QUICKER, more organised and with added versatility is how Ballarat Rush coach Peter Cunningham has shaped his team this season.
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This will be tested straight-up with starting point guard and returned Women’s National Basketball League player Abbey Wehrung undergoing surgery for appendicitis earlier this week.
Harvey Norman Rush spent the South East Australian Basketball League off-season better preparing depth, using practice matches to test plays without key figures.
Bronte Clark will likely take up Wehrung’s leading role for Friday night’s season-opener against Bendigo at home, then back it up on the road in Geelong on Saturday night.
Cunningham said Clark had made a strong, consistent pre-season and should comfortably step up and play the role.
A youth league break means Claire Constable can suit up as a guard option.
Recruits Shanae Greaves, Jess May and Olivia Thompson arrive from WNBL club Melbourne Boomers and should share the load on key opposition players, with Greaves able to play tall.
“We’ve changed our offence a little bit and, hopefully, will also not be beaten by 20 rebounds a game any more,” Cunningham said. “We’ve been shooting well. Hopefully, we can improve on those other aspects of our game as well.”
Bendigo Lady Braves are very much an unknown element first up, with a band of late starters from the city’s WNBL franchise.
Cunningham said it was a similar scenario across most of the competition. Rush could and should only concentrate on what they put out on the floor.
But when it comes to game two on Saturday night, Geelong Lady Supercats will have the advantage of seeing exactly what Rush serves up against Bendigo.
The Lady Supercats start their season against Ballarat and, undoubtedly, will have scouts out in force at the MARS Minerdome.
Rush kept most of its offensive plays out of Geelong in a pre-season tournament at the Supercats’ home before Easter.
Cunningham said his team would, as usual, be doing things their own way.
RUSH SQUAD
Abbey Wehrung
Bronte Clark
Claire Blower
Claire Constable
Eliza Roughhead
Jess May
Kasey Burton
Kristy Rinaldi
Molly Mathews
Olivia Thompson
Ryleigh Haire
Shanae Greaves
Sophie Alexander