After two years away from the league the MineCraft Comets, formerly known as the Queensland Comets, made their long awaited return to the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League when Round 1 kicked off on the weekend.

The Comets competed in four games over the weekend of Round 1 in Dandenong, Victoria, the final step in what has been two years hard work and preparation in rebuilding their squad and raising the level of their ability.

Due to the limited numbers of wheelchair basketball athletes in Queensland it was decided that the squad needed to undertake a development phase, to help combat the lack of depth seen in other regions and ensure the MineCraft Comets were up to the standard of the league.

According to Amy Sherwin, who is the Events Coordinator at Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association (which is the organisation that coordinates the squad), despite some turnover in players who had been training with the squad over the past two years, the current squad, including some very new players, are thrilled to be back in the big league again.

“I got some really great feedback from the team staff and the girls,” she said following the weekend’s games.

“They were a little bit unsure going into the first round, because they had been off for so long, particularly the few girls on the squad that had never played in the league.

“They weren’t really sure how it was going to pan out.”

Led by team captain Melanie Hall and team ambassador Natalie Hodges, the Comets squad, the majority of who are Queenslanders, fought hard against the more seasoned WNWBL teams, falling just short of recording a Round 1 victory against the Stacks Goudkamp Bears.

“There was one match where we were two points up on the Bears at three-quarter time,” said Sherwin.

 “The girls panicked a bit at the last minute and we ending up losing. But I think that proved to them that they really are up to standard. I think they were a bit surprised and they were certainly happy with themselves.”

The MineCraft Comets will get another chance at recording their first win of the 2011 season when the action shifts to Perth for Round 2 over the first weekend of July at the Herb Graham Recreation Centre.