Women ABL after 3 rounds

After 3 rounds played in the ABL, how are the teams looking at this early stage of the season? The Easter break gives teams a chance to look at the games played and the up and coming rounds.

Centrals  Where do they Start?
They started by appointing a very committed coach, trying to blend a bit of experience with youth, started a pre-season tournament and developed a new funky web site. This has to be a start. Centrals have not had a victory since 2002, a very long time between drinks in anyone's standard. Even with all this happening, the spoon will not be taken out of the trophy cabinet at the end of the 2005 season. They have shown steady improvement this season and are beginning to show some positive signs, but they still have a long way to go. If they keep up this steady improvement, then Round 12 might be when they are in a position to break the draught.

Easterns  Just making up the numbers?
This season you would have to say they are and have little chance on making the finals. The one thing that Easterns lack is fire power. Cayla Francis has started the season well (16ppg) but has been offered little support and this shows with the bench scoring 26 from the 157 point (16.6%) in the first 3 rounds. They have proven they can get a good score as shown when they played Norwood (73 pts) but they need to do this every game. Some positive signs as they do not turn the ball over much. If Easterns could become more aggressive on the boards and at the defensive end, they could shock a few teams this year and may not just make up the numbers.

Forestville  Sleeping giant?
This could be the team that could improve the most as the season progresses and that is a scary thought. They opened the season against the raining premiers and since then have been steadily improving. Forestville has such a deep list it will be scary if they can fire on all cylinders on game night. Even in he defeat against North the bench scored 26 of the 61 points and this was 8 more then North. This fire power does not give opposition teams much of a chance to rest up at the defensive end. Round 5 will determine who is the contender to North's crown (v Sturt) and this game should be an outstanding one. Expect this team to be North's main threat and do not be surprised if the colors at the Dome change come August.

North Adelaide  Any signs of a Grand Final Hangover?
Simple answer, No. The lose to South is simply a bump in the road and I will hate to be the Southern Tigers playing them in Round 4. North beat South in 3 quarters, but South won the 1st quarter. North has lost the 1st quarter in all three games so far this season and the coaching staff will be looking to address this problem. The team has it all and with Erin to come back into the line up, adds to a very deep playing roster. Expect to see this team in the top 2 this season and they still remain favorites to go back-to-back.

Norwood  Good enough to make the finals?
More questions have been raised after first 3 rounds about this team then answered. They started the season with an upset lose to Easterns, defeated Centrals then got taught a lesson by Sturt. Norwood has a total of 66 turnovers so far this season, (3rd highest in league) not the best stat for a team trying to make finals. The bench has contributed to also 40% of the total points showing the starting five is yet to fire. Melissa Marsh has started the season in good form (19.67ppg) but has not had consistent support so far this season. Norwood should have an even win lose record by round 6 (North, Woodville, Southern) but if they keep that up during the season, will find themselves spectators come post season.


South Adelaide  Too early to mention the GF word?
This team was tipped to finish in the bottom half of the ladder and they stopped the raining premiers at Hillcrest. Some may say that it was minus Phillips, but it will still go in the ledger as a 'W'. Vikki Kelson and Tracey Braithwaite has found some early season form at both ends of the floor, Jenny Carberry has slipped under the guard of opposition teams and the bench is contribution in more ways then one. The question still remains if this team can keep this up right through until the post season. Putting the undefeated start in prospective, let's keep in mind that two of the three wins have been against Centrals and Southern. In the next 3 rounds (West, Easterns, Sturt) will determine if the start was just a bubble waiting to burst.

Southern  Are they too young to grow?
This team does have some talent, but they lack experience. With out the experienced players, the leaders are young Tigers who are still learning there trade. Southern has started the season with a terrible shooting percentage and showing signs of the lack of scoring power. Simone Nelson leads the league in Rebounds with 10.7pg and Emma Markham has had some good games early. The Tigers are waiting for someone to step up and take charge, but they might need to look outside the square to do this. Could be a long season for the young Tigers and they must be looking forward to the 4th of June when they play Centrals.

Sturt  Can they take two more steps?
One into the Grand Final and another to win it. Sturt remain undefeated after 3 rounds and any team with Laura Summerton can say they are a legitimate threat. Sturt have already accounted for Norwood and West who are considered finals contenders and made light work of Easterns. Sturt have already reached 44 assists and have only lost 1 quarter this season (4th quarter to West). They have put up more shots then there opponents in each game and are shooting the ball well. Sturt soon come up against Forestville and South (Round 5 and 6) and after these games, will show if this team is ready to take the first step in two.

West Adelaide  Is this a top three team?
Maybe. West have already played Sturt and Forestville and came away with a 4 and 9 point loses respectively. In both loses they shot at 31% and 29% respectively showing that you can not win many games with a worst shooting % then the opposition. In both of these games they also out rebounded there opposition. It may take some time for this team to gel with the new coaching style and if they do, could be a dark horse. West has yet to get into double figure in assists showing that the chemistry is still waiting to happen. If West can get over South in the next game, then they could go on a winning streak with Southern and Centrals to play in Round 5 & 6 giving them a positive record.

Woodville  Do they have enough Warriors to make a difference?
Not much was said about these Warriors pre-season and once the season started, nothing has changes. So far they have been out rebounded this season in every game, have a high turnover rate (25.6pg) and from these turnovers have had on average 21ppg scored against them. Woodville have had a range of double figure scorers in each game, showing they can score, but need this every week. They do have a tough few weeks ahead (Forestville, Sturt, Norwood) and need to find some consistency soon or could find themselves back to the drawing board. If the Warriors can reduce the number of turnovers and have consistent scorers each week, then do not write them off just yet.

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