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Opinion
The Spirit have lost a lot of experience. The departures include club legends Gabe Richards and Kelly Wilson, Shyla Heal who has joined the Townsville Fire and Abbey Wehrung, who hails from Korweinguboora, who has joined the Adelaide Lightning.
There are also no imports, which means Marte Grays and Becca Tobin (who was released mid-season) will not return.
Bendigo Spirit
Last season: 7th
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Captain Tessa Lavey won a championship with the Spirit in 2013/2014 and returned to the club last season after four seasons away. Last season, she averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Lavey has also played in the WNBL for the AIS, Canberra Capitals, Perth Lynx and Dandenong Rangers.
Lavey has represented the Opals at a number of competitions. Lavey played at the 2016 Olympics and will be eyeing a spot at next year’s rescheduled Olympics. With the Opals, Lavey has won silver (2018) and bronze (2014) at the FIBA World Cup and silver at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. Lavey was also recently drafted by Richmond’s AFLW team.
Co-Vice Captain Carley Ernst has played for a number of WNBL teams including AIS, Dandenong Rangers, Canberra Capitals, Adelaide Lightning and Perth Lynx. Ernst was awarded the WNBL Rookie of the Year in 2012.
Ernst won the Spirit’s MVP Award last season, averaging 12 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Ernst has also played in Romania. Ernst is an athletic and versatile player who can damage an opposition by attacking the basket and by shooting the three.
Co-Vice Captain Amelia Todhunter’s signing brings significant experience to the Spirit. Todhunter has played over 200 WNBL games for the Dandenong Rangers, Bulleen / Melbourne Boomers and the West Coast Waves. Todhunter was a member of the Bulleen Boomers’ 2010-2011 WNBL Championship winning team.
Mikaela Cocks of the Fire drives to the basket past Gabrielle Richards of the Spirit (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Todhunter will team up again with Lavey and Ernst after playing together at the Rangers. Todhunter brings energy and no doubt annoys her opponents with the level of defensive pressure she applies.
Demi Skinner had an impressive debut WNBL season with the Spirit averaging 21 minutes, 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Skinner had a career high 26 points v the Townsville Fire.
Skinner grew up in Port Lincoln, representing SA in the under 18 national championships and playing for the Gems in the Under 19s Oceania Championships. Prior to joining the Spirit, Skinner played in the Queensland Basketball League with the Toowoomba Mountaineers.
Alicia Froling played college ball with the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. Froling was signed by the Spirit before the 2019-2020 season but unfortunately did not play due to a wrist injury. Froling was previously a development player with the Townsville Fire.
Froling comes from the ultimate basketball family. Her mother Jenny won four WNBL championships and earlier this year was awarded WNBL life membership. Her father Shane was a constant in the NBL in the late 1980s and 1990s. Brothers Harry and Sam have also played in the NBL, while twin sister Keely has been part of the University of Canberra Capitals back-to-back championship teams in the last two seasons.
Cassidy McLean averaged 3.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and one assist per game for the Spirit in 2018/2019. McLean injured her knee playing for her hometown Newcastle Hunters in the Waratah Basketball League in 2019, which saw her miss last WNBL season.
17-year-old Paige Price coming through the ranks played for the Melbourne Tigers, Knox Raiders and Southern Peninsula Sharks. Price will once again play for Tracy York. York coached Price at the 2018 Under 15s Oceania Championships, where Australia won, Price was captain and named in the tournaments All Star 5.
Steph Talbot (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Price spent last season with the Melbourne Boomers and next year is set to become the first Australian to play for the University of Indiana Hoosiers.
Centre Jennie Rintala played College basketball at South Dakota State University and has been playing for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns in the Western Australia State Basketball League. She played five games as an injury replacement last season for the Adelaide Lightning. Rintala is now naturalised as an Australian citizen. Rintala has also previously played in Germany and Luxembourg.
Mary Goulding is set to make her WNBL debut this season. Goulding is from Rangiora in New Zealand. Goulding attended New York’s Fordham University, where she was named MVP in a team that won the Atlantic 10 Championship. Goulding led Fordham with 47.9per cent field goal shooting percentage and 39.8per cent three-point shooting percentage. Goulding has also played for the New Zealand Tall Ferns.
Piper Dunlop has worked her way through the junior pathways in Bendigo. She has been a Junior Brave and represented Victoria and Australia on multiple occasions. Dunlop also played for the Braves in the 2019 NBL1 season.
Shelby Britten who hails from Shepparton has followed the development pathway to the Spirit similar to Dunlop. Britten attended Newberry College in South Carolina, averaging 15.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. This is Britten’s second year at the Spirit.
Unfortunately, development player and Boston College alumni Georgia Pineau ruptured her ACL in the Spirit’s final practice game against the Southside Flyers and will miss the entire season.
Prediction
The Spirit have lost a lot of experience and have a very youthful team. A lot will rest on the shoulders of the leadership group of Lavey, Ernst and Todhunter.
I am looking forward to watching which young players step up. Hopefully, the Spirit can keep the core of the young players together for a number of years because that is when the Spirit will see the true benefits of this playing group.
Predicted finish: 8th
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