Astor
Years ago
Predictions - 09/10 WNBL
The 09/10 season starts in two weeks; who does everyone like for the title?
I think that it will really be a 3 team race between Canberra, Bulleen and Sydney. Adelaide might be the dark horse, but I just don't think they'll be able to run with the others until Hammonds is fit, which could be a long way into the season. All the rest of the teams don't stand a chance.
The starting lineups for Boomers, Caps and Flames are all looking formidable:
CANBERRA:
1. Hurst
2. Bibby
3. Abrams
4. Bishop
5. Beatty
SYDNEY:
1. Butler
2. Smith
3. Afeaki
4. Porter
5. Batkovic
BULLEEN:
1. Milner
2. Glaubitz
3. O'Hea
4. Penaluna
5. Cambage
This season may come down to which team has the greatest depth on the bench.
Canberra has a dominant talls rotation, with Bishop Tolo and Beatty able to swap roles effectively throughout the game. I don't think they have as much depth in the guard position. Sure, they've got Hurst and Bibby as the dynamic guard pair, but if one of them is injured they would be hard pressed to find a decent replacement; Perera and Jansen won't be able to get the ball to Canberra's bigs and their offence will tumble.
Bulleen has always struggled to find a backup for Milner, but their 2/3 man rotation is extremely solid, with Reid, Pardon, Zavecs and Jarry all fighting for a spot. They will miss Hammonds and Carr, and will be reliant on Penaluna and Cambage to not lose their heads in games. That being said, they have put together probably the strongest coaching panel in the competition. As the season goes on we will see if so many strong basketball personalities can properly work together without any creative difficulties, and if the clubs gamble to ditch Cheryl Chambers will pay off.
Sydney has got a huge training squad of 16 on their website, so it'll be super competitive to even get a spot in the twelve from week to week. Their rotations in the 3/4 spot are solid, with Afeaki, Porter, Potoki, Barnes, Lewis, Dombkins AND Manou all fighting for a spot. They will struggle when Batkovic is not on the court in the 5 spot, but the same is the case for most teams and their dominant center. They also have a point guard dilemma as Butler is not a true point guard, but they seem to have recently cut both Lorenzini and another potential PG from their training squad, so they might be looking towards letting Smith and Butler bear the load.
Thoughts or comments? Have I missed anything, got anything wrong here?