Forestville Eagles v Southern Tigers, Sat, Apr 2, 6:30pm at Wayville

The Forestville Eagles will be without two of last year’s All Star Five members when they take on Season 2010 surprise packets Southern on Saturday. The Eagles will be going in search of a 3-peat without 2010 Grand Final MVP Mia Newley and star Point Guard Jess Mahony. Forestville has also lost Kelsey Ireland to Norwood, but has Georgia Minear and Tara Robinson returning from the AIS and US respectively. However, the returning trio of Jess Fergus, Jamie-Lee Bow and Alex Duncan will be more than enough to keep the Eagles flying high. The Tigers started last season 1-6, but lost just twice in the last 11 rounds and finished the regular season in fifth position, before bowing out of the competition following their First Semi-Final over-time loss to Sturt. Southern have undergone little change in the offseason, but will dearly miss Rosalie Cutri, who has headed off to the US. Both of these teams were outstanding defensively last season, so expect this game to be low-scoring and close. This game will come down to the wire, where I expect the Eagles to just get up.

Eastern Mavericks v West Adelaide Bearcats, Sat, Apr 2, 6:30pm at Adelaide Hills

In a complete reversal to their mens’ teams, the West Adelaide Bearcats are virtually unchanged from last season, whilst the Eastern Mavericks have undergoes numerous changes. The ‘Cats have lost Player/Coach Sam Woosnam and Lisa Coleman from the team that finished runner-up last season, but other than that, they have the same squad. The biggest loss for the Mavericks is MVP Tess Madgen, who will be lining up for Sturt.
Without Madgen, where the Mavs will get their offence from remains to be seen as they await the arrival of Tracy Beatty. Meanwhile, the Bearcats have plenty of options at their disposal at both ends of the court. This is as hard a first round matchup as a shaped-up Eastern side could have asked for. Expect West to win this match comprehensively.

North Adelaide Rockets v Woodville Warriors, Sat, Apr 2, 6:30pm at Hillcrest

The North Adelaide Rockets will look to put a disappointing finish to 2010 behind them when they take on the Woodville Warriors in Round 1. Despite sitting in the top five for most of the season, the Rockets dropped out of playoff contention with just a couple of games remaining. The Warriors again languished near the foot of the table, and will be hoping for a more competitive 2011. North has added Jess Smart and Kate Gladstone from Norwood, as well as Zhou Lei from Singapore, whilst Carla Boyd has retired. Woodville has also lost a player to retirement in Jodie Barratt, but has included junior Rachel Griffiths and former Panther Ursula Richards in its 2011 squad. The Rockets appear to have the stronger line-up of the two sides, so expect them to win this one reasonably comfortably.

Norwood Flames v Sturt Sabres, Sat, Apr 2, 6:30pm at Mars

After consecutive years of finals disappointment, the Sturt Sabres are hoping to kick-start their season in the right direction when they face Norwood at Mars on Saturday.  The Sabres have been buoyed by the signing of 2010 Halls Medallist Tess Madgen, on top of an already strong roster that includes Caroline Burgess and Conor Holmes. Sturt have also added five juniors to their squad, but have lost Brooke Sidebottom. Norwood has made several adjustments to its roster, including signing Kelsey Ireland from Forestville, and losing Jess Smart to the Rockets. Having a fully fit Jessica Foley ready to go will be just like a new signing for the Flames. Both teams have strong lineups, and you should expect nothing less than hard-fought, committed, defensive-oriented game. This one could go either way, but I think the Sabres will just get home.

Central District Lions v South Adelaide Panthers, Sat, Apr 2, 6:30pm at Starplex

The Central District Lions have been the cellar dwellers of the competition in recent years, but they have plenty of room for optimism ahead of their Round 1 clash with South. The Lions have added several names to the squad, none bigger than former Forestville superstar Jess Mahony. Mahony will provide Centrals with plenty of leadership, control the offence, and bring the worst out of opponents with her “in-your-face” defence. The Lions have a new coach in Tony Moore, who will bring plenty of intensity and competitiveness to the sidelines, as well as adding Shay Bayly from Southern and Desinta Cummins from Woodville. Their biggest loss is Amber Land, who was the highlight of the season on last year’s winless team. The Panthers, who also struggled to be competitive in Season 2010, have added Lil Keane and Tracey Taylor, but lost Haley Bunce to Southern, and Kayla Foran and Ursula Richards to the Warriors. It has been a long time between drinks for the Lions, but with the addition of Mahony and a fresh start, I believe Centrals will finally break their drought.

By James Woite