Now down by 11 with 3.37 to go

Yep, look anaemic on offensive end and foul trouble to boot.

Cambage is a frontrunner! It's all well and good to play well when the team is going good, but as soon as a few things don't go your way she losses her cool and starts crying on the bench! What a spoilt sook! Toughen up princess it's not all about you! I wouldn't put her on the court again until she stops crying and realizes it's a team sport!! Jenna ohea is by far the best opal at the moment!!

Liz has been a complete liability the whole game. Starting centre crying on the bench. What a joke.
Last campaign for Graf.

I was thinking the same thing 3 pointer, but she did head-butt a french girl's shoulder pretty hard - it gave her a nice black-eye, then she head-butted another french girl's hip in the 3rd and went down hard. Maybe not how you though you saw it then 3-pointer

I don't care who's shoulder she 'headbutted' you don't go and cry about it on the bench, you suck it up and get on with it! My point about being a frontrunner was displayed perfectly after that!! If you cry during a game, you shouldn't be subbed off for the rest Of the game!!!

That was meant to say 'should' be subbed out for the rest of the game

When I say head-butted I mean she took 2 severe blows to the head, the first from an opponents shoulder, then next from an opponents hip. She effectively got Hip, and Shouldered, to the head. Both blows were severe. have you seen the replays of these incidents? come back once you have and tell me that you wouldn't still be cring from those two hits. TO THE FACE!

crying is a natural response to physical pain.

Check the footage

Am I way behind the live coverage or what? I mean, Snell's prayer from half-court to tie the game? Awesome!

Holy #$% Snell just hit the greatest shot in the history of Australian Olympic basketball. Apologies to Tony Ronaldson.

I just screamed out when that went in. Amazing... Luckily somehow i didn't wake up the whole house...

Hope we get some momentum going into OT from that. What a shot!

Do you see men cry after getting hit!! Take the hit and get on with it! Crying is a sign of weakness and something you shouldn't let the opposition see! I did see the footage and it was nothing I haven't seen before in a basketball game!

Snell's missed three shots to start OT. Time to involve others again methinks.

Batkovic with the kiss off the glass. France now steadying after the shell shock from the regulation finish.

Opals have it ahead of them with Jackson, Cambage fouled out. They'll have to ride Snell and Batkovic offensively.

Batkovic with the kiss off the glass. France now steadying after the shell shock from the regulation finish.

Opals have it ahead of them with Jackson, Cambage fouled out. They'll have to ride Snell and Batkovic offensively.

liz was sooking it the whole game. should never have been put back in the last quarter.
the most pathetic opals performance I have ever seen.
Richards get us back into it and then gets subbed out.
Richards needs to start - Snell/Screen shouldnt be on the court at the same time. Phillips would have been useful since mcleod doesnt get to play. Why no Hodges?
Totally unorganised timeout at the end of regulation, sets up a play and then the players go on the court and graf makes a last second sub.
Final minute of OT shot clock expiry and turnover.
The 12 missed layups didnt help.
France didnt play that well, we were just worse.

Cambage is a child. Does she realize this is the OLYMPICS ?! Stop the waterworks and get on with it !!!

Why was O'Hea off late in OT ? Richards was the PG who ran the team and got us the lead back and then even she was subbed out late. What is going on ?! Surely we can't be 'tanking' !

Still unsure why Screen was selected over say, Carly Wilson ?

I agree with the comment above, most disappointing Opals game I've seen in 20 years. We just look disorganized and why, when we have the biggest lineup in the pool and our strength being in our posts, do we play both of our bigs on the 3pt line in 'Horns' sets ?!!

I'm puzzled ...

"Do you see men cry after getting hit!! Take the hit and get on with it! Crying is a sign of weakness and something you shouldn't let the opposition see! I did see the footage and it was nothing I haven't seen before in a basketball game!"

This is the stupidest comment I've ever heard. We're talking elite Women's B'Ball, not boxing, not The Predator ( if it bleeds we can kill it). Crying is a natural response to severe pain - particularly if you get hit in the eye region.

I'm not saying Liz doesn't have her problems - She really does!

Just look at the footage

Hit 1 - Her weight and momentum are on the way down and her face/right cheek-bone/eye land flush on the french girls shoulder which is on the way up. She had to sub off with quit the shiner.

Hit 2 - she cops a hip flush to her face/right cheek-bone/eye.

Either blow may have seen other players concussed or take no further part in the game. They were not normal blows you see regularly in basketball game - However they do happen in games, and when they do the individual who cops those kind of blows would be sitting on the bench for an extended break.

This probably isn't a popular thing to say but I'm struggling to see the value of Harrower in this team. I get the sentimentality of the "plucky" veteran in her last campaign and she certainly has tenacity, but I don't think she is really up to it at this level. I didn't see her create her own shot once when the offense stagnated and she only seems to pass around the perimeter. Samantha Richards seems to me a massive upgrade: more assured handles and can create her own shot when needed.

As for the team as a whole, with Harrower, Screen and a couple others I feel there are too many offensive passengers. Hustle and defensive intensity they've got in spades, but when they're on offense we become too reliant on our bigs. Obviously with Penny Taylor and perhaps Erin Phillips we'd be a lot better in this regard.

Oh and that French player Gomis, what a baller! Crazy speed, athleticism and skill (except for that missed layup at the end of regulation)

@auburns you are right. Watching Liz in the first half she looked like an u14 girl trying to play with the adults. Every missed shot, missed catch was just pulling her 1 step lower, watching her as if she was a child it was only a matter of time before the tears came. Luckily she can shoot Ft's.

Jackson was totally out of breathe in the 4th quarter and needed a sub before she did a stupid foul. which ended up being huge.

This the team that had the excuse after the poor world champs that they needed time to prepare.

Lauren and Suzi both argued back at Graf at different times. Not a good sign.

They are no chance for Gold. Be happy with top 4.

France could just as easily lose to GB or someone else. So still possible to top pool.

But would like to see a much better performance.

Richards/Snell/Ohea/Jackson/Batkovic should start.

We can still do well - rather drop a game now than later - might mean we match up with usa earlier - if we are to medal

Liz cracking under pressure when things don't go her way has been happening for a while!

We didn't play well enough to win the game and the French knew if they got under Liz's skin by playing phyiscal basketball she'd crack (i.e WNBL grand final)

Liz becomes an emotional liability to the team once she looses her composure, let hope she can muture quickly over the tournament because until Liz improves her mental toughness this team won't win gold!

Couldve done with someone who can play European ball. Hodges anyone?
Graf out.

Wow!

Obviously a disappointing loss but not the end of the world and can still do great things here in London.

France are a very good team and were better than us on the day and yet we nearly stole a win.

That Snell buzzer beater from near half court was amazing to send the game into OT! Wow - check the Olympic highlight reels for that today!

We need to bounce back strongly, but there does appear to be some unrest with key players and coaching personnel whcih is not a good sign...

harrower shouldnt be there, her time was up 4 years ago. every time richards was on we came back just to see harrower come back on and france get back out to a 6 point lead. He d was Ok but her offence was terrible and had some costly turnovers. I would have put the other pg on instead of harrower (cant remember her name) as she can create her own offence which was what we lacked when jackson fouled out.

dissapointing game but great effort from richards ohea and batkovich.

no penny taylor = no medal

They are the perfect trilogy. Too old, wrong coach and products of selection blindness. Only one problem, it is the same trilogy across too many of the other sports too. Swimming took retirees, bankrupts and bikinis, the Boomers took yesterday's team, boxing took controversy and in all of this the AIS has never looked more impotent. Team Australia look collectively underprepared for the now.

Anon 623 Agree totally.

What a disappointing loss but I am not surprised when Penny Taylor went down so did our chances. I have never been a huge fan of Graf and was not impressed with the team picked. Harrower too old you can't tell me there were no other better guards Erin Phillips comes to mind? Liz too soft mentally and always has been. Why hasn't someone got in her ear to toughen up and change her body language? She has spent far too much time being invited to opening nights and being on the front cover of every magazine and on every add on tv, knuckle down love and work your arse off physically and mentally. Whilst I am a big fan of hers I hate watching her sook and cry and if I was playing against her I'd niggle her and put her off her game and she'd be finished. I love Jackson but she is getting old and is not the same player of four years ago and has had many injuries so it's taking it's toll on her body, she can't carry the team any more. Love O'Hea, Batkovic is a battler, Snell gives her all, Richards the surprise packet, Bishop jury still out, McLeod too little and I can't understand Screen starting or why Hodges is in the team and Jarry worst decision ever. Why wasn't Madgen chosen love her game she's more athletic than Jarry and no I am not from SA I am from Vic. Time for a complete over haul of the coaches, system and team, politics gotta love it..

It's time to go.... Graf. I think you can pick holes ion the players all you want but the person who selected them should be most accountable. Not to mention the fact she runs an offense that doesn't allow the 'best player in the world' shost where she wants them, and has playesr that can't shoot the ball comiong off double screens. Oh, and an aging point guard who is too busy trying to keep her quicker opponents at bay rather than getting her team mates open. Graf could hide behind her poor performance at the last World Champs but the Olympics is for all of the world to see just how bad a coach she is.

Wanted to get on here straight after the game last night but figured there would be some kind of language censor so opted to draw breath and try a more calm, rational approach this morning, (after i explained to the family why i woke up the whole house with Snell's half court shot)
Agree with many of the posts.
Ohea and Richards were our most likely scoring threats, why the f&*k (sorry. undoing all my good intentions) weren't they on the court in OT????
Harrower said in an interview before these games, and I Quote "I'm not going to give up my spot. If someone wants it they have to come and take it" End of quote. WELL THEY JUST DID SO GIVE IT UP!!!
Poor old Lizzie. I try to like her but she makes it so hard. Have to keep reminding myself she is only 20 and obviously a very young 20. We all grow up at different speeds. She is just a bit slower than most.
Was surprised at Screens selection and after last night remain surprised. I know she is tenacious and team oriented but surely there are others equally tenacious but with more upside.
Someones needs to get into Bishops head and tell her to dare to fail. She looked so nervous and so hell bent on not making a mistake she forgot to do anything at all. She can play!
One positive out of last night. The opals were so bad they deflected any critique of Graff's dress sense. How were the shoes. Clark Griswald-Cousin Ed ring any bells?

Sorry, I forgot. Anon 631 were you on your schools debating team by any chance. "anyone who disagrees with me is ignorant". Very hard to argue with such thoughtfully constructed logic. LOL

If the Opals aren't bad enough don't get me started on the Boomers. Same shit different day same old players, coach that spends most of his time in America and has no idea of which players are coming through, one from New Zealand with the same problem and Mary Clarke who only picks his favourites or anyone from St Mary's. Barlow crap, PC a 32 year old sitting on the end of the bench where a young buck should be getting experience, Maric too slow, Anderson hitting 3's instead of our wings and guards, Patty bad decision making on his shots, Gibbo not a fan, Wortho there for his grunt, Newley hot and cold, Ingles never been a fan a sook and arrogant will forgive him if he does something good, Baynes did well against Brazil but can be pretty ordinary at times and Nielsen past it. I think both teams need a complete over haul and bring in some fresh talent and coaches who chose the best not their favourites. And someone tell Graffy to put a bit of makeup on, change her hair style or at least brush it and try and dress nicer and those shoes OMG!!

Cambage and Jawai both could be at the next level with the right attitudes, determination, etc. Going by the opinions on Cambage here and what I hear re: Jawai. If he did all the right things, Baynes wouldn't even get near the Boomers.

Feel very sorry for the girls , they all got selected , they are all prepared to work till they collapse ( Sure Liz's threshold is low - but so is her age and maturity - she is still giving all she has).

Clear that there needs to be at least 2 more class offensive players out there Snell is not quite up there -

Add Philips, Taylor and either Maher or Stirling and we would be favourites in my view.

Don't know where to place Graf in Oz womens' coaching, but she is probably above Flynn and Cadee , but well behind Stirling and Maher.

In her case the Jockey did ride the horses, the jockey just sat there hoping the horse could do it all.

Liz put in one of the most embarrassing international performances ever seen. She is not giving it her all. Watch her poor body langugage in the last quarter of the GB game.

The thing was in the GB we won but we lost. GB out hustled us, played harder, and Maher had the last laugh.

France are a good average side.
The USA are not really playing that well.
Penny Taylor was possible the best player in the World at the time of her injury.
I saw philips playing some wnba games and didnt do much and wasnt that surprised when she wasnt selected. But then when you look at the fragile soles that were selected makes you wonder. If you had to go to battle you would want Erin there cause she is a fighter.

I disagree with the Boomers comments - only to add I would have put Martin in over Gibson, as Gibson adds nothing, his charity minute the other night almost cost the game. Martin could have annoyed the hell out of someone for a few minutes a game. Overall I think they are playing some really good defense. Nielson is going a great job of being a leader (I am getting feeds with no commentary and able to listen to the players talking). Their spirit, intensity and attitude look good. Baynes has been a suprise to me.

I agree Isaac regarding with the attitudes of Jawai and Cambage. Both have great talent but really would take their games to the next level if their improved their attitudes and work ethic. Jawai definitely be in this boomers squad over Baynes if he worked on his defence and showed he was committed to the program.

Thought I saw some of our swimmers in tears.
Some people their hearts there as hard as leather.
Early in the game some of the passes were way off
no matter how hard she wouldda tried to reach.
Ch9 gave us the game and are giving Basketball respect
From 13points down Ohea got us back in the game
and a coupla nice shots from Richards.
Subbed out of course.

Damn carbon tax.

It is vindicating to see more and more people becoming aware of Cambage's true character. The media has painted her as a 'darling' and she's far from it. That 'lovable outgoing personality' is her not REALLY caring about anything but herself or simply having a good time. It frustrated her State, junior and ITC coaches to no end that she was awarded opportunities (mostly due to her size) and routinely pissed it all away by 'not trying' or sooking it up when things got hard or she was made to work.

It's not that we don't want her to succeed or become what she COULD become, but it's so frustrating that the wrong person/attitude is put on a pedestal and so many people, even in basketball circles, eat it up and believe the hype. Some of those people have posted in this thread DEFENDING her actions. How long will you all keep doing this till you figure it out and how many times must she let you down ?

Just think of what it means to be an Australian Opal, the character, determination, desire and 'Aussie spirit' that defined Timms, R. Maher, Brondello, Brogan, Taylor, Jackson, Bevilacqua even. Would any of those players EVER act the way Cambage acts or cry repeatedly in an Olympic game ?

Don't give me the 'she's only 20' BS either. 20 isn't THAT young that you can be let off the hook for acting like you're 9. Wasn't Jackson 16 or 17 in her first run with the Opals ?

Cambage on Opals = Horace Grant on Magic!

Anyone who has been around her in a team environment knows that she has a low basketball IQ, moderate fitness level and a HUGE ego!

The she'll mature line is WRONG. A leopard doesn't change its stripes. The weight of the team isn't on her shoulders! But poor play and attitude burns up valuable team energy. If we play the US she'll need a sedative just to get through warm up.

Used in small bursts with limited responsibility she can be serviceable.

I feel for Carrie. She caught between loyalty, sentimentality, and developing talent. They can turn it around but it'll take a huge effort. I can't wait.

Win or Lose, Cambage crying, Coaching, Selections, etc..

These dont matter to me as much as people around the office talking about "that" shot. Basketball, Women's Basketball (no offence) being talked 'around the water cooler' is a good change from the usual AFL talk.

I have told everyone to make sure to watch the Boomers tonight, hopefully the game gets abit of a run on channel 9? I have warned them that Spain is ranked #2 but the Boomers should put up a good fight against them.

I actually don't really have a huge problem with her being so emotive on the court, or even getting a bit teary on the bench. If she feels more comfortable not forcing herself to be reserved or robotic then fine. Certainly if she is displaying too much "negative" energy and it's to the detriment of the team then there's a problem.

I just think the problem is she isn't working hard enough to establish strong post position and get good seals and thus she was outmuscled a few times and France got a lot of steals/deflections of post passes. She also seems to tire very easily, which might just be a physical reality for someone her size, or perhaps it's a lack of proper conditioning.

Jez - that's pretty good .

Don't leopards have spots?

Yes, that is the bit I am choosing to comment on.

I wouldn't write off the Opals yet, because Jackson is a legend and too proud to go out early. She can carry a load, but she will need just a little help.

Firstly, we clearly have no idea how to defend onball screens. In the first half of the semi against Czech Republic at the world championship we got cut to threads with middle cylinder onballs. In the first half last night, we got killed on all onballs. Harrower gets pinned on every screen, incapable or unwilling to fight over screens, reverts to switching and gives up O'boards down low when mismatched. Her direct opponent last night would've been responsible for scoring almost half the points in the first half for France.

Secondly, what is Graf instructing the bigs to do on onballs defensively??? In the first half, there didn't seem to be any consistent plan to defend them. Batkovic and Cambage just dropped under the rim whilst Harrower got picked off.

After half time (as with the semi in the worlds), adjustments were made and we showed aggressively and recovered. Thank you Lauren Jackson for inspiring your team with this defensively in the second half.

But why are adjustments being made at half time? Surely we go into the game with a scout and a plan (big time fail). If that doesn't work, time out and make an adjustment early (never happened).

Our offense last night was terrible. 3 players standing still at all times. After watching Turkey in the earlier game and the motion they created in the half court, this effort by the Opals was embarrassing.

Harrower has declined in domestic comp in past few seasons, showed she had declined at last worlds and simply is a distant #3 at the point on the current team. Graf needs to bite the bullet....we all know it won't happen. She may still hit a deep 3, but she can't defend the quicker guards and simply couldn't get the team into any flow last night (not exclusive to last night by the way).

Screen...is Charlie Hustle minus impact. Works hard but is entirely ineffective despite her work rate. Not sure how she came into consideration for selection let alone grasped more than pine time.

Cambage....a stats player. Will impress with numbers, not with impact. Attitude stinks, always has and it seems everyone is in awe of her ability/potential that they fear upsetting her with a few home truths. Overhyped before the games only adds salt to the wounds.

Snell....3 point heave on regulation covered up a very ordinary performance. Strictly a catch and shoot player now. Terrible finishing in the paint (mostly from post work), can't get by anyone off the dribble. Shot selection venturing into Patty Mills territory.

Anyways....that's my rant

How do we get to see the box score?

I only saw the first half. At quarter time I was worried. Not surprised at the result, based on the first half but very disappointed.

Have to agree with Camel - Cambage was on a hiding to nothing in the first quarter with the passes thrown at her under the basket. Made it look like Yacoubou was the target rather than Cambage. No structure to the offence in the first quarter. As stated by others - bigs were largely stuck outside the key and no-one was moving effectively. Offence sparked when O'Hea came on and looked better again when Richards replaced Harrower.

Also have to agree with Moses re Harrower getting mismatched on the screens. It was a staple for the French offence in the first half.

Overall, I thought the French played pretty well in the first half and had a much better run offence. I also think the Opals played reasonably well defensively to contain them, given their stuttering offence.

Let's see what happens with Brazil.

Jeez - when did Liz Cambage turn in to the whipping girl when the Opals lose! I wonder how many people will jump back on the Cambage bus if she drops 20 odd points & double figure rebounds in the next game? Show some patience & support for the Opals, whilst it was disappointing to lose V France the Opals can turn it around.

disappointing loss but needs to be put in context.This is the first game we have lost in an Olympic tournament to anyone other than the USA since I think 1996. You simply can't expect to win every game, Taylor is out and the team is ageing. Will wait on more games before condemning all and sundry but I agree the signs are not good at the moment. Still hoping the girls can find something more. Never been a fan of Graf.

Cambage has copped it here, but some of the comments are fair and its more a coach issue.

Could anyone ever see Jan Stirling putting up with her attitude? Not on your life.

Graf is past her used by date, tries to be friends with everyone to the point it influences selection. How old is she anyway? She's been hanging around that sideline since before the war.

I worry about whether Carrie is 'in form' at the moment as a coach. Is she firing on all cylinders when it comes to adjustments and rotations ? I don't think we can doubt that she is an exceptional coach as she has an outstanding record with the Capitals even as they changed their personnel year by year. She just seems off the mark and I probably felt that a bit too this past WNBL season when watching Canberra matches.

I also worry that the team doesn't whole heartedly respect her. You see a number of occassions when she's pleading for them to be quiet and listen to her. Not good signs

I am shocked at how bad Graf is leading this Opals team. Why was the lesson not learned after an embarrassing World Championships? Hodges sitting on the bench while the rest of the the team falls apart under awful leadership is unforgivable. Get her on, and Graf out...Respect would not be an issue under a different leader. Jan Stirling commanded respect, and the performance of the team followed. It is frustrating to watch, and I can only imagine what it must be like to play under her.