Down to business: Who’s peaking entering finals

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As we enter the final round of the WNBL regular season, the top four is set with Townsville, Perth, Bendigo and Southside Melbourne all having booked their tickets to the postseason.

That doesn’t mean there is nothing to play for in Round 17 though, with plenty of tantalising match-ups before we get stuck into what promises to be a massive finals campaign.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the power rankings as we look ahead to Round 17.

Every round, basketball.com.au's WNBL expert Hayley Wildes will adjust the WNBL26 Power Rankings. Look for ➡️ ⬆️ ➡️ ↘️ ↗️ ⬇️ next to each name to quickly see how teams are moving.

Week 17 WNBL power rankings

1. Townsville Fire

Even though their long-range shots weren’t falling (5/19 3PT FG), Townsville made light work of Canberra to solidify their spot on top of the ladder with a 78-62 win.

Miela Sowah (17 points) and Alicia Froling (15 points and 11 rebounds) kept the scoreboard ticking over without Courtney Woods and the Fire have all but stitched up that all-important first-place finish.

Why They’re Here: It’s been a dominant season from the Fire.
Trending Up: Alicia Froling – Froling is always willing to do the dirty work and is the perfect frontcourt piece in this Townsville line-up. She was at her best against Canberra, finishing with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Outlook: A great tune up heading into the postseason awaits the Fire when they host the Spirit on Sunday night.

2. Perth Lynx

Perth has gone to another level in recent weeks and after disposing of Southside Melbourne a week earlier, they used a dominant second half to send a message to Bendigo, claiming a 24-point win, 88-64.

Outscoring the Spirit 43-16 in the final 20 minutes, the Lynx were irresistible with all five starters scoring in double figures. They possess so many weapons and it’s pretty clear that their best is close to unstoppable.

Why They’re Here: The Lynx are going to be a lot of fun to watch in the postseason and will like their chances against any team.
Trending Up: Anneli Maley – What Maley does on the basketball court is otherworldly. Her determination is unmatched and she didn’t give an inch against Bendigo, compiling a monster stat line; 13 points, 22 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Outlook: Looking as dangerous as ever, Perth will finish their regular season with a match-up against Sydney on Saturday evening.

3. Bendigo Spirit

It was a disappointing round for the Spirit and one that cost them dearly in the race for home court advantage in the semi-finals.

Bendigo suffered a shock loss to Geelong, 80-73, before being no match for Perth, 88-64, and with those two results, it’s all but locked them into third spot.

Why They’re Here: A costly weekend for the Spirit as we head into finals.
Trending Up: Kelly Wilson – The WNBL all-time games record holder returned to the Spirit as an injury replacement player this week and wasn’t it special to see Kelly Wilson back on a WNBL court just months after giving birth!
Outlook: The final game of the regular season promises to be a big one as the Spirit travel to Townsville to take on the Fire on Sunday night.

4. Southside Melbourne Phoenix

It was a season-defining round for the Flyers and they passed the test to book their spot in the postseason.

Southside Melbourne used a clutch fourth quarter effort to get over the line against Adelaide, 82-77, while against Canberra, they did what they had to do in the fourth quarter to come away with the win, 82-75, which officially put them in finals.

The Flyers’ big three stood up when their team needed it most, with Cayla George, Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne all having terrific performances in Round 16.

• ‍Why They’re Here: The Flyers held their nerve to secure a postseason berth.‍
• Trending Up: Issie Bourne – Bourne was at her efficient and deadly best against Canberra. Shooting 90% from the field, Bourne continued to knock down big shots throughout the win and finished with 22 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.‍
• Outlook: The Flyers head to Adelaide to finish their regular season.

5. Geelong Venom

It’s a case of too little too late for the Venom, but that doesn’t take away from what was a phenomenal Round 16.

Tipping things off with an upset win over the Spirit, where Shyla Heal (20 points), Alissa Pili (26 points) and Mackenzie Holmes (27 points) combined for 73 of Geelong’s 80 points, the Venom looked like a different team to what we’ve seen throughout the season.

The Venom backed that up with a comfortable win over the Flames, 89-76. After doing her thing on defence and locking up Izzy Borlase a couple of days earlier, Jaz Shelley got going on offence against Sydney, hitting four triples on her way to 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

• ‍Why They’re Here: Back-to-back wins sees Geelong rise up the rankings.‍
• Trending Up: Alissa Pili – It’s no coincidence that since Pili has returned to full health the Venom look a far better team. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get a full season of Pili in the WNBL, because she has proven in recent weeks that she is a game-changer.‍
• Outlook: Geelong will be looking to end their season with three wins in a row when they take on Canberra on Saturday.

6. Canberra Capitals

It’s been a disappointing season for the Capitals, now officially out of finals contention. They never found their groove and injuries certainly took their toll, but other teams have been able to cover the loss of star players, while Canberra never could.

In a round where they needed to win at least one game to keep their season alive, they suffered losses to Townsville and Southside Melbourne.

Jade Melbourne had a great pair of games in Round 16, but it wasn’t enough, especially against Townsville when she was the lone Capital to score in double figures.

• ‍Why They’re Here: Four losses in a row with their season on the line sees Canberra fall in the rankings.‍
• Trending Up: Jade Melbourne – Melbourne did all she could to keep Canberra’s season alive against Southside Melbourne, catching fire from deep to finish with a game-high 23 points (5/8 3PT FG), 6 rebounds and 3 assists. ‍
• Outlook: Postseason basketball is out of the question for the Capitals, but they’ll be looking to end their season on a high when they host Geelong on Saturday afternoon.

7. Adelaide Lightning

Adelaide gave it their all against Southside Melbourne as they tried to spoil the Flyers’ postseason chances, but ultimately the Lightning fell short in the big moments, getting outscored 27-15 in the fourth quarter to lose by five points, 82-77.

There were strong performances from a number of Adelaide players, led by Dallas Loughridge who again shone bright and continued her breakout season with 20 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.

• ‍Why They’re Here: Adelaide drop down the rankings after Geelong’s strong round.‍
• Trending Up: Sharne Robati – Robati produced a season-high 17 points, plus 4 steals and 3 rebounds, against the Flyers, playing a huge role in the Lightning almost getting the upset win on the road.‍
• Outlook: It’s back-to-back meetings with the Flyers for the Lightning, with their season concluding on Sunday when they host Southside Melbourne.

8. Sydney Flames

Sydney couldn’t keep up with Geelong as the Venom jumped out to an early lead and never surrendered it.

Despite the best efforts from Agnes Emma-Nnopu (19 points and 8 rebounds) and Unique Thompson (22 points and 11 rebounds), the Flames just couldn’t slow the Venom down as they lost their fourth game in a row.

• ‍Why They’re Here: Sydney remains last in the rankings with four losses in a row.‍
• Trending Up: Agnes Emma-Nnopu – Emma-Nnopu’s rookie WNBL season has been a great one to witness, with her constant effort and fight for rebounds standing out. Against Geelong, Emma-Nnopu got it going on offence, scoring a career-high 19 points (3/6 3PT FG) and 8 rebounds. ‍
• Outlook: The Flames head to Perth to take on the Lynx in their final game of the season.

Week 16 WNBL power rankings

1. Townsville Fire I 2. Perth Lynx I 3. Bendigo Spirit I 4. Southside Melbourne Flyer I 5. Canberra Capitals I 6. Adelaide Lightning I 7. Geelong Venom I 8. Sydney Flames

WNBL Power Rankings – Round 15

1. Townsville I 2. Perth I 3. Bendigo I 4. Southside Melbourne I 5. Canberra I 6. Geelong I 7. Sydney I 8. Adelaide

WNBL Power Rankings – Round 14

1. Perth Lynx I 2. Bendigo Spirit I 3. Townsville Fire I 4. Southside Melbourne Flyers I 5. Sydney Flames I 6. Adelaide Lightning I 7. Canberra Capitals I 8. Geelong Venom

WNBL Power Rankings – Round 13

1. Perth Lynx I 2. Bendigo Spirit I 3. Townsville Fire I 4. Southside Melbourne Flyers I 5. Sydney Flames I 6. Canberra Capitals I  I 7. Geelong Venom I 8. Adelaide Lightning

WNBL Power Rankings – Round 12

1. Perth I 2. Bendigo I 3. Townsville I 4. Southside Melbourne I 5. Sydney I 6. Adelaide 7. Canberra 8. Geelong

WNBL Power Rankings – Round 11

1. Perth Lynx I 2. Bendigo Spirit I 3. Townsville Fire I 4. Canberra Capitals I 5. Southside Melbourne I 6. Adelaide Lightning I 7. Sydney Flames I 8. Geelong Venom

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 10

1. Perth Lynx I 2. Bendigo Spirit I 3. Townsville Fire I 4. Canberra Capitals I 5. Adelaide Lightning I 6. Southside Melbourne I 7. Sydney Flames I 8. Geelong Venom

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 9

➡️ 1. Townsville Fire ➡️ 2. Perth Lynx ➡️ 3. Bendigo Spirit ⬆️ 4. Canberra Capitals ↘️ 5. Southside Melbourne Flyers ↘️ 6. Adelaide Lightning ➡️ 7. Geelong Venom ⬇️ 8. Sydney Flames

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 8

➡️ 1. Townsville I  ⬆️ 2. Perth I ↘️ 3. Bendigo I ➡️ 4. Southside Melbourne I ➡️ 5. Adelaide I ➡️ 6. Sydney I ➡️ 7. Geelong I ➡️ 8. Canberra

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 7

➡️ 1. Townsville I  ↗️ 2. Bendigo I  ↘️ 3. Perth I ↗️ 4. Southside Melbourne I ⬆️ 5. Adelaide I ⬆️ 6. Sydney I ⬇️ 7. Geelong I  ⬇️ 8. Canberra

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 6

➡️ 1. Townsville I ↗️ 2. Perth I ↘️ 3. Bendigo I ↗️ 4. Geelong I ↘️ 5. Southside Melbourne ⬆️ 6. Canberra I ↘️ 7. Adelaide ↘️ 8. Sydney

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 5

➡️ 1. Townsville I ↗️ 2. Bendigo I ↘️ 3. Perth I ➡️ 4. Southside Melbourne I ➡️ 5. Geelong I ➡️ 6. Adelaide I ↗️ 7. Sydney ↘️ 8. Canberra

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 4

➡️ 1. Townsville I ➡️ 2. Perth I ➡️ 3. Bendigo I ↗️ 4. Southside Melbourne I ↗️ 5. Geelong I ⬆️ 6. Adelaide I ↘️ 7. Canberra I ↘️ 8. Sydney

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 2

1. Townsville I 2. Perth I 3. Bendigo I 4. Canberra I 5. Southside Melbourne I 6. Geelong I 7. Sydney I 8. Adelaide

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — After Round 1

1. Townsville I  2. Canberra I 3. Bendigo I 4. Southside Melbourne I 5. Perth I 6. Sydney I 7. Adelaide I 8. Geelong

basketball.com.au WNBL26 Power Rankings — Pre-Round 1, Post Townsville Tip Off

1. Townsville Fire

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a‍

The Fire went 2-0 at the Tip Off and stamped themselves firmly as the team to beat this season. They are stacked full of Opals’, and their two imports are going to be amongst the best import pairings in the league.

Having kept most of their core from last season, you get the feeling Townsville will hit the ground running when the regular season gets underway. It’s worth noting that the Fire don’t have a home game until round five, which obviously means they will enjoy a run of home games towards the end of the season, including their final three games being at home.

• ‍Why They’re Here: Their combination of star power and depth is unmatched.
• Trending Up: Alex Fowler – the MVP of the Asia Cup as the Opals won gold is primed for a big season with the Fire.
• Outlook: The Fire are championship favourites.

2. Southside Melbourne Flyers

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

The Southside Melbourne Flyers won just six games last season and finished on the bottom of the ladder and have responded by bringing in two Opals in Cayla George and Issie Bourne to play alongside fellow Opal Maddy Rocci.

Even without Rocci in Townsville, the Flyers looked legit. Their ball movement was crisp, a clear standout in this regard, and the George-Bourne duo shone bright. Add to that the addition of import Makenna Marisa, who I was super impressed by, and Southside Melbourne have a really strong core.

Their depth may be in question, but the likes of Haylee Andrews and Manuela Puoch will help in that regard, with both having big roles to play throughout the season.

• Why They’re Here: 2-0 at the Tip Off and showed plenty of positive signs.
• Trending Up: Issie Bourne – she was crowned MVP of the Townsville Tip Off and will stamp herself as one of the premier bigs in the league this season.
• Outlook: With a huge roster turnover I was pleasantly surprised with how smooth they looked as a unit, and as the season goes on that connection will only grow stronger. They loom as an extremely dangerous team.

3. Canberra Capitals

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

The Capitals mean business this season and have built a roster around superstar Jade Melbourne. They’ve added Sara Blicavs, Zitina Aokuso and import Kadi Sissoko, all of whom are going to star this season.

While those four, along with Nyadiew Puoch, are going to be the force behind the Capitals’ push for the postseason, Nicole Munger and Isabella Brancatisano, along with young guns Jayda Clark and Monique Bobongie provide so much depth and talent to the squad.

• Why They’re Here: I love their off-season moves and depth.
• Trending Up: Kadi Sissoko – in her first two games in the country, I was blown away by her presence on the court.
• Outlook: The knee injury to Zitina Aokuso is a massive blow for the Capitals, but thankfully she should be back playing in November.

4. Bendigo Spirit

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

It was an offseason of retooling their roster for the defending champions, as the Spirit lost Sami Whitcomb and Veronica Burton, and while those two are near impossible to replace, Bendigo did unbelievably well to pivot by adding Opal Izzy Borlase and import guard Megan McConnell.

The new backcourt pairing impressed across the weekend, and Borlase averaged 21 points across the two games. After a shock loss to Adelaide in their opening game, Bendigo used a dominant fourth quarter defensive effort to take care of business against Sydney.

• Why They’re Here: A loss to Adelaide halted any chance of them being higher at this point.
• Trending Up: Izzy Borlase – surely the WNBA is the next stop with a strong season in Bendigo.
• Outlook: With key new additions, there’s plenty of growth potential.

5. Geelong Venom

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

Geelong opened their account in Townsville with an impressive win over Canberra with contributions from across the roster powering them home. Against Townsville, they were simply overpowered, falling 81-54.

I love the continuity within the group as the likes of Jaz Shelley and Gemma Potter stayed in Geelong for the NBL1 South season, and they’re recruiting went up a level from season one. Without Shyla Heal and imports Alissa Pili and Mackenzie Holmes in Townsville, clearly there is so much upside to be added to this squad.

• Why They’re Here: Post season basketball is a real chance in Geelong’s second season.
• Trending Up: Alex Sharp – after joining Geelong midway through last season and having a real impact, expect to see an even more influential Alex Sharp in 2025/26.
• Outlook: If they can bank wins early without Shyla Heal, the Venom could be dangerous in the second half of the season.

6. Perth Lynx

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

The Lynx were missing Ally Wilson all weekend but many other teams were without stars too and still produced strong showings. For Perth, they went 0-2 in Townsville, and it was abundantly clear they need frontcourt help.

Perth’s defence struggled for most of the weekend, highlighted by Southside Melbourne putting up 102 points against them. The positive for Lynx fans is that realistically, when fully healthy, they have a strong core big three of Wilson, Anneli Maley and Amy Atwell.

• Why They’re Here: I’m not sure their depth is going to cut it.
• Trending Up: Anneli Maley – she was doing Anneli Maley things all weekend and will continue to be a force for the Lynx this season.
• Outlook: With Han Xu joining the team, they need her as soon as possible.

7. Sydney Flames

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

The Flames certainly don’t have the worst roster on paper but they failed to produce in Townsville, going 0-2, albeit against good teams in the Fire and the Spirit. A lot of teams are going to be blown out of the water by Townsville this season.

Without import Grace Berger, obviously the Flames were missing a key offensive player, but there still has to be questions about how they are going to compete on both ends against the top teams in the league.

• Why They’re Here: Scoring just 48 points against Bendigo – and only three in the fourth quarter – finished a tough weekend for the Flames in Townsville.
• Trending Up: Lauren Nicholson – in her first WNBL hit out since giving birth, Nicholson was her usual competitive self as she did all she could to keep the Flames in both games.
• Outlook: The guard rotation of Nicholson, Berger and Shaneice Swain has so much potential, so let’s wait and see if they can put it all together this season.

8. Adelaide Lightning

Record: 0–0‍

‍Streak: n/a‍

‍Last Week’s Rank: n/a

Adelaide claimed an impressive overtime win against Bendigo to kickstart their weekend as Dallas Loughridge led them home with 21 points and 4 assists.

In their final game of the weekend, they struggled mightily on offence against the Flyers, scoring just 17 points in the first half, before eventually falling 67-48. They were stuck in mud on offence, shooting only 25% from the field.

The good news for Lightning fans is that Steph Talbot and import Sania Feagin are still to be added to the squad, and both are strong defenders who should help keep Adelaide in contents.

• Why They’re Here: I’m just not sure where enough offence is going to come from on any given night.
• Trending Up: Sharne Robati – the New Zealand forward plays hard and whenever I watched her play during the NBL1 South season for Casey, she was impressive. She’ll have a big role to play for Adelaide.
• Outlook: They’re going to need a lot out of their two 22-year-old imports in Serena Sundell and Sania Feagin.

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.