Hoops

WNBL Semi Finals

I'm thinking about the potential to catch fans for the long term (as per Luuuc's example). It may be wiser to fish in a pond that already contains basketball fans than hoping to increase interest randomly from the general public. Sydney have only done it from this year and Adelaide from last year (I think?), so it's really only been done to minimul extent thus far.

Obviously how gate takings are affected for a final is perhaps a concern in the short term??

Re: WNBL games as curtain raiser to NBL games.

Melb Fan, fair point about actual home COURT advantage for the Sydney final. I personally think crowd support is possibly the biggest advantage and importantly, linking back to Luuuc's comment, "Breakers playing before the Wildcats at the PEC is how I first became a fan", I think to do it for a final would have an even bigger impact on potential fans and the league really should get seriously on this. TV alone might yet fail but the two startegies combined could well be the propultion the league is searching for.

what elite league of sport only play for 3 months and are governed by fitting with their male counterparts sport.

lets face it this season has by and large been a massive fail, in terms of reduced viewing because clubs cant live stream and they foxtel coverage was at best below average for all teams except boomers and angers who took the lions share of spots.
The frantic shortened season with teams flying across he country with little to no down time and some coaches penchant to run heir roster like they had 6 months up their sleeve and their old more injury laden players couldn't hack the pace.
NO chance for those who are injured early in he season to get back,and all that for what benefits, a weekly time slot on pay TV.

It was all just downright dirty in my book...and further reinforces my concern.

However I am an optimist.

I'm thankful that the government parted ways with a good chunk of money for that cause, but the execution seems to be irresponsible at best, plain corrupt at worst.

I agree. I think the A-H-H issue is the lesser problem, although it's still not ideal. It's not fair that the higher team does more travel in a series. But that is largely mitigated by spacing the games well apart, as they are in the GF series.

If Perth still had to travel first under an A-H-H format I would not have had a problem with it had the series just started on the weekend rather than Wednesday.
I don't care how deep a team is or what style they play, they're going to be disadvantaged by having the nutso schedule that the Lynx had. Everyone acknowledges this. And it will be rectified next season I'm sure.

I think Perth and Sydney have every reason to be salty! Perth are a outside shooting/jump shooting team and so are Sydney to a large extent. Being tired isnt going to be helpful. Even if you leave the finals the way they are (which i dont think they should be) atleast give some time between end of season and start of finals and no double headers, pretty simple really.

LV Fox Sports received a grant from the federal government to broadcast women's sport that's why they are covering it now.
the irony in it all ,they had a perfectly good format for years with the ABC(Australian owned) and yet they cut that due to funding but they then have to give funding to an Overseas service to get less coverage and also cut the season short just to fit it in

BA and WNBL need a dam good clean out and shake up

My recollection is that the licence for the Perth Lynx was only for 3 years from 2015

My point is how long will that support, whether fed $ or Fox Sports last when the ROI (i.e. viewers) are not there?

My recollection is that the licence for the Perth Lynx was only for 3 years from 2015 so I wonder if the Wildcats/Bendat will want to go round again? Don't underestimate the competitiveness of Jack Bendat - he will not be happy that they haven't got a premiership yet.

Weighing in on this as to the exposure of the WNBL. In Melbourne Roy Ward and Megan Hustwaite in particular do a great job of covering the league.

Melbourne have a great game-day presentation and engagement with fans (and metro associations), hence their increased crowds.

Dandenong do a great job of live streaming all their home games (via Fox Sports platform this season).

One of my biggest concerns is the pay TV thing...

I doubt that Foxtel got a whole lot of new subscriptions as a result of broadcasting the WNBL.

Nobody I know who did not already have a Foxtel subscription bought one to watch the WNBL.

Foxtel/Fox Sports are a business. If they do not see financial return for the WNBL, I am not sure how long that they will persist. That is my greatest worry for the league.

It is great to be on TV again, but the overwhelming majority who have pay TV are not in it for watching the WNBL I am afraid. Plus it is a very small audience in comparison to FTA TV.

I personally think that the way of the future is the broadcast all games online - that will also reach a GLOBAL audience rather than just the audience within our shores.

Could they have slotted in the Syd-Town final as the curtain raiser to the Kings game Saturday? The time slots were already lined up. It surely would have given off a strong vibe.

Isnt Perth pretty cashed up i remember reading somewhere that they are the only team with all players playing basketball full time not needing other jobs, is that correct?
Also think it said they get their education and training or game day meals provided that is pretty next level on the professional scale for the WNBL.

I don't get why that hasn't happened yet.
Back in the day, the Breakers playing before the Wildcats at the PEC is how I first became a fan, and here I still am.
Not really feasible for the Friday evening Cats games, but no reason not to do it for a weekend game. Make it a Saturday double-header on tv as well, stick the NBL Gametime show in the half hour gap.

Why on earth would any sane coach put a player into the roster who’s sat out all season in a must win game, Tupaea should not have even been entitled to play and all it did was stuff up a team that has performed well without here, better infact

Costy choices indeed

Isnt Perth pretty cashed up i remember reading somewhere that they are the only team with all players playing basketball full time not needing other jobs, is that correct?
Also think it said they get their education and training or game day meals provided that is pretty next level on the professional scale for the WNBL.
Is my understanding also right that the wildcats own them, so while they might not make any money they fall under an umbrella that makes alot of money so its not like anyone is sinking money into a hole. Maybe just not making as much money as you would without them but dont think Jack bendat needs to make more money or cares as his age about things like that.
I actually didnt think the Lynx games were too bad in terms of a crowd i am a season ticket holder and while the other side of the stadium was not opened it was filled most weeks on the main side.

The difference for Sydney this season was they missed Leilani.

They weren't the smart, composed team I'm used to seeing that's for sure. The Fire served up countless mistakes and opportunities for Sydney that game, but they failed to capitalise.
That's finals pressure I guess. That's all I can put it down to. And a bit of fatigue too, actually, which often contributes to poor decision-making.
I don't blame them for giving Tahlia a try though. I would have done the same.

I cannot understand the coaching of the Sydney uni flames on the weekend.
some really bad decisions in player rotation.
who plays tupaea in her first game of the year in a cut throat semi.
purely underdone. Wilson with 8 turnovers and a brain fade with the last shot.
when the coach was asked to come up with something during the game and at crucial times had no answer.
they should have won that game quite comfortably.

What is the general feeling out there about the WNBL this season?
Has it gained any traction as a result of being on TV and having more star power?

In Perth I would have said probably not. This season has felt no different to the others, with the exception of the last 2 games, which actually had some people in the stands. So that gave me a little bit of optimism to finish the season off with.

It's a conversation worth having I think.
Melbourne have a stacked team, I can only imagine what it's costing them, but they've also done a tremendous job of signing members & sponsors, and their crowds are always good. That's good for the WNBL, so it doesn't seem fair or wise to cut that back.
Townsville are in a similar category. Maybe less extreme, but again they are very well supported, and it allows them to assemble a quality roster.
Meanwhile I have to think that clubs like Perth & Adelaide are not living within their financial means as they try to compete with the top teams, and that's a concern. That's not Melbourne's fault though. It's also not much fun just making up the numbers, as the Lynx/Waves did for 15 years. That's not good for the comp either. If Jack Bendat stopped pouring his own money into the Lynx then it would be an instant return to that era, I expect.
Bendigo are a concern right now. They appear to be struggling. The great community support they used to get has noticeably diminished, and they're a small market anyway, so it's a really tough road back for them. I don't know what the answer is though.

Would a "soft cap" be of any benefit? (Like what the NBL originally claimed they were going to do, with luxury tax funds being redistributed to the have-nots). Probably not, IMO. I don't think there are any pockets deep enough to give that approach more positives than negatives.

Cambage is what she is. She will win you ball games and maybe a championship but is no role model or good for club culture.

I'm fine with no salary cap, but the league needs to ensure it doesn't become lop sided in future as its no fun watching teams on TV getting smashed either.

Anyone know if there is a salary cap for WNBL? I can only assume both Townsville and Melbourne have bigger budgets with the talent they both have? Should there be one to ensure fairness and longevity to all teams?


First off teams need sponsors to get enough money to pay for big pay checks.... it’s WNBL not NBL few teams get big sponsorship , you want s salary cap on a league that barely pays 80% of its roster LOL
Townsville don’t have big pay check players other than Batkovic , Boomers on the other hand went from a team with no money to a team that can afford the likes of Cambage and O’Hea and they also pay their bottom dweller players better than most teams, the reason, well they charge double to get bums on seats, and promote the hell out of the games using their big buck players as draw cards
They pump the merchandise and have managed to get a cart load of sponsors on board
Adelaide had a very good budget this season , they too recruited and paid their players
Rangers no longer have the endless budget from Gerry Jayco they had in the Mark Wright days and if you have ever been to their games it’s frankly pathetic , little to no effort put in by that club to create a good atmosphere , half the time they don’t even have floor wipers, not sure who is their events manager but they sorely need a new one lol
Bendigo rely on local input , soon they will have the biggest stadium in the league with all the bells and whistles so I’d imagine you
May just see some big paychecks happening next season, especially looking at the results they had this season

Putting a salary cap on a league that for the first time in three yrs has actually had TV coverage is madness

Yep Boomers bought a team to cover Molloys failings and we can all dislike that fact
They also have to deal with Cambage who really is detrimental to sport in so many ways BUT everyone loves the bad boy that’s what brings in the crowds

It looked like mental disadvantage of being 0-1 down was a factor yesterday, with a tight & over careful looking Flames.

Melb Fan, there was also Novosel going down at HT in that Adelaide - Melbourne game.

Salty fans. Salty fans everywhere.

Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Townsville, Canberra and Dandenong all spent similar money on their rosters.

Bendigo and SEQ are examples of putting the horse before the cart in trying to be competitive.

agree. season has been compromised from the very start.

a salary cap restricts all those players going to the same team that's all. there's a reason why townsville have made 5 of the last 6 grand finals! Otherwise, it's the age old saying..the rich get richer.

salary cap would help struggling teams like bendigo remain competitive and help teams stay in the league such as the previous SEQ team?

Thanks Luuc. Thank goodness for only eight teams and short season haha. Was fairly easy to do over a week or so of input. I doubt it will match up very accurately but it did help contextualise, at least to me, those who are second or third tier that still had good seasons.

'Must say, the A-H-H format is peculiar. Obviously understandable (money), but puts the higher-ranked team under a pressure they shouldn't really be put under.'

Don't remind me of the '93 NBL finals ;(

You've been busy, Waves2Lynx.
Interesting conclusion though. Pretty much exactly what I said based on gut feel (i.e. based on Batkovic & Cambage being on winning teams without too many other vote-stealing players)

3-2-1 is the format, I believe.
Will be interesting to see how your numbers compare to the real ones. (Triple your numbers to account for 2 x coaches + referees, and then re-allocate a few Cambage votes to Jenna to simulate how the refs' votes will go ;)

Anyone know if there is a salary cap for WNBL? I can only assume both Townsville and Melbourne have bigger budgets with the talent they both have? Should there be one to ensure fairness and longevity to all teams?

Hey wang whipper it’s called shooting a better percentage and notbtravelling!

Changing the subject, I actually went back and looked at all the regular season games and did my own MVP count. Thanks whoever suggested that a few weeks ago. I did it in a 5-4-3-2-1 format and 3-2-1 as well for comparison.

I realise it's limited because it's an entirely subjective assessment based on nothing more than a boxscore, but I think it can be used a general guide on performances and who's likely to come out on top. For instance I hadn't realised how well the rest of the Sydney team did over the season which limits Taylor's scope to score well. Bishop as well was in around that elite group of talent that wasn't talked about as much.

Anyway here are the leaderboards for top 15 in each

5-vote format
S. Batkovic 84
E. Cambage 76
C. Williams 74
A. Taylor 62
S. Whitcomb 62
A. Bishop 60
C. George 49
J. Hamson 47
St. Blicavs 43
B. Snell 40
J. O'Hea 39
N. Seekamp 36
K. Pedersen 36
B. Laney 33
A. Kunek 31


3-vote format
S. Batkovic 46
E. Cambage 40
C. Williams 36
A. Taylor 32
S. Whitcomb 29
A. Bishop 25
J. Hamson 24
C. George 20
St. Blicavs 19
J. O'Hea 16
B. Snell 15
N. Seekamp 13
N. Novosel 13
B. Laney 11
J. Hooper 11
D. Garbin 11

Basically expect either Liz or Suzy to win, so lines up with the GF haha.

Hahaha at that salty Perth fan. Yeh you really outplayed the Boomers, they just had more points

It’s not just the AHH schedule it’s playing two games in the last round, having no break for a week before starting finals or something similar. Instead they put doubles on the last weekend and finals to start half a week later and then next game 48 hours later plus the AHH schedule which is stupid!

That’s rubbish that the lynx got out played and were out of it by the 3rd quarter did you even watch the game? The lynx got out to 9 pts in the third and were up by 5 with 5min to go in the game.
The issue with them is they are a run and gun team with perimeter shooters and no inside player. That is fine when you aren’t tired but it is a killed when you are, you have no legs you hit air balls and you can’t run and gun.
That is part schedule and part Andy not resting them when he should have but 7 flights in 8 days and away for a week has to take a toll that it didn’t take on anyone else.
That isn’t the sole reason we lost Melb played great defence and have a rounded team I am not going to take that away from them and sometimes when you are outside shooters you have off nighters and that’s basketball we take that.
We relied no more on our main players than anyone else in the top 4 Sydney,fire and boomers all rely on their starters and we had good starters but they were tired and it showed our game plan doesn’t allow us to be tired.
It’s ok for the wildcats to say after their game today that they were tired after a game two days ago on the road then imagine how the lynx felt you can’t deny it played a role.

I agree with Waves. Melbourne and Townsville played better and deserved to advance to the GF, but clearly the AHH scheduling played a part in the results and should be farked off for next season.

I'm not saying those that won didn't deserve it, or that there is just one factor that goes into why a team played the way they did but clearly if both top teams knocked out in straight sets having to play away first then the scheduling had some impact when it really shouldn't have and that takes away from the spectacle next week.

The GF schedule is far more sensible and should have been instituted for the Semis too. Strange that it was not really,

Both teams bowing out in straight sets showed the schedule was a stuff up. Melbourne v Townsville will still be a good gf matchup but sorry, thats completely overshadowed now.

Schedule is all about the Foxtell coverage so they only travel once. Eg if Perth played home and won then it would have been off to Melbourne and had they won then back to Perth. That would be the reason for the schedule and like how Melbourne had 8 games on Foxtel it is advantage Melbourne. Very unfair

Why did Sydney jack up a 3 when they were only down 1 with 18 sec to go in the game after a timeout? Not the smartest thing to do?

I like Sydney Wiese, girl got swag.

This is the first time I've watched WNBL since the one-piece era. Crazy

I like Sydney Wiese, girl got swag.

This is the first time I've watched WNBL since the one-piece era. Crazy

Congrats to the Fire. That was an intense game.
Could be an interesting series with the Fire having home court.

I feel like Batkovic didn't do nearly enough sooking in the post-game interview. Should have learned from Cambage, so advantage Liz in that battle.

When are the award winners announced? Is it before the GF series? Because this could be the top 2 in the MVP race clashing in the GF.

Wish I could help, but I don't follow Harry Potter!

Belinda Snell looks like Voldemort. Has that comparison been made before? I don't follow WNBL