MELBOURNE BOOMERS

3rd (15-6)

Maddie Garrick (c), Cayla George (c), Rachel Antoniadou, Rachel Brewster, Antonia Farnworth, Tess Madgen, Eliza Wright, Penina Davidson, Ezi Magbegor, Stella Beck, Kalani Purcell, Ashleigh Karaitiana

Guy Molloy

Ezi Magbegor – The exciting big has shown just what she is capable of in the world’s toughest league when she won a WNBA title with Seattle Storm. She has been a member of the Opals since 2018 and was crucial in getting the Boomers to the past two WNBL play-offs. But there is something in the way she played in the US that suggests her best is only about to come out.

CAPTAIN’S CALL: “We go into a season every year to win it, that is the goal.

“We certainly have a little bit more fire in our belly this year after flunking out in the finals the past two years. Particularly last year we had the talent to do it, but we didn’t deliver at the right time.

“We are building on that and we have a lot of returning players. I would like to say we have had a long pre-season but we have not.

“We got together in the last two weeks and we have really picked up from where we left off last year.

“It has been great and we have clicked pretty quickly back on the court.”

FINAL WORD: The Boomers easily have the best front court in the league. With Cayla George into a remarkable 15th WNBL season and Magbegor about to hit her peak, it is a scary thought for any opposition. But that is not the Boomers’ only strengths. They have an impressive host of internationals returning to the side who will make them a potent outfit.