It's a Geelong way to the top as Maddy 'Rocs' 'n rolls to MVP

• ‍Every WNBL27 roster, squad list and projected depth chart‍
• WNBL27 Free Agency: Every club's confirmed squad‍
• All 99 games of the WNBL27 season in one list

Geelong Venom are the 2026 TechnologyOne Townsville Tip Off champions.

Maddy Rocci took the Tiana Mangakahia MVP Award after averaging 24 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.5 steals in Geelong's two wins.

The averages undersell it. On Saturday against the UC Capitals she scored 31 on 11-for-24, with five three-pointers, and Geelong won 90-86. On Sunday against Bendigo she took 17 shots for 17 points and handed out 12 assists. Geelong won 90-67.

Geelong opened Sunday's final game with a 36-16 quarter that effectively ended it, then held Bendigo to 16, 17, 18 and 16 across the four quarters. The Venom were the only club to score 90 in both their games.

They finished 2-0. So did the Townsville Fire, who beat Perth 101-73 on the opening night and held off Sydney 80-77 in the last game of the tournament.

Nine clubs played two games each in four days at Townsville Stadium, the Murray Sporting Complex, in the second edition of the pre-season event.

WNBL27 tips off on October 15.

GAME 9: TOWNSVILLE FIRE 80 def SYDNEY FLAMES 77

Sunday, September 20
Quarters: TSV 22-17, SYD 26-19, SYD 20-17, TSV 22-14.
Tip-Off points: Townsville 5.0, Sydney 2.0.

Sydney led 63-58 at the last change and lost the final quarter 22-14. Townsville made 21 free throws to Sydney's 13, and Courtney Woods and Abbey Ellis scored 20 apiece.

Talking points

• Sydney led 63-58 at three-quarter time and were outscored 22-14 in the fourth.
• Townsville went 21-from-27 at the free-throw line. Sydney took 15 attempts all game.
• Courtney Woods scored 20 with seven assists and went 8-from-9 from the line.
• Abbey Ellis also scored 20, on 5-from-10 from three.
• Agnes Emma-Nnopu had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Sydney collected 18 offensive rebounds to Townsville's 10 and still lost.
• Jaz Shelley had four steals and four blocks to go with 13 points.

GAME 8: GEELONG VENOM 90 def BENDIGO SPIRIT 67

Sunday, September 20
Quarters: GEE 36-16, GEE 24-17, BEN 18-14, 16-16.
Tip-Off points: Geelong 5.5, Bendigo 1.5.

Geelong's 36-16 opening quarter decided it, and the Venom took 51 three-point attempts, twelve more than any other team has managed in a game here. Indiah Bowyer scored 23 and Maddison Rocci had 17 points and twelve assists.

Talking points

• Geelong opened 36-16 and were never headed.
• The Venom attempted 51 three-pointers and made 14. No other side has attempted more than 39 in a game at this tournament.
• Geelong took 54 rebounds to Bendigo's 35, including 29 at the offensive end.
• Rocci had 17 points and twelve assists, and Geelong turned it over six times against Bendigo's 17.
• Indiah Bowyer scored 23 on 8-from-22, with seven three-pointers from 19 attempts, and finished plus 30.
• The fourth quarter finished 16-16, the only tied quarter of the tournament.

GAME 7: UC CAPITALS 85 def SOUTHSIDE MELBOURNE FLYERS 70

Sunday, September 20
Quarters: UC 24-16, UC 7-6, UC 29-24, UC 25-24.
Tip-Off points: Canberra 7.0, Southside Melbourne 0.0.

Canberra won every quarter, the only side to do that in the nine games, and the second of them finished 7-6. Isabel Palmer scored 24 off 7-from-15 shooting and the Capitals made 13 three-pointers to Southside's six.

Talking points

• Canberra won all four quarters. No other team swept a game in the tournament.
• The second quarter ended 7-6. Thirteen combined points is the lowest-scoring quarter of the nine games, by eight.
• Isabel Palmer scored 24 on 7-from-15, with five of her ten three-point attempts falling, in 22:02.
• Canberra made 13 threes from 34 attempts. Southside made six from 19.
• Southside had 20 assists on 27 made field goals and lost by 15, turning it over 18 times to Canberra's 16.
• Megan McConnell added 12 points, three steals and two assists in 32:47.

GAME 6: BENDIGO SPIRIT 76 def ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 70 (Game Centre)

Saturday, September 19
Quarters: ADL 26-17, BEN 19-17, BEN 15-10, BEN 25-17.
Tip-Off points: Bendigo 6.0, Adelaide 1.0.

Casey Samuels posted a triple-double as Bendigo ran down Adelaide with a 25-17 final quarter. The Lightning led 26-17 after the first and were still in front 53-51 at the last change before the Spirit closed it out.

Talking points

• Samuels had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 36:38, a triple-double in a six-point win.
• Adelaide led after one quarter and at three-quarter time and lost the fourth 25-17.
• Olivia Pollerd top-scored for Bendigo with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Marianna Tolo was plus 25 in only 19:02, the best mark of the game by nine.
• Elissa Brett scored 24 for Adelaide on 6-from-12 from three and finished minus 11.
• Bendigo had 25 assists on 27 made field goals.

GAME 5: SYDNEY FLAMES 100 def TASMANIA JEWELS 83 (Game Centre)

Saturday, September 19
Quarters: SYD 33-15, TAS 24-22, TAS 18-14, SYD 31-26.
Tip-Off points: Sydney 5.0, Tasmania 2.0.

Jaz Shelley scored 34 points and Sydney built the win in the opening 10 minutes, outscoring Tasmania 33-15 in the first quarter. The Jewels won the middle two periods but never got closer than 12.

Talking points

• Shelley went 11-from-17 from the field and 8-from-12 from three for 34 points in 31:56.
• Sydney's 33-15 first quarter was the margin of the game; Tasmania won quarters two and three.
• Isabelle Morgan had 12 points and nine assists and was plus 24.
• The Flames recorded 29 assists on 35 made field goals and blocked eight shots.
• Darcee Garbin led Tasmania with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• Tasmania shot 37 per cent from three and still lost by 17.

GAME 4: GEELONG VENOM 90 def UC CAPITALS 86 (Game Centre)

Saturday, September 19
Quarters: GEE 27-19, GEE 21-17, UC 32-16, GEE 26-18.
Tip-Off points: Geelong 6.0, Canberra 1.0.

Maddison Rocci scored 31 as Geelong held on after Canberra's 32-16 third quarter turned a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead. The Venom answered with a 26-18 final term.

Talking points

• Rocci had 31 points on 11-from-24, with five of her eight three-point attempts falling.
• Canberra outscored Geelong 32-16 in the third quarter and led 68-64 at the last change.
• Geelong won the fourth 26-18 to take it back.
• Canberra had 47 rebounds to Geelong's 39, including 20 offensive, and still lost.
• The Capitals turned it over 19 times to Geelong's 10.
• Megan McConnell, Nicole Munger and Sharne Robati each scored 18 for Canberra.
• Alexandra Sharp had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Venom.

GAME 3: SOUTHSIDE MELBOURNE FLYERS 65 def PERTH LYNX 53 (Game Centre)

Friday, September 18
Quarters: SEM 23-11, PER 22-19, SEM 11-10, SEM 13-9.
Tip-Off points: Southside Melbourne 6.0, Perth 1.0.

Southside Melbourne launched Sam Mackinnon’s tenure with a 12-point win after holding Perth to 25 per cent shooting. The Flyers established the final margin by winning the opening quarter 23-11, before the teams scored 42 points each across the remaining three periods. Lara Edmanson led Southside with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Hannah Hank added 13 points and Tess Heal scored 10. Kyana Weir was Perth’s only double-figure scorer with 10 points, while Teige Morrell collected 14 rebounds.

Talking points

1. Southside won the first quarter 23-11. The teams drew 42-42 across the remaining three quarters.
2. Perth generated 81 field-goal attempts to Southside’s 61 but made four fewer shots, finishing 20-from-81 from the field.
3. Edmanson produced 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in 24:19, finishing with a game-high plus-16.
4. The Flyers won the rebound count 52-40, led by Edmanson and Lucy Cochrane with 10 each. Cochrane also had three assists and three blocks.
5. Perth secured 16 offensive rebounds and committed only eight turnovers, but shot 25 per cent from the field and 21 per cent from three.
6. Samantha Ashby and Brooke Malone combined to shoot 2-from-23. Ashby went 1-from-10 and Malone 1-from-13.

GAME 2: TASMANIA JEWELS 72 def ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 70 (Game Centre)

Friday, September 18
Quarters: ADL 21-9, ADL 21-19, TAS 23-16, TAS 21-12.
Tip-Off points: Tasmania 5.0, Adelaide 2.0.

Former Oregon Ducks NCAA Women's Division 1 star Mia Jacobs powered Tasmania to an historic two-point win against Adelaide with 28 points, six rebounds and three steals. It was the Tasmania Jewels first game in the WNBL. Jacobs shot 9-from-16 and buried six of her nine three-point attempts as the Jewels made 12 threes to Adelaide’s six. The Lightning forced 27 turnovers and collected 20 steals, but Tasmania’s perimeter shooting proved decisive. Elissa Brett led Adelaide with 19 points and four steals, Sienna Lehmann added 18 points, while Paige Padroth had 13 points and five steals.

Talking points

1. Tasmania scored 28 points in the first half and 44 in the second, turning a 42-28 deficit into a two-point win.
2. The Jewels trailed 58-51 entering the fourth quarter before winning the final period 21-12.
3. Jacobs scored 28 of Tasmania’s 72 points, shooting 9-from-16 from the field, 6-from-9 from three and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
4. Tasmania outscored Adelaide 36-18 from three-point range. That 18-point advantage proved decisive in a game the Jewels won by two.
5. The Jewels overcame 27 turnovers and Adelaide’s 20 steals. Garbin committed seven turnovers, but still produced 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.
6. Adelaide’s three double-figure scorers combined for 50 points: Brett 19, Sienna Lehmann 18 and Paige Padroth 13. The rest of the Lightning roster scored 20.

GAME 1: TOWNSVILLE FIRE 101 def PERTH LYNX 73 (Game Centre)

Thursday, September 17
Quarters: TSV 31-19, TSV 28-10, PER 27-23, TSV 19-17.
Tip-Off points: Townsville 6.0, Perth 1.0.

It was a WNBL26 Grand Final rematch in name only as both defending champs Townsville Fire and Perth Lynx went at it in the first game of the WNBL27 Townsville Tip-Off in Townsville, Queensland.

Both teams are short-handed this week, Perth the shortest along with a rebuilt roster. Australians Georgia Amoore and Anneli Maley are still in the WNBA along with import Teonni Key. Chinese star Han Xu has gone to Geelong, Alex Wilson to Sydney and to the Canberra Capitals.

Townsville opened the Tip-Off against the club they beat for the WNBL26 title, and it was over by half-time. Abbey Ellis scored 34 in 21:53 on 13 of 18 shooting, seven of them threes, and the Fire led 59-29 at the break. WNBL26 Grand FInal MVP Courtney Woods added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Perth were three roster players short, with Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key and Anneli Maley on WNBA rosters, and shot 29 of 73 while turning it over 20 times. The Lynx took the third quarter 27-23, their only good shooting stretch, and that was the only point they banked.

Talking points

1. Ellis scored 34 of Townsville's 101 in 21:53. Nobody else on the floor reached 14.
2. The 28-10 second quarter was shooting, not turnovers. Townsville went 11 of 17, Perth 4 of 16, and the two clubs turned it over four times and three times.
3. Perth took 36 three-pointers to Townsville's 33 and made two fewer.
4. Perth's starting guards finished with 14 points and 8 turnovers between them: Samantha Ashby 8 points, 7 turnovers, minus-12; Stephanie Gorman 6 points, 1 turnover, plus-1.
5. Three Townsville players scored 10 or fewer and finished at plus-13 or better: Lauren Jensen plus-23, Bree Stephens plus-19, Alexandra Fowler plus-13.
6. Perth's only quarter was their only good shooting quarter: 10 of 17 and 4 of 6 from three in the third.

Australians who are missing and why

The Townsville Tip Off opened on the same day the WNBA came back.

The WNBA paused its regular season on August 31 for the FIBA Women's World Cup and resumed on September 17, running through to the last day of its regular season on September 24. The Townsville Tip Off ran from September 17 to 20. The two overlap completely.

It meant eight Australians players on WNBL27 rosters missed the pre-season tournament.

• Steph Talbot (Adelaide Lightning) - Las Vegas Aces
• Isobel Borlase (Bendigo Spirit) - Atlanta Dream
• Jade Melbourne (Bendigo Spirit) - Seattle Storm
• Georgia Amoore (Perth Lynx) - Washington Mystics
• Anneli Maley (Perth Lynx) - New York Liberty
• Miela Sowah (Townsville Fire) - Golden State Valkyries
• Nyadiew Puoch (UC Capitals) - Portland Fire
• Sami Whitcomb (Perth Lynx) - Phoenix Mercury (Out for the season).