Opals omission has Jewel fired up for WNBL return

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The "burn" of missing selection for the Australian Opals' tilt at a FIBA World Cup gold medal has Tasmania Jewels prized recruit Darcy Garbin as motivated as ever for her return to the WNBL.

Garbin, 32, returns to the WNBL for the first time since 2022 with the league's expansion franchise and looks like she hasn't missed a beat after more than a year off the court following the birth of her daughter, Rose.

The sharpshooting forward dominated for the Cockburn Cougars in the NBL1 West, leading them to the competition's grand final, and also impressed in her comeback to the green and gold colours when playing for the Opals in a two-game series against China in Melbourne.

Her performances put her in calculations for the upcoming World Cup in Germany but Garbin just missed out with coach Sandy Brondello instead opting for Sydney Flames recruit Issie Bourne, who also performed well against China.

But the two-time WNBL champion, who will team up with Opals point guard Steph Reid at the Jewels alongside her 2018 Townsville Fire championship coach Claudia Brassard, said it just gave her extra motivation for the 2026-27 season.

"(Missing out on Opals selection) burns a little bit," Garbin told Brent Costelloe from WIN News Tasmania.

"I honestly thought maybe when Cayla George was pregnant that opened up a spot for me.

"I felt like my experience and my leadership, I'd slot right into that.

"I know I am eight months, nearly nine months postpartum, but  I was really happy with how I performed in those China games in Melbourne.

"There's a lot of motivation going into this season. I really want to be in that squad for the next two years and I really want to be considered for that team in two years going to LA."

Jewels coach, Brassard, will miss Reid for most of Tasmania's pre-season preparation but believed it wouldn't impact the team's build for their first season at all.

"She will have missed us implementing and installing all of our offences but that's OK," she told WIN News Tasmania.

"She's a very smart athlete and she'll pick it up quickly."

Brassard also said Jewels fans could expect an exciting brand of basketball for the team's inaugural season after spending the offseason asking herself important questions.

"What's the style? What do we want to be known for? We've sort of landed on a few different things but offensively certainly we want to be one of the fastest teams in the competition," she said.

The Jewels will start their season at MyState Bank Arena against the Geelong Venom on October 15.