Big V Championship Women’s season to kick off this weekend

Some of Victoria’s best female basketballers will kick start the Big V Championship Women’s season this weekend. Here’s how each club is shaping up.

The big guns are set to thrive this season. Photos: Facebook.

Some of Victoria’s best female basketballers are set to light up the Big V Championship Women’s season.

Play is set to get underway in the eight-team competition from Saturday night with a series of exciting matches to kick start the weekend.

Casey, Keilor and Hawthorn are no longer in the league with Chelsea and Pakenham making the step up from Division 1 in 2022.

Here’s a look at how each team is shaping up ahead of the season.

Bulleen

Members of Bulleen's youth league teams are expected to step into the senior team at different points during the season. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 1st (13 wins, one loss)

There’s no doubting the Boomers will once again be one of the teams to beat in the women’s competition this season off the back of a successful 2021 campaign. Michael Brookens will again take charge of the Boomers side and has more than three decades of coaching experience to his name. He has previously served as the coaching director at Dandenong.

Chelsea

Olivia Howman has joined the Gulls from NBL1 club South Adelaide Panthers. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 1st (12 wins, one loss) – Division 1

Despite being one of two new teams into the competition, the Gulls aren’t expected to show any fear as they look to rattle the cages of the elite Championship teams. The club made a statement of intent earlier this month when it announced the signings of Mel Prior (from Melbourne Tigers) and Olivia Howman (from South Adelaide Panthers) with both having previous NBL1 experience. Head coach Mike Funke has also indicated some members of the Youth League Women’s side will also be given the opportunity in the senior grade throughout the season.

Hume City

There's been several new signings for Hume City. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 7th (four wins, 10 losses)

The Broncos will be desperate to move up the ladder in season 2022 after a tough year in 2021 which saw several players step up to the plate due to injury. One of those included young gun Tash Overby who has re-signed with the club and should see increased minutes throughout the season. Unfortunately, Jessica Azzopardi has already been ruled out for the year due to an ACL injury.

Roster: Paige Tawaf, Amelia Guest, Tegan Hindle, Georgia Keighran, Alexandra McKellar, Eliza Ogilvie, Tashia Overby, Oriana Siamoa, Chrisoula Triantafyllopoulos, Briana Gray, Niki Cross, Brittany Ridlen.

McKinnon

McKinnon has several new faces in the team. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 3rd (11 wins, three losses)

The Cougars are again shaping as one of the top teams in the competition under the guidance of NBL legend Chris Anstey. Mckinnon’s roster is littered with talented players including Rosie Fadljevic, a former WNBL champion, who will consistently be one of the biggest threats for opposition teams on the court.

What the club said: “We just want to play — we love our sport and it gives us a chance to get out of the house. The results will take care of themselves as the season progresses. I’ve been at the club for two years and we’ve had two seasons cancelled. We’ve got a relatively healthy roster at the moment and we can’t wait for the season to get started.” — Coach Chris Anstey.

Roster: Kate Bluzer, Claire Ioannidis, Rosie Fadljevic, Morgan Ili, Tegan Cunningham, Ebony McMillan, Emily Suckling, Hana Bektas, Jacinta Vandenberg, Tana Bruno.

Pakenham

Pakenham import Haille Nickerson is a scoring machine. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 2nd (10 wins, four losses) – Division 1

The second newcomer to the division and the Warriors have a point to prove. The club has managed to keep its main core from the second tier together and will be boosted by the arrival of Canadian import Haille Nickerson. The Memorial University guard is highly skilled and comes fresh off a college season where she led the entire country in scoring, so there‘s every possibility she could put up big numbers in Melbourne’s southeast.

What the club said: “It feels like the season has been a long time coming. We’ve only had the whole squad training together in the past two or three weeks. If we are able to feature in finals it would be a huge achievement for us as a new team in the division. But we’re really excited to be playing at this level this year.” – Coach Simo Pajdic

Roster includes: Keeley Patterson, Katie Karajic Powell, Haille Nickerson, Javan Hawkins, Tarryn Wilkin, Tess Young, Tyla Scorah, Alahna Arnason, Ebony Robinson, Bethany Quadara, Darci Dixon, Chloe Zielinski.

Southern Peninsula

Southern Peninsula women import Asia Glenn. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 8th (four wins, 10 losses)

Head coach Peter Caseprz is desperate for his side to stay in games for longer this season. The acquisition of new import Asia Glenn will certainly help from that point of view given her ability to score big and also apply fantastic defensive pressure.

What the club said: “Consistency is what we’re after this season. Last year we got blown away in a few games and our goal is to stay in those types of games for longer. We’re really excited by what our import Asia Glenn is going to bring to the table, she will give us an inside presence we didn’t have before. Three young players including Abbey McNamara, Annaliese Rogers and Myra Wood all made the step up from our youth league team last season and gave us glimpses of what we can expect from them and I think they’ll go to another level.” – Coach Peter Caseprz

Roster: Tanarly Hood, Ashleigh Wright, Fiona Darnell, Eryn Rosowski, Grace Watson, Myra Wood, Abbey McNamara, Annaliese Rogers, Tamara Matecic, Asia Glenn.

Sunbury

Ida Andersson is expected to play a big role for Sunbury. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 2nd (12 wins, two losses)

It’s all about opportunity for the Jets young guns this season and if they can build on a successful pre-season, the sky could be the limit. The club‘s imports are set to play a big role in their chances of repeating or bettering a second place finish in a shortened 2021 season.

What the club said: “Throughout the pre-season there has been a lot of opportunities for younger players with our imports overseas. One of those is Isa Andersson who is a phenomenal talent. She’s a great scorer and also a tenacious defender. We’ve got a lot more depth than we had perceived which has us in a good position ahead of the season.” – Coach Ben Draper

Wyndham

Wyndham import Amanda Paschal. Photo: Facebook.

Last season: 6th (six wins, seven losses)

Similar to the men’s team, Wyndham will have a strong local flavour to its team while several Victorian young guns are set to suit up at Eagles Stadium. New import Amanda Paschal is expected to light up the Championship division and has been impressive throughout pre-season during the team’s warm-up matches. Dyani Ananiev, who is a Victorian representative, will pull on the club’s colours after an impressive Country Basketball League season.

Roster includes: Lauren Jones, Jamilee Pearce, Dyani Ananiev, Tanielle Knight, Amanda Paschal, Rachel Kerr, MacKenzie Drew, Lyndsey Hoogenhout.