Ultimate WNBL26 Championship Series Guide

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It’s fitting that the two teams with the most wins over the past five WNBL seasons will face-off in the 2025-26 Grand Final Series, with the Townsville Fire and Perth Lynx set to play off in their third championship decider each over that span.

Townsville climbed to the top of the mountain when they claimed the 2022-23 WNBL championship, while for Perth, they have come within a bucket or two twice, suffering heartbreaking losses in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 Grand Final series.

While both teams have met in the semi-finals in each of the past three seasons, this will be the first time Townsville and Perth meet in the Championship Series since 2015-16 when the Fire claimed the trophy with a 2-0 series win.

Now we turn our attention to the blockbuster 2026 decider, and with Opals’ everywhere you look, star imports on both teams, and two of the best coaches in the league - there’s no shortage of storylines to follow and tantalising match-ups to keep an eye on.

WHO WINS THE PACE BATTLE

Fire superstar Courtney Woods highlighted the differences between both teams when asked about the Championship Series match-up; “It’s a fun rivalry because I think the programs are completely opposite,” Woods said post-game after taking care of business against Southside Melbourne in Game 3 of their semi-final series.

“Obviously, Perth play super fast-paced, they kind of take any shot they want, and we are obviously quite structured, we like to move the ball, get everyone touches and we maybe play a bit slower.”

It’s no secret that the Lynx love to get out and run, and when you have players such as Anneli Maley and Ally Wilson who can create their own one-woman fastbreak, it makes sense to play the way they do.

Perth did own the highest pace in the league during the regular season, averaging 79.1 possessions per game, while Townsville was third lowest at 76.3. It’s interesting to note that while Perth’s pace is the highest in the league and their offensive firepower is unstoppable at times, Townsville’s offence more than holds up, which leads me to my next point…

THE MIND GAMES

Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm stated Perth as favourites in the post-game press conference following their series win over Southside Melbourne.

“They’ve got a heck of a team,” Seebohm said.

“I’m assuming they’re the favourites probably going in, so we need to get to the drawing board and figure out what we’re actually going to do against them to slow down their offence.”

Clearly a bit of mind games from the five-time WNBL Coach of the Year, and I love it! His team finished on top of the ladder, beat Perth two out of three times, including their most recent match-up in Perth in late January, and the Fire own the best offensive rating and defensive rating in the league. They also own home-court advantage in the Championship Series.

CAN PERTH BREAK THEIR CHAMPIONSHIP DROUGHT?

The last time Perth won a WNBL Championship was in 1992 and that Perth Breakers team, led by a legendary captain/coach duo of Michele Timms and Tom Maher, took all before them after finishing top of the ladder and winning two nail-biting post-season games to reign supreme.

There’s no doubt the current-day Perth team has all the makings of a championship team, with their starting line-up full of Olympians and All-WNBL players. It’s hard to argue against them owning the best starting five in the league; Alex Ciabattoni, Amy Atwell, Ally Wilson, Anneli Maley and Han Xu.

They have versatile defenders, all-out shooting, players that can create their own offence, and there’s no doubt each player thrives under Ryan Petrik’s system.

THE SUPERSTAR MATCH-UPS

With both teams possessing a range of versatile players, match-ups will obviously change throughout the series, but there’s some tantalising potential head-to-head battles that will go a long way to deciding which team walks away with the trophy.

Amy Atwell vs Miela Sowah – A shoot-out between former teammates awaits.

They are two of the best long-range shooters in the league and both are capable of turning a game on its head. Think back to Atwell draining nine triples in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBL Grand Final Series against the Melbourne Boomers. Meanwhile, Sowah was the only player in the league to average 3+ three-point makes per game this season.

Abbey Ellis vs Ally Wilson – So often, Ellis and Wilson raise the level of their respective team with unbelievable energy and tenacity.

When Ellis gets going, she’s electric and her dogged determination on both ends of the court has been key Townsville’s success. Wilson is arguably the premier point guard in the WNBL and she was the one who really dug deep and willed Perth back into the game, although it ultimately wasn’t enough, when these two teams last met.

Alex Ciabattoni vs Courtney Woods – The methodical movers, who are always under control.

Ciabattoni has for so long been the quiet achiever for the Lynx, but this season she has taken her game to the next level and when Perth were struck by injuries in the early stages of the season, she was the one carrying her team to important wins. Now with a full-strength team around her, she continues to dominate games.

Courtney Woods is the heart and soul of this Fire team and her ability to control the tempo of the game will be crucial in Townsville’s quest for glory.

Alex Fowler vs Anneli Maley – In many ways, they are the engine room of their respective team.

Fowler always delivers when her team needs her; whether that’s by bringing down a key rebound, hitting a clutch bucket or getting a defensive stop. Maley is the constant force pushing Perth forward with her relentless play and she has a chance at redemption in this Championship Series.

Alicia Froling vs Han Xu – The battle of the in-form bigs.

Froling enters the Championship Series off the back of a career-best 26 points against Southside Melbourne, while Xu dropped 25 points and 14 rebounds against Bendigo.

Steph Gorman v Lucy Olsen – Two of the best sixth players in the league, who will absolutely have a big role to play in this series.

Gorman is the defensive dynamo, who checks into the game and so often is immediately tasked with guarding the opposition’s most dangerous player. She handles that responsibility extremely well and then on the other end knocks down triples with the best of them.

Olsen was crowned WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year and her scoring punch off the bench has been invaluable all season long. Can she produce a game-changing shooting performance in this Championship Series?

It all comes down to this. Will Townsville make it two Championships in four years or can Perth finally break through on their third attempt in five years?