Australian Opals head coach Sandy Brondello has laid bare the challenging logistical hurdles facing her national squad, revealing the team will have a brutal three-day turnaround once their full roster finally assembles for September’s World Cup in Germany.
As part of a severely condensed preparation window, the Opals are currently in the middle of an exhibition series against international heavyweights China.
Sandy Brondello, coach of the Opals. Getty
With global league commitments starving the team of precious camp time, Brondello is relying on these brief local hit-outs and experience built up with the group over the last few campaigns to manufacture a cohesive unit in a matter of hours.
“Yeah, look, it’s challenging in that, basketball truly is a global game, and our players get to play all around the world, which we think it’s great. They’re a long time retired, this is their job as well, and they get paid quite well, especially at the WNBA level here,” Brondello told Nine.com.au.
“Our biggest obstacle, ever since I’ve really taken over the Opals was our lack of preparation time together because of the commitments from all the leagues all around the world and this year is no exception. Our last players arrive on September the 1 (for the World Cup), and we play on September the 4.
The Opals picked up a narrow two-point win over China in Melbourne on Monday, and will next face off on Thursday. Brondello believes these matches are crucial for building synergy and working out the squad ahead of the World Cup.
“We have to rely on the small pockets of time we do have together. We had a World Cup qualifier, we had success there. So, we have to make sure every moment matters when we’re together there,” she said.
“But really, in the end, we rely on our culture and our connections because we’re not going to gain more time on the court because we just don’t have it. So we have to rely on our trust in each other and the culture that we’ve built and really focused a lot more on since Tokyo.
“The overall sisterhood of the Opals will never change. I think that’s our biggest strength. It’s a team that’s resilient. We’ve had some tough starts to our last few campaigns, but we stay together, we believe in each other. All the grit and the toughness that you’re going to see, that’s always going to be there, because that’s our foundation.
“I think the biggest change is there are some new faces and a different style. We’re trying to open up the floor and playing with even more pace where we can because we’ve got great versatile players, and excited about this series against China and Japan because we’ll get to evaluate even some new faces and other players that continue to grow.
“The hardest job that the coaches and I have is picking that final 12, but we try and look for the team that’s versatile and that has some cohesiveness because when you’re having two days to prepare before a World Cup, you’ve got to lean into the chemistry that we’ve developed over the last few years.”
Steph Reid led the way with 16 points for the Opals in Monday’s win over China, while debutant Sitaya Fagan played crunch time minutes and put herself in contention for the World Cup squad.
Thursday’s clash with China will be live on 9Go! and 9Now from 5:30pm AEST.