THE Cairns Taipans are today expected to announce they have parted ways with coach Aaron Fearne following the 2017-18 NBL season.
Multiple sources have confirmed to the Cairns Post the club will today make the announcement official after Fearne held the top job in Far North Queensland for nine seasons.
Fearne, who started with the club as a player, took the Taipans to two grand finals but in his last three year contract has failed to win a finals game and missed the finals in the 2017-18 season.
Speaking on Wednesday night at the club’s awards night, Cairns Taipans CEO Mark Beecroft offered “a huge thank you” to the club’s coaching staff but failed to shed any light on the future of his out-of contract coach.
“(I want to give) a huge thank you to (assistant coach) ‘Pearl’ (Jamie Pearlman), Aaron and Jamie O’Loughlin,” Beecroft said.
“This year was a real challenge.
“Managing the ins-and-outs with the roster and all the curveballs … I think you did an incredible job.
“The fact that you can go into Perth (and win) in the second last game I think is a credit to the team and showed the potential of what a healthy roster could have looked like this year.
“I want to congratulate the guys on what they achieved and sticking it through right till the end.”
The Taipans will now turn to finding a new head coach, the first time they have had to do so in a decade, as well as looking to retain star guards Cameron Gliddon and Mitch McCarron.
