forward originally from West Virginia, is a former SEABL all-star with Mildura and has just finished a season in Thailand.
Blues coach Bill Runchey said: "Chaz is a proven competitor in the SEABL. He gave us all we could handle back in 2006 when we played Mildura. I think he will provide great defence, outstanding effort on the boards, and he is also a highly efficient scorer."
The women's team has signed former national junior coach Marissa Fillipou and she has in turn signed New Zealand national team and Washington University forward Jessica McCormack.
The 194-centimetre McCormack made her debut for the Kiwi team aged 15. Other recruits include Elli Lovelace from Knox and Natasha Main from Bendigo and former Blues forward Melanie Cotta is returning after having a baby.
■ Southern Peninsula Sharks take on the Blues in the John Holden Classic on Sunday at Hillview Stadium, corner Boneo and Eastbourne roads, Rosebud. Tip-off 2pm, women 2pm.
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