North Adelaide Rockets v Central Districts Lions - Sun, Apr 6, 3:00pm at Hillcrest

The Lions depth will be severely tested on the tail-end of a double header against another 2007 finalist. Erin Phillips will be an obvious factor for Centrals, but her strengths will be familiar to her former club, who will most likely rotate a number of players onto her.  15 year-old Charlotte Taylor has experience at this level, and has had a solid preseason in the division 2 competition. Ali Trewartha’s double double provided a great start to the season for the Rockets, and Lauren Mansfield was a rebound and an assist shy of a triple double. Expect the Lions backcourt to provide some resistance to North’s depth.

 

Southern Tigers v Norwood Flames - Sun, Apr 6, 3:00pm at Morphett Vale

Pending the result of last night’s game, Southern may have a golden opportunity to carry over their pre-season form into a 3-0 season start. Rookie coach Travis Leaver has a young Tiger outfit moving quickly, while the inside presence of Tracey Beatty allows him to balance transition and structure. The up-tempo style employed by Under 18 SA Metro state coach Damian Weeks in 2007 will be needed more than ever in this game, as if the Flames are bogged down in a half court game, things could get ugly.

 

Woodville Warriors v South Adelaide Panthers - Sun, Apr 6, 3:00pm at DH Dome

After a week off, the Warriors start the season with a home double header. It’s refreshing to see some talented Woodville juniors progressing to senior ranks, and coach Lynne Holland will be looking for Under 20 Nationals gold medalist Claire Christie to take some pressure of veteran forward Jodie Barratt. South’s Lyndell Kwiatkowski will be keen to perform against her old club, and if Kerrin Truslove can avoid foul trouble, she will provide a difficult challenge for the Woodville defence.

 

West Adelaide Bearcats v Forestville Eagles - Sun, Apr 6, 3:00pm at Port Adelaide

With Sam Woosnam logging big minutes and Carlee Patterson absent, Donna Noone shouldered the bench-coaching duties in West’s first game. Naracoorte export Trudy Holland chipped in with a big 3 pointer and a couple of handy second-chance baskets in the win. Former Forestville juniors Mia Newley and Hannah Flynn return from the AIS and Melbourne respectively, though Tara Robinson is not likely to return soon enough to provide an option for coach Sharon Simons to combat the size and strength of Woosnam. With Nikki Martin and Jess Mahony switching clubs in the off season, this one might have some added fire.

 

Sturt Sabres v Eastern Mavericks - Sun, Apr 6, 3:00pm at Pasadena

Eastern’s Cayla Francis and Sturt’s Emma Langford have been teammates for two years at the AIS, and for many more in SA Country state teams, and both are sporting Gold medals from the 2008 Under 20 National Championships. Francis’ start to the season couldn’t have been better, but expect Langford to also shine this year. Although unlikely to match up on each other, look for both to demonstrate the benefits of the live-in AIS program while other players are still warming up. Veteran Monique Bowley should get the job on Francis while Jane Symons may be required to shut down Langford.