2011 SEABL WOMEN'S TEAM PREVIEW - BRISBANE LADY SPARTANS

 

With the start of the 2011 season under a month away, seabl.com.au takes a look at how each of the teams are shaping up in the lead up to the opening round.

Departing:

Natalie Purcell, Kate Willey, Kristen Veal, Emma Randall, Donna Rinaldi (coach)

Returning:

Rachel Pryor, Karli Currie, Holly Smith, Tahlia Jeffress, Rebecca Schatz, Shona O’Bree

Newcomers:

Renae Camino, Tiana Margakahia, Nadeen Payne, Morgan Pink, Tamara Sheppard, Maddie Allen, Megan Wills, Laykin Paenga, Caitlyn Bantick, Rebecca Stephens, Scott Lloyd (head coach)

Fixture:

Brisbane faces a significant test at the start of the season. They play their first four games on the road with consecutive back-to-back road doubles over rounds 2 and 3. They then play their next four games at home, but those games are against tough teams in Dandenong, Launceston, Knox and newcomer Geelong, who are already shaping up as formidable opposition. But after the tough start, the Lady Spartans have a fantastic stretch between rounds 9 and 18; in that time they play a 2010 finalist only once in 12 games.

Strengths:

The Lady Spartans welcome a ready-made star in Renae Camino. Playing for Sandringham in 2010, Camino averaged 19.4 points per game in a loosing team, and she averaged a further 13.4 points for Logan in the WNBL this summer. Apart from Camino, the Lady Spartans enjoy a significant home court advantage, if for no other reason than the amount of travel involved for visiting teams.

Weaknesses:

Like the Launceston Tornadoes, Brisbane has been gutted by the departure of a number of important players. In 2010, Natalie Purcell, Kate Willey, Kristen Veal and Emma Randall combined for an average of 51.3 points per game - replacing that will not be easy. Loosing the championship winning coach from 2009 in Donna Rinaldi will also hurt the team.

The Franchise:

Although there may be significant pressure on her as the star recruit, Renae Camino has to be prepared to come in and make an immediate impact. Camino can score, defend and set up her teammates in such a way that she can almost guarantee the team 6 wins this year.

Needs to step up:

With so many quality players gone from last year, the responsibility of carrying this team falls to Holly Smith and Rachel Pryor. Smith averaged 13.8 points per game for the Spartans last year, and has had a summer in the WNBL playing against bigger, stronger centres. Pryor averaged 11.4 points per game last year playing behind Natalie Purcell and Kristen Veal, and with more opportunities this year, she needs to take her game to the next level and take some pressure off Camino at the same time.

Watch out for…

Rebecca Schatz missed almost all of the 2010 season after suffering an ACL injury early in the season. But Schatz has WNBL experience, so there is no reason why she can’t step back into the team and find a way to support Holly Smith in the paint.

Predicted Finish:

14 wins, 10 losses

Top 6

Taken from www.seabl.com.au