WNBL Preview - Round Four

The ABC-TV Game of the Week was one for classics reel in Round Three, with Adelaide coming through in the final quarter to disappoint Sydney Uni and their home crowd with a five-point victory.

With the Canberra Capitals losing Jackson to injury this week, Sydney Uni will be looking for a win over the visitors to help them lift from second last on the ladder.

Canberra also take on Perth this weekend, and shouldn’t be worried by the inexperienced team, who, although they are sitting in fourth position, are unlikely to be in play off contention this season.

Perth then fly on to Adelaide where they will face a tough Sunday afternoon match at the Distinctive Homes Dome ahead of the 36ers and Brisbane clash.

Townsville face the unenviable Melbourne double this weekend, taking on Bulleen Melbourne on Friday night and a travel-weary Dandenong outfit on Saturday.

Bulleen and Townsville’s match will be the ABC-TV Game of the Week on Saturday afternoon and will be replayed on ABC2 at 11am on Sunday.

Bulleen Melbourne Boomers vs Townsville Fire

Friday, October 21
Veneto Club, Bulleen
Tip-off:   7:00pm

Bulleen suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Lauren Jackson and the Canberra Capitals last week and will be looking to get back on track against the Townsville Fire on Friday night.

Expect a packed house, as Bulleen fans revel in their team’s success over the past 12 months, and they will scream their team home over a tough opponent. Townsville have earned a reputation for being a tough team at home, but this season has shown that they are just plain tough.

They defeated Adelaide last week, making up for their loss to the South Australians in Round One, and have also defeated Perth, going down to Sydney Uni in their other tough match.

Rohanee Cox is proving a golden signing for the team which lost star forward Natalie Porter as well as Georgia Woodyard this season. She will be going head-to-head with Bulleen’s tough inside workers - Hollie Grima and Larissa Cavanagh.

Katrina Hibbert is doing what she does best – plugging away quietly, scoring good points for her team and contributing to Bulleen’s magnificent teamwork. She needs to be watched from anywhere inside the arc, from where she shows deadly range.

With the home crowd and a little more team chemistry, Bulleen Melbourne should take this match by a double-digit margin with the only X-Factor being what Rohanee Cox brings to the game that night.

*Watch it on ABC TV on Saturday afternoon or ABC2 on Sunday morning.

Canberra Capitals vs Perth Lynx

Friday, October 21
Southern Cross Stadium, Canberra
Tip-off:   8:00pm

Canberra’s disappointment in Lauren Jackson’s latest injury was almost audible when the news broke yesterday. Having waited over 12 months to see their city’s biggest star take their team to the finals, fans are hoping she will be fully recovered and back on court soon.

In the meantime… Canberra have a Championship to win – Lauren or no Lauren. Friday night’s match is a blessing, with the opportunity to play a team that will offer little resistance.

Perth are still sitting in fourth position after two wins against the AIS in Round Two and a bye in Round Three. With two tough matches this weekend, we could see them in the bottom group by Sunday night.

Katharine Hanks is proving a great pick-up for Perth’s new coach Paul O’Brien. She is averaging 22.7 points (behind only Jackson in league scoring) and had 20 points in an otherwise dismal outing for the Lynx in Round One against Townsville.

Jackson’s injury should see more minutes for Tracey Beatty who has been averaging 17 minutes a game for her new team this season.

Canberra will be looking at a few new combinations during this match, meaning their winning margin will be cut to only 20.

Milestones: If Eleanor Sharp can pull down her career average of three rebounds she will have 501 total rebounds for the Capitals. Kellie Abrams will be playing her 150th WNBL match.

Sydney Uni Flames vs Canberra Capitals

Saturday, October 22
Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatic Centre
Tip-off:   7:00pm

This match will draw fans from across the Sydney basin as they support their team against the League favourites. Despite missing Jackson, this match will still have plenty of high quality basketball on offer, with the likes of Tully Bevilaqua and Angela Marino at the point against League newcomer Vicki Brick and crowd favourites Belinda Snell and Michelle Musselwhite.

With Jenny Whittle and Tracey Beatty in the paint, Canberra will tower over Sydney Uni’s Natalie Porter and Georgia Woodyard. 188cm Sydney Uni forward, Gemma Sutherland, might get a run against her old team to help out in the height stakes and Eva Afeaki is earning a tough reputation under the basket, but it won’t be enough against the 197cm and 202cms of the Canberra centres. If Porter can put on a shooting show like she did against Adelaide last week she will keep her team in the match by drawing her tall defender out of the key.

After a strong crowd for their first home game last week, Sydney Uni will be hoping they can send their fans home with a smile, but it will be tough for the team that is still waiting on star guards Kristen Veal and Alicia Poto to return from injury.

Canberra should come away with a narrow victory.

Milestones: Belinda Snell is just 15 points away from 1000 points with Sydney Uni. If Eleanor Sharp didn’t crack 500 rebounds on Friday night, she should do it against Sydney Uni.

Dandenong Rangers vs Townsville Fire

Saturday, October 22
Dandenong Basketball Stadium
Tip-off:   7:30pm

After a tough and physical match against Bulleen on Friday night, Townsville continue the Southern Nightmare on Saturday night against Dandenong and a stadium full of passionate supporters.

The Rangers returned from Russia with a fifth place in the FIBA World League for Women last night, nursing injuries to Sam Richards and Caitlin Ryan. This may or may not hamper their performance over the next few weeks, but no matter what, just like last season, they will play their way out of it.

Emily McInerny is proving that she can play the game at both ends of the floor this season, hitting nine points in each of her two games this season, upping her career average of 4.2 and last season’s average of just 2.5. Known for her defensive prowess, and her ability to feed the ball to her teammates, ‘Macca’ has been looking at the basket whenever she has the ball and isn’t afraid to shoot the thing!

Townsville will have to pull everything together if they want to get another W, but even with all their big guns firing, they will be hard pressed to get up over the class of Dandenong who should take the match by more than 10 points.

Milestones: Carly Wilson just 22 points away from 1000 points with Dandenong.

Adelaide Fellas vs Perth Lynx

Sunday, October 23
Distinctive Homes Dome, Adelaide
Tip-off:   4:00pm

Adelaide are sitting in sixth place on the ladder after three rounds, a position they didn’t think they would see themselves in after working on retaining the core of their team and recruiting well.

However, with a tough draw to open the season, they will be looking forward to an easier match to off Round Four.

The match up between Laura Summerton and Katharine Hanks will be one to watch, with Australia’s darling taking on one of the league’s hottest new imports. Both have been contributing significant points and rebounds to their team’s tally and will be go-to players for this match.

Tami Willey is proving a great get for Adelaide, with the American centre making good use of her time on the court with 12 points in 22 minutes last week against Sydney Uni.

Perth will show improvements throughout the season, but will not have what it takes against Adelaide this week, going down by at least 15 points.

Note: All match start times are local.

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