'Opals hat on' Brondello scouting in real time

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Australian Opals head coach Sandy Brondello pulled no punches on the sideline of the Adelaide Lightning vs Geelong Venom WNBL clash in Adelaide on Friday, November 21, 2025.

Brondello, 57, was at the game with her "Opals hat on" watching Australian veteran Steph Talbot drop 32 points in the 99-93 overtime win against the Geelong Venom, welcoming back Australian guard Shyla Heal.

"We’ll always take the best team we think can get us on the dais," Brondello said.

"I’ve been watching games online of course, but just to be live and watch the games up close… I mean, what a game this is. High-scoring game, so I’m sure the fans are loving it.

"Every team is always hard to select. The talent level just keeps getting better and better. A few years ago we didn’t really have too many point guards, and now we have an abundance. And that’s what we want — we want to have a competitive squad that pushes each other so we can keep getting better."

Brondello is back in Australia after being announced as the first head coach of the 2026 WNBA expansion franchise Toronto Tempo.

The abundance of guards Brondello was referring to include Washington Mystics and UC Capitals point guard Jade Melbourne, rising Bendigo Spirit playmaker Isobel Borlase, Townsville Fire gun Miela Sowah, teammate Abbey Ellis, Steph Reid, who is playing in Europe, reigning WNBL MVP Sami Whitcomb, resurgent Alex Wilson, 2025 WNBa draft pick Georgia Amoore, and Heal.

"Obviously I’ve got my Opals hat on here," Brondello said.

"There’s some great WNBA talent and players obviously in the cusp of the WNBA. And hey, you never know.

"You just gotta get a foot in the door and give some players opportunities, and they make the most of it.

"We all dream as little girls to be Opals, and we got to do it for such a long time. I think it’s very special.

"But now it’s about representing the future generations as well, and the alumni giving back to our current Opal squad.

"I want to build stronger connections, because we can help each other continue to get better as a team."

Australia's lead up to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 is now set, with the Opals drawn into the Istanbul qualifying group alongside host nation Turkey, Canada, Japan and Argentina.

The host (Germany) and the winners of each Women’s Continental Cup 2025 (Australia, Belgium, Nigeria, and USA) will participate in these qualifying tournaments, however, they receive automatic qualification for September's FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026.

Sixteen nations will compete for the world championship, with the qualifying tournaments to be played between March 11 and 17 next year.

FIBA said the 2028 Olympic Games basketball tournament will start two days before to the Opening Ceremony, allowing the quarter-finals to be spread across two days.

No matches will start earlier than 12pm local time (5am AEST). All games at the tournament will be played at the Intuit Dome, home of the NBA's LA Clippers.