Kennedy's four-word verdict on Borlase being back

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To whom it may concern,

We are writing to inform you reigning WNBL MVP Isobel Borlase has returned from the WNBA Finals even better than she was in WNBL26.

And just like that, the Bendigo Spirit are 1-5 after the 22-year-old Australian Opals and Atlanta Dream star had a professional 22 points on 9-from-16 from the field, got downhill almost at will, pulled down four rebounds, had five assists, two steals and a block in 31:26.

Opals backcourt running mate Jade Melbourne poured in 25 points, to go with eight rebounds and seven assists in 30:28.

Frighteningly, for the rest of the league, the Spirit blew out the now 5-2 Sydney Flames 97-70 in Round 5 of WNBL27 at Red Energy Arena on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

"It was really nice to just get back out there," Borlase said.

"And I think (Kelsey Griffin) said it's, it's just about having fun and not putting any expectation on, you know, producing what I did last year.

"It's just about trying to fit in again and to have someone like her who just takes the weight off everyone, and she carries the load; it just makes it, it makes it fun and easy.

"Tonight was really a really good start for us. Well, start for, to have me back in the team, and it was good to get the win."

Borlase was "excited" about building chemistry with Seattle Storm point guard Melbourne.

"I'm super excited to start building a bit of chemistry with Jade, not only here but in the Opals program.

"I hope to be able to play with her for a lot longer, and this is the perfect place to do it under the guidance of Tolo, KG, Kelly (Wilson). All of these girls who have been playing in the WNBL for so long, we can do it under really strong guidance, and I guess kind of have a safe space to make errors.

"Because, say, at the Olympics or a World Cup, you can't afford to have as many errors as you can probably here. I think it was a good start for us, but I think we're only gonna get better for sure."

Spirit head coach Kennedy Kereama got his first glimpse of what 2026-27 could be now he has Borlase back, paired with Melbourne, and new WNBA import Kate Martin, who finished with five points, two rebounds and two steals in 21:29 off the bench in the line-up for the first time.

"It's not too bad," Kereama said of having Borlase back.

"She was OK tonight, I thought.

"No, it's really nice. If you ask everybody that's in our program in Bendigo and Australia and anyone who follows the WNBL, I would say they'd be pretty happy to have her back.

"Well, with impact in, in a number of ways, right? You can look at statistics and say, 'Oh, well,' I think Kate produced great numbers and great energy for us tonight, right?

"She was +26 in plus-minus. Some of the little things that she did for us are huge: playing defence, contesting rebounds, being able to space the floor for us.

"Any player, it always takes time to acclimatise to the level of play, and I certainly think we've got a really talented team here with a lot of experience that will help her acclimatise very quickly to the style of play.

"But also she's incredibly smart and has a very high IQ. She knows a lot about this league and a lot about the players that are playing it. Not just the most experienced players, the players that play in the WNBA. She knows a lot of the collegiate players.

"So having conversations with her throughout this process, when we were going down this path, I was incredibly impressed just with her knowledge of basketball internationally and the league itself. She's gonna be an incredible asset to this team, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to watch her evolve and have an impact on our team."

Sydney Flames head coach Renae Garlepp was more muted about Borlase's return but understood the significance.

"It's great for the WNBL," she said.

"MVP last year and has had a great WNBA season. So, no doubt everyone's really excited to watch her, it's great for the league."

Flames guard Jaz Shelley continued her impactful start to WNBL27 with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal before fouling out in 31:12 minutes.

"They're a really good team that we expected it was going to be a tough game but I am disappointed with how we played.

"It didn't go right. We missed a lot of easy shots early, but I think the disappointing part was probably how we let that kind of influence our defence down the other end. Just too many turnovers, I guess, too many easy missed shots and a lot that didn't go our way, but credit to Bendigo. They played really well."

What you need to know

• The Bendigo Spirit beat the Sydney Flames 97-70 at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo in Round 5 of WNBL27 for their first win of the season, moving to 1-5 and dropping Sydney to 5-2.
• Bendigo won all four quarters, 17-13, 29-19, 24-14 and 27-24. Sydney last led 13-12 late in the first, Kelsey Griffin's free throws with 58 seconds left in the quarter put Bendigo ahead for good, and a 15-0 run from 38-32 late in the second to 53-32 early in the third broke it open, with the lead peaking at 29, 79-50, with 7:36 left.
• Jade Melbourne top-scored with 25 points on 8-from-14, including 4-from-7 from three, and Isobel Borlase added 22 on 9-from-16, while Jazmin Shelley led Sydney with 18 on 7-from-17.
• Bendigo made 13-from-25 from three to Sydney's 9-from-33, a 12-point edge from the arc, and shot 32-from-59 from the field to 24-from-74.
• Sydney took 15 more shots on the back of 15 offensive rebounds to seven, but made eight fewer field goals, turned it over 16 times to 13, and went to the line 17 times to Bendigo's 27.

Milestones & Moments

• Borlase, the reigning WNBL MVP, played her first game of WNBL27 and scored 13 of her 22 in the first half.
• Kate Martin made her WNBL debut off the bench, and her +26 was the best on the floor.
• Kelly Wilson played her 483rd WNBL game.
• Griffin's eight rebounds took her to 2,545 career WNBL rebounds.
• Lauren Nicholson played her 187th WNBL game, and her 11 points took her to 2,423 career WNBL points.

Bendigo Spirit

• Melbourne had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 8-from-14, including 4-from-7 from three and 5-from-8 at the line, with 18 of her points in the second half.
• Borlase scored 22 on 9-from-16, including 1-from-3 from three and 3-from-5 at the line, with five assists, four rebounds and two steals, and was plus-22.
• Olivia Pollerd scored 11 off the bench on 3-from-5, including 2-from-3 from three, and 3-from-5 at the line, hitting back-to-back threes in the third quarter.
• Griffin had 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 3-from-6, including 1-from-2 from three, and 4-from-4 at the line.
• Casey Samuels scored eight off the bench on 3-from-5, including 2-from-4 from three, and her three with 12 seconds left in the first made it 17-13 at quarter time.
• Marianna Tolo had six points, six rebounds and three assists on 1-from-3 and 4-from-4 at the line in 22 minutes.
• Martin had five points and two steals on 2-from-4, including 1-from-2 from three, in 21 minutes.
• Bendigo shot 32-from-59 from the field, 13-from-25 from three and 20-from-27 at the line, with 40 rebounds, 22 assists, six steals and 13 turnovers.

Sydney Flames

• Shelley had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists on 7-from-17, including 4-from-12 from three, scoring 13 in the second quarter, before fouling out with 3:34 left.
• Isabelle Bourne scored 15 on 6-from-18, including 1-from-8 from three, and 2-from-2 at the line, with five rebounds and five turnovers, and finished minus-24, the lowest on the floor.
• Nicholson scored 11 on 3-from-8, including 1-from-3 from three, and 4-from-4 at the line, with three assists and no turnovers.
• Agnes Emma-Nnopu had eight points and two steals off the bench on 3-from-11, including 1-from-5 from three.
• Yang Shuyu had six points, four rebounds and three assists on 2-from-6 and 2-from-4 at the line, with three turnovers.
• Maya Dodson had two points and a team-high nine rebounds, five of them offensive, on 1-from-5 in 23 minutes.
• Isabelle Morgan scored five off the bench on 1-from-3 and 2-from-2 at the line in 13 minutes before fouling out with 1:49 left.
• Sydney shot 24-from-74 from the field, 9-from-33 from three and 13-from-17 at the line, with 41 rebounds, 17 assists, eight steals and 16 turnovers.