Basketball On The Internet.

YEAH that’s right. I’m taking the soft option and picking the reigning WNBL champion Bendigo Spirit to go back-to-back.

It’s such a cop-out, I know, because half the so-called experts/pundits/critics/unpaid-up members of Basketball’s United Media Society every year take the soft option of naming the previous season’s winner as this season’s “most likely”.

Really, it’s the criticism you can level at us most accurately because, I guess, the memory of a team raising the championship silverware is the most recent in our feeble and easily-influenced minds.

So we just land on them as our “most likely”.

But this time, Bendigo really does look in good spirit to repeat, having arguably gained more than it has lost.

So too its runnerup opponent and first night challenger Townsville. The Fire have a significant “gain” in Stephanie Cumming.

Oh yeah, and Suzy Batkovic could still be a little handy too.

I like Canberra a bit too, but that’s probably my Abby Bishop bias showing.

How well I recall them thar good olde days when Bish and Bat ran around Adelaide as the Queens Bs…

FULL WNBL TEAMS

ADELAIDE LIGHTNING

Last season: 18-6, 3rd, lost KO semi final

Coach: Peter Buckle (89-55, 62%)

Back: Jo Hill, Laura Hodges, Amy Lewis, Lauren Mansfield, Angela Marino, Nadeen Payne, Jenni Screen, Stephanie Talbot.

In: Jess Foley (Townsville Fire), *Azania Stewart (Pesci, Hungary), Kristy Rinaldi (Ballarat, SEABL).

Out: Suzy Batkovic (Townsville Fire), Molly Lewis (ret.)

Money: Watching Dr Foley operate on a regular basis has been worth the patience.

Seriously? Jo Hill won a WNBL title before Stephanie Talbot and Nadeen Payne were born.

Tip: 5th

BENDIGO SPIRIT

Last season: 21-3, 1st, won championship

Coach: Bernie Harrower (88-54, 62%)

Back: *Chelsea Aubry, Madeleine Garrick, *Kelsey Griffin, Kristi Harrower, Chantella Perera, Gabrielle Richards, Andrea Wilson, Kelly Wilson.

In: Sara Blicavs (Dandenong Rangers), Tessa Lavey (Canberra Capitals), Elyse Penaluna (Bulleen Boomers)

Out: Renae Camino (Sydney Flames), Hayley Munro (Melbourne Boomers)

Money: Kelly Wilson becoming an “overnight sensation” with the Opals program and Kelsey Griffin knowing the ropes from Day One spell another dose of white hot Spirits.

Seriously? If Bendigo does not go back-to-back, it will look hard at Blicavs who last year joined champion Dandenong and look what happened…

Tip: 1st

 

CANBERRA CAPITALS

Last season: 7-17, 8th

Coach: Carrie Graf (243-85, 74%)

Back: Jessica Bibby, Alex Bunton, Nicole Hunt, Carly Wilson.

In: Abby Bishop (Perpignan, France), Tara Hay (Reinhardt University, US), Natalie Hurst (Uni Gyor, Hungary), Sarah McCappion (Troy University, US), Carley Mijovic (Dandenong Rangers), *Isabelle Strunc (Perpignan, France).

Out: Brigitte Ardossi (Dandenong Rangers), Lauren Jackson (Heilongjiang Shenda, China), Casey Samuels (Sydney Flames).

Money: Yeah, I don’t give a rat’s toss bag (whatever the hell that even means) about male chauvinistic pigism so deal with this - Abby Bishop returning to the Caps now gives them the two best-looking blondes in the league.

Seriously? Carrie Graf is back and focused, even threatening to bring out the “white shoes of London” so many of us hoped had been donated to the Smithsonian.

Tip: 4th

DANDENONG RANGERS

Last season: 19-5, 2nd, lost preliminary final

Coach: Mark Wright (97-63, 60%)

Back: Aimie Clydesdale, Alison Downie, Jenna O'Hea, Rebecca Mercer.

In: Brigitte Ardossi (Canberra Caps), Alice Kunek (Bulleen Boomers), Leilani Mitchell (NY Liberty, WNBA), Rosie Moult (AIS), *Natalie Novosel (Washington Mystics, WNBA), *Kayla Pedersen (Tulsa Shock, WNBA), Lauren Scherf (Melbourne Tigers).

Out: Sara Blicavs (Bendigo Spirit), Stephanie Cumming (Townsville Fire), Tegan Cunningham (Logan Thunder), Rosie Fadljevic (Townsville Fire), Kathleen McLeod (pregnant), Carley Mijovic (Canberra Capitals), *Monica Wright

Money: Jenna O’Hea will give league MVP honors a run in another quality Dandenong team where only Mark Wright is a Lone Ranger.

Seriously? This many key players haven’t left one club since Gold Coast Blaze folded.

Tip: 3rd

LOGAN THUNDER

Last season: 8-16, 6th

Coach: Jason Chainey (8-16, 33%)

Back: Mikhaela Donnelly, Alice Honnery, *Laurie Koehn, Emma Langford, Holly Smith, Natalie Taylor, Kristen Veal.

In: Tegan Cunningham (Dandenong Rangers), Sarah Graham (Sydney Flames), Hayley Moffatt (West Coast Waves), *Ruth Riley (Atlanta Dream, WNBA), Hanna Zavecz (Sopron, Hungary).

Out: *Lindsay Laur

Money: Hanna Zavecz will star here while continuing to agree with Sara Blicavs that an extra “H” on the end of your first name is completely superfluous.

Seriously? If I read “Veal needs more seasoning” or “Veal was cooking” one more time, I will personally chicken parmigiana the culprit.

Tip: 6th

MELBOURNE BOOMERS

Last season: 10-14, 5th

Coach: Guy Molloy (60-44, 58%)

Back: Rebecca Allen, Rebecca Cole, Stephanie Collins, Rachel Jarry, Tess Madgen.

In: Olivia Bontempelli (Eltham Wildcats), Shanae Greaves (Knox Raiders), *Amber Hegge (Ringwood Hawks), Hayley Munro (Bendigo Spirit), *Chelsea Poppens (San Antonio Silver Stars, WNBA), Nicole Romeo (Townsville Fire), Alexandra Sharp (Diamond Valley Eagles), Amelia Todhunter (West Coast Waves)

Out: Alice Kunek (Dandenong Rangers), Elyse Penaluna (Canberra Caps)

Money: Boomers fans will be hoping for a Minnesota WNBA Finals sweep so Rachel Jarry can get back in the purple (purple?) of Bulleen, er, MELBOURNE, as quickly as possible.

Seriously? The Boomers are advertising at the Veneto Club that games of bocce and Christmas hams will be available at the State Basketball Centre this season.

Tip: 7th

SYDNEY FLAMES

Last season: 8-16, 7th

Coach: Karen Dalton (175-110, 61%)

Back: Rohanee Cox, Katie-Rae Ebzery, Jaimee Kennedy, Lauren King, Alicia Poto.

In: Renae Camino (Bendigo Spirit), *Ashley Gayle (Neftochimic, Bulgaria), Kathryn Rendell (Sydney Comets), Casey Samuels (Canberra Caps), *Kathleen Scheer (Duke University).

Out: Sarah Graham (Logan Thunder)

Money: Katie-Rae Ebzery will spark the Flames but you know when you open the fridge and there's an odor you wish you hadn't whiffed? Yeah. There's that same lack of freshness about this program.

Seriously? Karen Dalton is expected to seek a second extension to her lifetime coaching deal with Sydney by mid-season.

Tip: 8th

TOWNSVILLE FIRE

Last season: 13-11, 4th, lost Grand Final

Coach: Chris Lucas (72-47, 61%)

Back: Micaela Cocks, Alicia Froling, Keely Froling, Rachael McCully (nee Flanagan), Mia Newley, *Kayla Standish, Olivia Thompson.

In: Suzy Batkovic (Adelaide Lightning), Stephanie Cumming (Dandenong Rangers), Rosie Fadljevic (Dandenong Rangers), Tiana Mangakahia (AIS), Alex Wilson (Adelaide Lightning).

Out: Jess Foley (Adelaide Lightning), Nicole Romeo (Melbourne Boomers).

Money: Commissioner Lucas activated the bat-signal over the Townsville night sky and had the surprise of his life when The Batgirl answered. Now they plan a return to the Final, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel but maybe a different ending.

Seriously? Townsville is looking for an exorcist to help rid them of Spirits.

Tip: 2nd

WEST COAST WAVES

Last season: 4-20, 9th

Coach: Kennedy Kereama (4-20, 17%)

Back: Shani Amos, Natalie Burton, Gabriella Clayton, Antonia Edmondson, Kate Fielding, Darcee Garbin, Zoe Harper, Adrienne Jones, Melissa Marsh, Deanna Smith, Lisa Wallbutton.

In: Mikayla Pirini (Willetton Tigers).

Out: Hayley Moffatt (Logan Thunder), Amelia Todhunter (Melbourne Boomers)

Money: Toni Edmondson is nothing like the free throw fumbler of her Adelaide days, now playing with poise, power and up to her potential as a league VIP.

Seriously? Kennedy Kereama wants Kristina Keneally to take note he is the original KK.

Tip: 9th

(*Denotes import)

FIRST ROUND TIPS

Provided everyone suits, Townsville will start the new season by downing the Spirits, Canberra will snuff the Flames, Adelaide will surf the Waves, Dandenong will log off Logan and Sydney will bound back over the Boomers.

(Having just re-read that appalling paragraph, I do apologise to basketball and/or food writers planning on penning “Veal really burnt tonight”.)