South Adelaide Panthers v Sturt Sabres, Sat, Mar 13, 6:30pm at Marion
2009 was a good year for the Panthers, who progressed from 8th to 5th with much help from league MVP and Halls medalist Kerrin Webber. However, with Webber taking her 17 points and 16 rebounds back to Bearcat land, and Carla Boyd returning to North Adelaide, the Panthers become a totally different outfit and will require an immediate impact from new youngsters Charlea Taylor (Central Districts) and Ursula Richards (Woodville) to remain in the top half. Sturt may still be smarting from their 25 point 2009 Grand Final loss and while any team with Monique Bowley and Caroline Burgess will be around the mark, may also rely more on youth depending on the time frame of Angela Marino’s recovery from injury.

Central Districts Lions v Norwood Flames, Sat, Mar 13, 6:30pm at Starplex
Centrals broke through for their first win last year since their return from CABL hiatus in 2007. The Lions lose Charlea Taylor (South Adelaide) and Tahnee Mansfield (North Adelaide) but the signing of 6’2” Eastern Michigan forward Amber Land provides some hope for further improvement in 2010. A first-up game against Norwood will be challenging to say the least. 6’4” Sydney Uni WNBL centre Rachael Herrick won’t play this week, but with the Lightning’s Rebecca Duke returning and Jordan Walker-Roberts and Cara Boothey fresh from a gold medal performance at the Under 20 Nationals, the Flames will be tough to beat.

Woodville Warriors v Forestville Eagles, Sat, Mar 13, 6:30pm at St. Clair
Woodville hope that St. Clair will provide a more intimate environment for Warrior fans and create a home court advantage similar to that of Marion and Hillcrest. They will suffer from the loss of Ursula Richards (South Adelaide) though retain junior Katherine Perkas who averaged double figures in her debut CABL season and also add American Mackenzie O’Neil for some much needed scoring punch. 2009 premiers Forestville suffered the retirement of Dee Ranford but have a handy replacement in Kelsey Ireland, whose last two years include WNBL seasons with the AIS, a World Junior Championships, an injury-interrupted season with the Adelaide Lightning and an Under 20 Nationals gold medal.

Eastern Mavericks v West Adelaide Bearcats, Sat, Mar 13, 6:30pm at Adelaide Hills
In the off season, Eastern has transformed itself into the youngest team in the league. The Mavericks lose Shay Bayly (Southern), Emma Fellowes (Centrals), Rachel Litster (South Adelaide) and Jane Symons (retirement), but retain Australian Junior squad members Steph Talbot and Alex Wilson, and with Tess Madgen returning from the AIS and World Junior Championships, Eastern may surprise this year. West Adelaide, however, look the goods, regaining league standout Kerrin Webber from South, and with Kate Walsh and Irene Sourlatizis also returning, the Bearcats must surely be at least equal favourites.

Southern Tigers v North Adelaide Rockets, Sun, Mar 14, 1:15pm at Morphett Vale
Former Noarlunga City Tigers champion Willie Jennette returns to a new-look Morphett Vale and makes his CABL coaching debut with assistance from Shaun Jennings, no stranger to CABL success himself. Shay Bayly (Eastern) adds size and experience, and Rosalie Cutri, another member of SA’s champion Under 20 team, debuts against her former club. North took a hit when Jamie-Lee Peris signed with Launceston, but the return of Carla Boyd (South Adelaide) and Emma Pawlowski (West Adelaide) will bolster the Rockets’ front court and ensure they remain in finals contention.