Madgen’s form earns Opals spot

TOWNSVILLE Fire guard Tess Madgen has been rewarded for her stellar WNBL preseason with an Australian Opals recall.

Fire stars Madgen, Abby Bishop, and Darcee Garbin have been included in the 19woman squad for next month’s pre-olympic qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Bishop and Garbin were both part of Australia’s bronze medal finish at last month’s FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in India, but Madgen missed the cut for the final squad.

It was a tough blow for the versatile guard who had helped the Opals to their best result since 2006 with silver at last year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain prior to joining the Fire.

Madgen made the most of her full preseason with the Fire and posted 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in a tireless opening round effort against the Southside Flyers.

Fire coach Shannon Seebohm said Madgen’s Opals recall was a deserved reward after she had led by example while Bishop, Garbin, and new captain Micaela Cocks were all away on national duties.

“She’s extremely talented, she’s had a great preseason with us, and that showed in the round one game,” Seebohm said. “I think she was our most important player and I’m thrilled for her that she’s back in that Opals mix.”

The WNBL will have a twoweek break for the pre-olympic qualifying which runs from November 10-18 and represents the new qualification system with tournaments to be held in the other zones simultaneously, including the Pan American and African zones.

Opals coach Sandie Brondello said the tournament was an exciting opportunity for players like Madgen who had missed the Asia Cup to stake their claims for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“It is great to include Liz (Cambage), Marianna (Tolo), and Kelsey (Griffin) back in the mix after they missed the Asia Cup due to injuries and WNBA,” Brondello said.