Round 9 WNBL Preview | Thebigtip

Round 9 contains some real blockbuster matches where the credentials of several teams will be examined. A couple of teams (Bendigo and Canberra) will be under pressure to get good results to stick with the battle for 5th while the likes of Logan, Townsville and Dandenong will be looking for that crucial edge over Bendigo and Canberra.

Let’s look at the matches and see if we can predict possible upsets.

Friday night: Bulleen vs Sydney @ The Veneto Club (Replayed on ABC1 at 1pm on Saturday December 3rd)

This is a huge match between 2 sides that will definitely be right up there come the end of the season. Sydney had a tough loss to Adelaide last week while Bulleen enjoyed the rare luxury of a bye and the question is how the sides’ preparations will affect them

Key Matchup: Samantha Richards vs Alicia Poto

Wow! There are plenty of big matchups with Amy Denson and Snell rotating against Elizabeth Cambage but the battle of the backcourt is the one to watch. Both girls have been in tremendous form for their respective sides with Richards averaging 15.0 points and 3.9 assists per game compared to Poto’s 12.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game. Richards is going to have a hard slog trying to stop Poto and I suspect a real shootout could occur in the backcourt.

The Final Word

What a match this is. It has so much riding on it and with ladder positions tight, any win would help in the head-to-head which is the defining decider if teams are tied on win/loss at season’s end. That said, Sydney have got many threats on the floor with Alicia Poto, Belinda Snell, Amy Denson and even Katie-Rae Ebzery contributing offensively and Bulleen will need a massive defensive effort from the likes of Alice Kunek, Samantha Richards, Elizabeth Cambage etc. Just looking at those names and you see a combination of star quality and hard working grunt. It could go any possible way this match and really it’s a tough one to tip but I’m going to tip the “safe” option and go for the home side

Bulleen by 3 points

Friday night: Townsville vs Logan @ Townsville RSL Stadium

The second Queensland clash for the season and Logan will be coming out trying to even up the ledger after they were beaten by 12 points in the first clash. Both teams come into this game in very hit and miss form with Logan coming from 13 behind to beat West Coast while Townsville suffered an embarrassing 1 point loss to the AIS and then beat West Coast by 15 in a scrappy game.

Key Matchup: Shanavia Dowdell vs Cayla Francis

These two players were highlighted as the key players for their respective sides when they played last time and this time I’ve decided to highlight them as a matchup. Dowdell has dropped off a little in recent weeks and her season averages are now 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while Cayla Francis continues racking up double-doubles for Logan (she has 6 for the season) and she averages 16.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. As a matchup this is going to be some contest and I’m tipping both girls will top score for their respective sides.

The Final Word

Both sides are an enigma are the moment. Logan are pulling comebacks out of their backside while after an incredible start, Townsville have really fallen in a heap and their loss to the AIS is the lowest point they’ve had for the season. While they did beat West Coast, I just have questions on both sides. Can they both put together 4 consistent quarters? Are they both acquiring a reputation for Jekyll and Hyde basketball? Do they both have what it takes to make finals and cause havoc? This game will help answer some of those questions as this will be played at a finals like intensity

Townsville by 6 points

Friday night: West Coast vs Canberra @ WA Basketball Stadium

Canberra are refreshed having had the bye last weekend while West Coast had a tough Queensland double and really they should’ve split the 2 games but ultimately they came home with nothing and now have a tough match against a rapidly improving Canberra.

Key Matchup: Samantha Norwood vs Marianna Tolo

A couple of weeks ago you could criticize Norwood for her failure to improve on last season but her past couple of games have been fantastic. She averaged 16 points and 7.5 rebounds on the Queensland double last week however this week is a tougher task altogether against the in-form Marianna Tolo. Tolo is still improving her points (averages 14 per game) but she also averages 10.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game which are both outstanding figures. Norwood is going to have a very tough task and I suspect despite her best efforts, Tolo will have a field night out

The Final Word

10th vs 8th should be a pretty close game however when these 2 teams played each other recently, Canberra won by an astonishing 35 points. Canberra enjoyed the rest last week while West Coast lost both matches of the Queensland double though they were relatively competitive. West Coast need a win to get off the bottom of the ladder and they do enjoy the home support but for Canberra to have any chance of playing in the playoffs this year, they need to get the win and I suspect they’ll manage it

Canberra by 17 points

Saturday night: Dandenong vs Sydney @ Dandenong Basketball Stadium

Sydney slipped to their second successive loss last week, losing to Adelaide by 3 points and will be coming off a tough match the previous night against Bulleen while Dandenong overcame the loss of Jenna O’Hea and Krista Phillips to record a memorable 9 point win over the self-described “Jekyll and Hyde” Bendigo Spirit.

Key Matchup: Kathleen McLeod vs Alicia Poto

This is the sort of matchup that you go to watch in the WNBL and really what a matchup this promises to be. McLeod went berserk last week against Bendigo and carried Dandenong to victory with 36 points while Poto has the all round consistency to trouble and hurt Dandenong. If I wasn’t attending a family Christmas with family I see once a year, I’d be on a trip down to watch this marquee matchup, a matchup that will go a long way to deciding this game

The Final Word

Sydney are coming off a really tough game against Bulleen the previous night however the story is down at Dandenong. According to WNBL ITV O’Hea had a reoccurrence of her back injury however she should be right but Krista Phillips suffered a quad injury and should miss a couple of weeks. The loss of Phillips is bad but I also have a suspicion that O’Hea might not suit up and if she doesn’t, that would be a massive blow and would push this game into danger territory. I think even if O’Hea plays, Dandenong could be in bother as Sydney has far too many offensive weapons to keep down for the full 40 and if 3 of them get on fire, this could turn real ugly. Dandenong will play their hard, tough defense but for them to have a chance, they need to play it for the full 40 and sadly they haven’t been able to do so this season

Sydney by 10 points

Sunday afternoon: AIS vs Bendigo @ AIS Training Hall

Who would’ve thought a week ago that this would be a danger game for Bendigo? Such is the impact that one win suddenly has, giving the AIS a real confidence boost especially knocking over a team like Townsville. As for Bendigo, they lost a game they really shouldn’t have against Dandenong and questions continue over the fitness of Kristi Harrower.

Key Matchup: Sara Blicavs or Olivia Thompson vs Tess Madgen

I’m not sure which AIS player will be part of this matchup but I tell you what, this is definitely a battle of the young guns. Blicavs and Thompson have both been brilliant for the AIS this season while Madgen is on her way to being a top player clearly benefiting from the tutelage of Kristi Harrower. It’s going to be a battle of the young guns and I certainly am very interested in the outcome of it

The Final Word

Talk around the traps was that Kristi Harrower might rest herself from this game under doctors orders to look after her Achilles but with the AIS winning and Bendigo needing a win to stay in the finals hunt, suddenly it’s possible she may play to help get Bendigo back to 50% win/loss. The AIS have some real confidence from their win over Townsville last week and I reckon they’ll be looking to give Bendigo a torrid and tough game. They were able to come from behind against a flat Townsville but Bendigo will be up for this and somehow I don’t feel that lightning will strike twice

Bendigo by 23 points

Sunday afternoon: Adelaide vs Canberra @ Adelaide Arena

Canberra are coming off a match on Friday night against West Coast while Adelaide are going to be relatively rested up following their thrilling win over Sydney. Canberra really need to claim this so they can be back in the hunt for finals
 
Key Matchup: Suzy Batkovic vs Marianna Tolo

My word this is a superstar matchup, as good as it gets. Suzy Batkovic, the experienced powerful center averaging 25 points and 10.8 rebounds per game versus the youthful Marianna Tolo who averages 14 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Suzy has absolutely monstered everyone in the league this season with some unbelievable individual efforts whole Tolo is continuing to learn about her game and what she’s capable of

The Final Word

Canberra has suffered a blow leading into this weekend with Hannah Bowley ruled out due to injury and this makes them really undermanned. It wasn’t mentioned in the West Coast game preview as I believe that it can be covered better but against this Adelaide side, you need all the help you can get. Being undermanned and fatigued is a dangerous combination and Adelaide will be looking to strike another blow and maintain top spot in the league. Canberra will try hard as they always have under Carrie Graf but Adelaide just look too strong on paper and on exposed form

Adelaide by 15 points

It’s a tough round to tip and at this early stage every win is vital.

Stay tuned for my review followed by a quick preview of Round 10 due to there being a Wednesday night game next week.