Triple threat: Borlase, Maley and Woods in MVP race

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With just one round left to play in the 2025-26 WNBL season, there are three teams standing clear from the rest of the competition in Townsville, Perth and Bendigo.

The same goes for the Suzy Batkovic WNBL MVP Award, with three players separating themselves from the pack: Bendigo’s Izzy Borlase, Perth’s Anneli Maley and Townsville’s Courtney Woods.

All three have genuine cases for being awarded the MVP, so let’s dive into why each of them is in the running.

Isobel Borlase (Bendigo Spirit)

Everyone knew Izzy Borlase was a superstar in the making heading into this season and she has well and truly lived up to that billing.

A fresh start at the Bendigo Spirit after spending the first few seasons of her career in Adelaide has seen her take her (already glistening) career to the next level.

Still just 21-years-old, Borlase is already a bronze-medal winning Olympian with the Opals, a winner of the WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year awards (both in 2023) and has put together a season worthy of MVP honours in 2025-26.

Leading a Spirit squad with a huge turnover of players after winning the championship last season to still being one of the true contenders in this league has been incredible to watch.

Long known for her insane strength and ability to get to the bucket, Borlase is the only player in the league to be averaging more than five free throws made per game and is leading the league in scoring (23.1 points per game).

She has proven throughout this season that she can score from anywhere on the court and when she decides she’s going to the bucket, there isn’t a whole lot the opposing defence can do about it.

A confident Borlase is a dangerously explosive player, and playing with so much belief this season has seen her truly unlock her full potential.

Highlighting just how valuable Borlase has been to the Spirit is the fact Bendigo’s net rating with her on the floor is 12.1, while when she sits on the bench, it falls into the negative at -0.9 (via hoopsdb.net).

In Round 15, it felt like the inevitable happened, when Borlase exploded for an irresistible three-game stretch that may have ultimately clinched her the MVP award.

Exploding for a league-wide season-high 42 points against Southside Melbourne, Borlase followed that up two days later with 33 points against Canberra. As if that wasn’t enough, she scored 23 points against Canberra a further two days later.

Scoring 98 points (plus 16 rebounds and 14 assists) in three wins over five days is otherworldly, and that type of dominant play is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Borlase this season.

GP: 22 | MIN: 33.6 │ PTS: 23.1 │ FGM: 8.2 │ FGA: 18.0 │ FG%: 45.6 │ 3PM: 1.5 │ 3PA: 5.7 │ 3P%: 26.9 │ FTM: 5.1 │ FTA: 5.6 │ FT%: 90.7 │ REB: 6.3 │ AST: 3.5 │ STL: 1.0 │ BLK: 0.4 │ TO: 3.2 │ PF: 2.6

Anneli Maley (Perth Lynx)

If Borlase’s game is built around strength, Anneli Maley’s is based around her relentless motor.

Maley is truly a one-of-one player and is putting together her most complete season in the WNBL since her MVP season in 2021-22 when she averaged 19.8 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

The impact Maley has on a game is undeniable. Whether she’s bringing down defensive rebounds and creating a one-woman fastbreak or securing extra possessions for her team by grabbing offensive rebounds, she brings an incredible presence to the game and energises her team to new heights.

One of only three players in the league averaging a double-double, alongside Cayla George and Kelsey Griffin, Maley is the league’s leading rebounder (14.1 per game) and is relentless in her desire to curtail the boards. It really is a joy to watch her go about her business on both ends of the court.

With 14 double-doubles on the season, Maley has been consistent from the word go, and when Perth was hit by injuries in the early parts of the season, she stood tall to help the Lynx bank important early season wins.

Maley’s on/off numbers paint the picture of just how valuable she has been this season. With Maley on the floor, Perth’s net rating is 14.7, and when she takes a break on the bench, that drops right off to -1.8 (via hoopsdb.net).

For all the star power Perth possesses, no one has positively impacted Perth’s success more than Maley over the course of the season.

Having put together some monster games throughout the season, Maley had some near triples doubles, and in the past two games, she has delivered in spades.

Firstly, she dominated Southside Melbourne, putting on a show with 25 points (3-from-7 3PT FG), 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Then she backed that up as Perth sent a message to Bendigo over the weekend with a big win, and in typical Maley fashion she was everywhere, finishing with 22 rebounds, 13 points, three assists and two steals.

While Maley was snubbed from being added to the Opals 19-woman squad late last year, there’s no doubt she has continued to just let her game do the talking and I’m not sure what more she could’ve done to be included in that preliminary squad.

GP: 22 | MIN: 32.1 │ PTS: 14.5 │ FGM: 5.0 │ FGA: 13.3 │ FG%: 37.9 │ 3PM: 1.6 │ 3PA: 5.1 │ 3P%: 30.6 │ FTM: 2.8 │ FTA: 3.4 │ FT%: 83.1 │ REB: 14.1 │ AST: 3.2 │ STL: 1.0 │ BLK: 0.2 │ TO: 2.0 │ PF: 2.0

Courtney Woods (Townsville)

While Borlase relies on strength and power and Maley uses her unbelievable motor to wear down opponents, Courtney Woods utilises a calculated and shifty game to break down defences.

Woods is the best player on the best team in the league with the Townsville Fire currently sitting on top of the table heading into the final round of the season.

Her improvement over the past three seasons has seen her catapult herself into Opals squads and now stands as one of the most valuable players in the WNBL. Leading the league is dimes (6.8 assists per game), Woods is the engine behind the best offence in the league, with Townsville averaging 85.1 points per game.

Long known for their defensive identity, the Fire have turned into an offensive juggernaut this season, all while still owning the second-best defence in the league, only trailing Bendigo.

One knock on Woods’ season compared to Borlase and Maley’s has been the fact she missed four games due to injury through December and January, then was on reduced minutes for a further two games as she made her way back into the line-up. She also missed the Round 16 clash against Canberra.

Having said that, at times throughout her absence, it was telling just how valuable Woods is to the Fire line-up as their offence wasn’t nearly as smooth and there’s no doubt a fully healthy Woods is an All-WNBL First Team member and will have a huge say in the postseason.

When you look at the on/off numbers, with Woods on the floor, Townsville is in another stratosphere, owning a 115.2 offensive rating and a 92.9 defensive rating resulting in a net rating of 22.2 - the best in the league of players to have played at least 400 minutes this season (via hoopsdb.net).

Woods’ composed and deadly play has Townsville heading into the postseason with big goals and she’s the type of player you want to be going into a playoff series with you by your side.

GP: 17 | MIN: 30.5 │ PTS: 14.2 │ FGM: 4.8 │ FGA: 10.4 │ FG%: 46.3 │ 3PM: 1.2 │ 3PA: 2.9 │ 3P%: 42.9 │ FTM: 3.3 │ FTA: 3.8 │ FT%: 86.2 │ REB: 4.4 │ AST: 6.8 │ STL: 1.0 │ BLK: 0.3 │ TO: 3.3 │ PF: 1.9

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.