“A special place for basketball”: Shannon Seebohm on Townsville Fire culture and WNBL26

As his team aim to go one better than last year's second-place finish, the five-time WNBL coach of the year will emphasise tireless skill development and community engagement.

With the Bendigo Spirit putting up one of the greatest ever WNBL seasons last year, it was easy to overlook the excellence of the competition’s runners-up, the Townsville Fire, who compiled a 15-6 record, including an eight-game winning streak.

That team was deep, balanced and capable of stifling defensive identity. To my eyes, though, their squad is even better this year, and with the advantage of continuity and their young core having developed even further, they should enter WNBL26 as championship favourites.