Yet, amidst the exhilaration, the skipper remains composed and unwavering in his determination to achieve the ultimate goal.
“We identified early on we would be a second-half of the season team, with a few new players and new imports coming in, but we’re all really clicking at the moment,” Bartlett said.
“It’s just about knowing what each guy brings, we’ve all figured each other out now at this point and we’re able to get guys into spots where they can really do damage because we know how each other operates.
“The group is so evenly spread, it can be anyone’s, not so much night, but their moment at any time.”
He pointed to Benalla product Lachlan Kego as a standout in recent weeks, after a season-best 21 points on a phenomenal 10 out of 10 shots scored at the weekend against Warrandyte.
“He’s been excellent since coming into the starting line-up,” Bartlett said.
“He’s the type of guy that if you say something to him once, next time we come down the floor he does it.
“He’s doing all the right things at the moment.”
Bartlett said at this point in the season, with the first or second spot pretty much locked up, the Gators were able to look ahead and really focus on finals basketball and use the remaining games to put themselves in prime position to take the trophy home at the end of the season.
With a rest for the first week of finals being awarded to a team in the top two, Bartlett said the group was looking into different ways to not become complacent during the final two months of the season.
“Obviously we still probably need one or two important wins, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves,” he said.
“We’re getting every team’s best efforts, for a lot of them one game could be the difference between making the finals or not.”
Gators take on Bulleen this Saturday, July 1, with their fourth away game in a row, taking them on at Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Stadium at 7pm.
Bulleen has made a push into sixth place, with four wins from its past five starts and a convincing win over the contending Warrnambool last time out.
“They’re going to be tough, it was a big win for them last time, so we’re going to have to bring our best,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett reflected on the team's journey, noting the shift from being underdog in last year's finals to becoming favourite this year.
“The goal doesn’t change, but the mindset does,” he said.
“We’ve got a few guys that have never been in this position where teams are going to give us their best every week and we’re the team to beat, so it’s just a different approach.”
After taking on Bulleen, the Gators will be welcomed back home to the Swamp on July 8 for their highly-anticipated clash against second-placed RMIT.
The Gators will be looking to get revenge on the Redbacks after they were bitten by RMIT in round 7 in one of their two losses this season.
