PERTH PREVIEW – A BATTLE IN THE WEST

PERTH PREVIEW – A BATTLE IN THE WEST

The Fire features in the WNBL ESPN encounter for a second straight week with Wednesday night’s battle in the West with Perth getting round 2 underway. Townsville tops the table after a comprehensive victory over Geelong while the hosts also began their season with a win over Southside, in the grand final rematch. Both sides led from wire to wire in their opening games. While the Lynx remain at home for the clash, the Fire play away again.

Coach’s Comments

Fire coach Shannon Seebohm knows his team faces a tough task on Wednesday night.  He expects the Lynx will once again challenge for the title after falling at the final hurdle last season.

“They’re loaded with weapons, they’ve got shooters coming off the bench. They were in the grand final for a reason last year, they’re a dangerous team with a lot of talent.”

And Townsville can’t afford to clock off out at any stage against a side that’s not afraid to pull the trigger early in offence. A couple of successful Perth possessions could blow the game wide open.

“We know they’re going to shoot the ball quick and they can score a lot of points in a hurry. They play extremely fast, so transition defence is key.”

The focus has still been largely internal however, with the new look squad still aiming to build on a promising performance against the league newcomers.

“We’re still pretty early on in our time as a team. There are a lot of things that we want to do better as well as focus on what Perth do well.”

Player Preview

Saffron Shiels will suit up after missing the Fire’s first up victory. She’s overcome an abductor injury the disrupted her pre-season.

“I was definitely a bit upset but injuries happen, there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve been back with the team this week, so it’s all good now, so there’s no need to worry about anything.”

While the 18 year old isn’t exactly sure how she’ll slot into the guard rotation, fresh faces Lauren Mansfield, Zia Cooke and Nya Lok lighting it up last week, has inspired her to try and contribute something similar.

“They played really hard, they played a really good style of basketball and it was really fun to watch.”

Game Coverage

Tip off on Wednesday night is at 8.30 Queensland time. Catch the action on ESPN or the 9NOW App. Or keep an eye on the club’s social media platforms for score updates.