Here's what the Perth Lynx need to secure a title in WNBL26

After two strong campaigns under Ryan Petrik, the Perth Lynx have firmly established themselves in their championship window.

The Perth Lynx combined for a 27-15 record over the past two regular seasons and three postseason series. They’ve amassed more experience than any other WNBL team over this stretch and are staring a championship dead in the eyes.

In WNBL24, they were a missed fast break layup and two missed free throws away from being champions. They held the lead late in game two with a 1-0 series lead in the Grand Final. In WNBL25, they reupped with more firepower and added five extra regular season wins, but ultimately fell short to the Townsville Fire.

What could help the Perth Lynx secure a title next season?

Credit: May Bailey Photography

Perth entered a changing of the guard two seasons ago, mainly marked by the addition of Anneli Maley; I’ve held the belief that the Lynx have had the best starting and closing lineup in the league since her arrival. There were obvious standouts last season in the Bendigo Spirit and Townsville Fire, but it felt like Perth left a lot out there in WNBL25.

In WNBL24, the Lynx were tied for most All-WNBL selections across the first and second team. In WNBL25, they accounted for four of the 10 selected players, which is historic - an equal best since the All-WNBL second team was added. What’s more impressive is that all of their selections have been unique, which has amounted in six All-WNBL calibre players over the past two seasons.

Experience matters

It’s great to have talent, but recent championships have come from experience. This is something Bendigo had in spades; at times, the youngest player on the court was 30.

In WNBL24, when it came to the Grand Final, Leilani Mitchell and Lauren Jackson were both starting for the Southside Flyers. That depth of experience is not something that can be easily replicated, and for WNBL players it doesn’t just mean playing a lot of games, it means playing across different environments and geographies, and sometimes for higher stakes.

What’s glaring in this contrast in experience, was the level of comfortability in high pressure situations. Staying steady, never too high, never too low. It’s one thing to say it, it’s another thing to do it.

As for the talent out west, Perth has had two elite lineups:

• WNBL24 with Aari McDonald, Miela Goodchild, Amy Atwell, Anneli Maley, Emily Potter

• In WNBL25, it was Miela Sowah, Amy Atwell, Ally Wilson, Anneli Maley and Laeticia Amihere

• Depending on the game, Alex Ciabattoni was their X factor in WNBL24, a role Steph Gorman held in WNBL25. When your best five-player lineup is six deep, that’s a great start.

Stylistically, the Lynx complexion was diverse and deadly. There's a wide range of variability within the team offence and individual players alike. The dynamism possessed by Atwell and Wilson from a scoring perspective is enough to guide any offence down an efficient path. Compound this with their playmaking ability, along with Sowah, Maley and Amihere, and you have five creators all threatening the scoreboard, all in multiple ways.

Gorman’s capacity to grease the wheels and keep the offence moving with penetration, hockey assists and extra passes skyrockets the Lynx’s ability to generate open looks. It’s a role Ciabattoni can fill as well, and one she had tremendous success with just a season prior.

On this one, Gorman draws an extra defender and forces the low player to make a decision on the split, leading to an open Sowah three.

Defensive cohesion

On the glass they were strong, with Anneli leading the way for extra possessions. She finished second in the league for the third straight season with 12 a night (For what it’s worth, she just ripped down 30 boards in an NBL1 game this month). Last season, Perth was well clear for first in the league for total rebounds, and second offensively. As for efficiency, they were middle of the road, but when compounded with securing as many possessions as possible this brought their offence into the upper echelon. As far as the numbers go, the Lynx offence is deadly.

Defensively, they have individual brilliance that works together to form a stronghold. Their wings are key here, namely Wilson and Maley. They defend as either the big or the little in a pick and roll, can switch in every scenario without giving up an advantage, run shooters off the three-point line and recover, and, again, rebound. They're lethal competitors who earned spots on WNBA rosters in large part due to their play in WNBL25.

Blend this with Atwell’s disruption and agitation, and Gorman or Ciabattoni’s selflessness in sticking to an individual assignment and there were no holes to be found on Perth’s perimeter. With any trio of the perimeter players off-ball, there’s no advantage to seek for the opposition.

Here’s one with everyone on a string, and Gorman having the Whitcomb assignment.

Their perimeter defence worked as an engine to kickstart their offence, and finishing second in the league for steals per night afforded them even more possessions. Combining the 8.9 steals a night with 28.6 defensive boards, you have more than 37 potential fast breaks, Perth’s bread and butter.

Roster continuity

Right now, Perth is playing an ultra modern style of basketball; they thrive in manufactured chaos on-court, but are working towards continuity and stability at the franchise level. The Lynx produced a documentary called Under the Surface, in which the players and coaches alike talked about their vision for the team next season. Petrik even mentioned the need for an “evolution, not a revolution.”

That’s not to say the Lynx roster is fully locked in.

Right now, the league is in a transitional phase that can be linked to the WNBL license changing hands from Basketball Australia to the Wollemi Capital Group on April 1, and some teams have yet to agree to the new terms. So far, the Sydney Flames, Townsville Fire and UC Capitals are the only teams to have publicised communications on this in WNBL26.

Let’s dig a little deeper. Maley, Wilson, Gorman and Ciabattoni have signed with teams in the NBL1 West. Sowah has moved to the Gold Coast, as she is wont to do come NBL1 season, and has shown no signs that she is seeking employment elsewhere in the WNBL. Atwell isn’t actively representing a basketball team but the WA native would be primed for a return to the Lynx.

With all players in the market and retainable, Perth is capable of maintaining their identity into next season. More importantly, this zippy, perimeter based core can welcome in any big with open arms. It leaves the door open for another import and even more talent.

What could the Lynx centre look like?

Petrik has had success with two completely different centres in recent seasons; the team adapted to two different bigs who have two different play styles, and had success with both.

Amihere brought many folds to the centre position and her ability to take away a pick and roll at the screen was paramount. Her size and speed at her position is becoming more common in the WNBL, yet still puts her slightly ahead of the curve. She would anchor the Lynx defence along the lane lines, sometimes a step above the free throw line. There was no secret to Perth’s gameplan and this aggressiveness illustrated exactly what they wanted to do; run. She trailed only Brianna Turner, another player of her mould, for stocks (steals plus blocks) with 3.3.

Amihere wasn’t always the player finishing the break, but she was often the one starting it. As a more fluid option, she was able to often take her player off the dribble and create offence for other players while also being a play finisher.

A season ago, they had Potter’s more traditional approach, distorting her opponents closer to the rim. Potter provided a post game and finished easy baskets. When a play wasn't being run for her, she remained opportunistic and would add second-chance points and free throws.

The Amihere archetype seems to complement the identity of this team more - someone who can create more plays defensively and playmake from the top of the key as well as from inside. Amihere’s mobility also saw her able to make decisions on the roll, or on cuts to the basket.

Here’s a great stop getting the Lynx straight into what they want, with perfect structure on the fast break.

The two WNBL champions from these last couple of seasons have been hot from opening night. Southside was able to blend every player from night one and Cheryl Chambers ran system-ball throughout the season. Bendigo was superlative all season long, with a 22-3 record across regular and postseason.

Going through the import market leaves the door wide open for the global pool of players. Poaching Brianna Turner from Adelaide could upgrade Amihere on the defensive end, and the work she and Maley could do on the glass would go down in the annals. She would enhance everything about Perth’s play and might be the marginal difference in winning a championship.

As for recent standout imports, Mercedes Russell could fit like Potter, but bringing more talent, experience and, somehow, height. They could even bring back one of Amihere or Potter and run it back with more experience amongst the group.

The Lynx have been strong starters in both seasons, and integrating their starting centre will be key to a championship campaign in WNBL26. Can they hit the ground running?

Every champion needs a glue player

With the firepower they had from Wilson, Maley, Atwell, Amihere and Sowah, they needed someone to fill in the holes and take on a defensive assignment. Luckily, they have this player, two of them actually; Steph Gorman and Alex Ciabattoni.

The two have also stepped into higher volume roles when called upon with upticks in efficiency. Gorman had four double-digit scoring games this past season, four games in which she combined for 17-30 shooting from deep and the Lynx went 3-1. She wasn’t playing off the stars, rather, stepping into the scoring role when it was needed most.

A 95-77 win against Geelong United on February 7 saw Atwell and Maley combine for 17 points. Gorman was necessary in providing 19 points including five of seven shooting from deep. Her readiness was indicative of the culture Petrik has instilled in the group, predicated on player empowerment. She was not only required as a scorer, a role she isn’t normally game planned to fill, but she was quite literally the difference in the outcome.

As for Ciabattoni, she isn’t one to insert herself into the box score, but when it comes to hitting timely shots, she’s been captain reliable for the Lynx over the past few seasons. There was none more recent than the last game of the regular season against Townsville. Winner of this game would finish second on the ladder and host their foes in the postseason just a week later.

Cool as ever, she nailed Perth’s most crucial three-ball of the season.

The Southside Flyers had Jasmine Dickey en route to their championship. She had the difficult role of coming off the bench, needing to take the pulse of the game and papering up whatever Southside needed. One night it’s four assists, then it’s six boards, then 20 points, or doing a bit of everything. At times, it even felt like Leilani Mitchell and Bec Cole were happy to forego offensive opportunities to focus their efforts on the defensive end and securing loose balls.

Bendigo had Abbey Wehrung who could easily have been a starter, and eventually became Sixth Woman of the Year, a mark the Lynx might want to set for Gorman next season. Wehrung’s excellence has always been in her shooting, yet she focused a lot of her play on the defensive end last season. After starting the season with a block party, she would nestle into a role off the bench, taking the temperature and providing whatever her team needed. Through the uncertainty of the Christmas and New Year’s period, she went 11 from 21 from deep in a three-game stretch ending January 2. She followed it with five boards, then filled the stat sheet and filled it again.

Whether you want to say the role is Dickey-like or Wehrung-like, Gorman is perfectly situated to make this her own in WNBL26. Gorman and Chibba have proved that they are these types of players and can continue to star in their roles to guide the Lynx closer to a championship. They add a level of assurance for Petrik, knowing he can go into his bench while enriching the team’s identity.

How could Petrik take this team to the next level?

This is the biggest question and clearly the next step for the Lynx. Petrik has graduated these first two semesters with distinction and has catapulted himself into the discussion for the best coach in the league.

The biggest differentiating factor against Townsville in their 2025 postseason matchup was Shannon Seebohm’s ability to adjust to what the game was calling for. It felt like the Lynx needed to get separation early in proceedings to give themselves a chance to win, and it felt like the Fire were comfortable to see this play out, knowing they could win the last 35 minutes of the game.

Perth looks great when they're running and gunning, killing teams on the break and hitting threes. Their ability to respond to their opponents when they have seized control is an imperative next step.

The Fire had multiple wrinkles to their offence, and they thrived when their offence was fluid or static. They could score off of stops or even when the Lynx were hot. They had diverse options and were ready to absorb whatever blows they were faced with on either end of the floor.

In this possession, the Fire got a stop that led to a fast break, which lost its flow with 20 on the shot clock. They then rebalanced and started another structured attack with a half-advantage and 15 seconds on the clock. Even with Alicia Froling not having the cleanest look, the team worked for a great position which earned them an open layup.

This is in stark contrast to how the Lynx reacted when they lost an advantage in transition. Contextualise the talent Perth has, and it’s only a matter of time before their offence is deadly for 24 seconds, plus however much Windex Maley packed.

Perth was comfortable when they stayed within their play style, but when it became a half-court game, the Fire was poised and postured to play the game on their terms. Recent champions haven’t been as free-flowing as Perth, but they also haven’t had the same makeup. If anyone is to win it all playing guns ablaze, it will be the Lynx.

This isn’t to say they can do it with this style alone. Adding more purpose to their second, third and fourth options in their half-court offensive execution could have generated an extra basket each quarter. Their ability in the open floor and their direct offence is strong, but it’s whatever goes beyond that which needs strengthening.

Petrik has inserted an incredible game plan for the Lynx. It allows them to play the game on their own terms, rather than react to what the other team is doing. He's done a tremendous job in the past two seasons, especially coming up against hyper-experienced coaches in the postseason. He has a great opportunity to apply what he's learnt in the new era and bring more experience and nuance to what he has already been doing.

What's needed?

Perth isn’t necessarily missing anything. Their core is predicated on having great domestic players and strong complementary imports. They’ve been growing as a franchise with young talent who have entered their respective primes as a unit. The players need to continue on their individual trajectories as they now have more experience as a squad than most of the league.

The staff is smart and considered, led by Petrik who is running a game plan that allows his team to dictate things on their terms. They need to refine their offensive execution with a few wrinkles and develop their nuance as a team, but nothing about their overarching style needs to change.

Anticipating the rest of the league and extrapolating on the season just passed will be something Perth needs to forecast. If Bendigo retains a similar team then it could be argued that Perth could shade them for talent, but would still be giving up crucial experience. It’s unlikely that the Spirit get better, but even a lateral move will give them the edge experientially.

Townsville has already had great pieces recommit, and the fact these two teams have gone 1-1 in postseason series against each other in the new era has them neck and neck. The development of Perth’s leaders in the WNBA will be key here, especially knowing Townsville are a factory built to churn out success.

Sydney has been on the precipice of contention in the new era, yet injury has become more of a trend than random events. They could attract more talent, but the likes of Tess Madgen, Mikaela Reuf and Celeste Taylor have come through the door in the past two seasons, all to have big moments impacted by injury. Their preparation and the priority of conditioning needs to be addressed before thinking new signings will bolster their chances of winning a title.

The path is laid out for Perth. All this team needs is to use the experience they’ve been gaining, adapt to the ebbs and flows of postseason basketball, and execute. They’re in an enviable position from a team building standpoint as all of the change can come internally. What’s even better is that it looks like this will be the avenue they take.

The franchise has been set up for sustainable years of success. They embody modern ball and bring their own flair to it. They have been a handful over the past few seasons, and next season could be their time to strike.