THE WNBL SHOW MID-SEASON REVIEW
At the midway mark of the Chemist Warehouse WNBL 2018/19 Championship, The WNBL Show casts its eye over the season, the fortunes of the eight clubs plus co-host Michele Timms names her All-Star Five and MVP to date.
Perth Lynx: “They’re the best rebounding team, they’re one of the hottest teams at the moment, they get to the free throw line 20 times a game. They take care of the ball. They excite me, when I know they’re on TV or streaming and I can watch it makes me happy because I’m in for a blue-collar game of basketball, I enjoy their brand. They’re going to have to go up that notch if they’re going to win the championship. 8/10″
University of Canberra Capitals: “Another team that excites me. Any team with Kelsey Griffin is going to be exciting. I love their flexibility, they’ve got a mosquito fleet and Maddi Rocci is really delivering, Leilani Mitchell’s finding her groove and you’ve got Kelly Wilson. They can go big, they can go small and I’ve been impressed with them. They do a really good job at home and no surprise are the best offensive rebounding team in the league. 7/10”
Deakin Melbourne Boomers: They do have Opals but they’ve still got a lot of work to do I think, we haven’t seen the best of them yet. To me at times they still play like they’ve got Liz Cambage but they’ve got Lindsay Allen so a lot of times last year they got it into Liz and she made things happen. I find sometimes that’s what they do with LA, they throw it to her and get her to make things happen which can be great or it can work against you. They’re definitely going to be there at the pointy end of the season but they’ve got a few things they need to fix up. They’re not enough blue collar for me. 7/10.”
Bendigo Bank Spirit: “Nat Hurst has been outstanding, one of the best point guards playing, and they’ve done very, very well off the back of her. I’m worried for them, I just don’t know if they can keep the momentum up. A couple of teams recently have shown how to defend them if you want to beat them. I’m nervous for them and to me that leaves fourth spot wide open. 6/10”
JCU Townsville Fire: “They’ve been disappointing, they’ve struggled, they’ve had distractions, they didn’t have a great pre-season, they’ve got all the excuses in the world, but now at the half way mark they’ve got to get a few wins on the board consistently and take care of business at home. Good signs for them though. Tess Madgen’s involvement and contributed at both ends, Micaela Cocks is a bit of an unsung hero, she leads from the front and her hardness excites me. Zitina Aokuso has been exciting and of course there’s Suzy Batkovic. 5/10”
Jayco Rangers: “One of those teams I’m really looking forward to seeing how their next few games go because if they’re going to make a run they’ve got to start, they’ve got to be consistent and go on a streak. They definitely have the cattle to do that it’s just a matter of getting the wins, getting some belief. They’ve obviously bought into what (coach) Larissa Anderson is trying to do, I think their defence has really picked up, I like their spread of offense. They’re the team that if they get it together, the fourth spot is wide open. 4/10”
Adelaide Lightning: “I like them. They haven’t been great on the road, they did beat Perth Round 1 and Dandenong though. I like them because I’m a guard and I love the fact they’ve got a really good perimeter game. Emotionally I hope they do better, but right now they’re with Dandenong for me. 4/10”
Brydens Sydney Uni Flames: “The only way is up for them. The bits and piece I’ve seen of Alex Bunton have been really exciting. I would love to see her play 35 minutes a game. They’ve had a tough run with injuries. Brittany Smart is terrific, I’m a big fan, love the way she goes about the game. They will cause some upsets. 1/10.”
All-Star Five: Lindsay Allen (Melbourne Boomers), Nat Hurst (Bendigo Spirit), Asia Taylor (Perth Lynx) Kelsey Griffin (Canberra Capitals), Suzy Batkovic (Townsville Fire).
MVP: Lindsay Allen, Melbourne Boomers.
Listen to the mid-season report card on The WNBL Show here.
The WNBL Show airs every Tuesday during the Chemist Warehouse WNBL season.