{"id":510460,"date":"2026-02-28T21:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510460\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T21:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:22:09","slug":"its-been-34-years-atwell-knows-weight-of-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510460\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s been 34 years’: Atwell knows weight of history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perth Lynx must flip rebounding and tempo as Townsville chase WNBL Grand Final sweep in Perth<\/p>\n

Perth Lynx<\/a> star Amy Atwell understands the weight of history ahead of Game 2<\/a> of the WNBL26 Grand Final Series<\/a> against the Townsville Fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Lynx are down 1-0 and haven\u2019t won a championship for 34 years, when Tanya Fisher led the Breakers over the top of the Dandenong Rangers 58-54 in 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a conversation, I think, around the club for years,\u201d Atwell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something brought up in pre-seasons. We haven\u2019t won one in 34 years. For me, being from Perth, that\u2019s obviously a huge motivation for me to bring one back to my home city. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it\u2019s just about the next game, as clich\u00e9 as it sounds, we wanna bring one home to Perth regardless of how long it\u2019s been.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the flipside, Townsville is chasing its fifth title in 11 years, and star guard Courtney Woods wants the Fire to leverage the experience of the “Keep your mouth shut” Game 2 blow-out loss<\/a> to Southside Melbourne Flyers<\/a> less than two weeks ago as the catalyst to sweep in the series today in Perth. Tip-off is 4pm AEST.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like for Game 2, last time we had kind of all the tools and plans to do it, we just didn\u2019t execute it,\u201d Woods said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I feel like that should hopefully be the biggest wake-up call, and obviously, you don\u2019t want to continue to have wake-up calls at this point in the season, so that will hopefully be enough. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne game doesn\u2019t really mean anything in a series. We\u2019re happy to go to Perth with the lead, but we need two games to finish it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Amy Atwell of the Lynx competes for possession during game one of the WNBL Grand Final series between Townsville Fire and Perth Lynx at Townsville Entertainment Centre on February 26, 2026 in Townsville. Photo: Albert Perez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Game 1 delivered the standard expected<\/a> from the league\u2019s top two teams, but the separation came in areas Perth can control. Townsville won the rebound count 45\u201337, generated 23 free-throw attempts to Perth\u2019s 12, and repeatedly found paint touches when perimeter shooting stalled.<\/p>\n

Perth shot 31 per cent from beyond the arc. Townsville shot 25 per cent. The three-ball wasn\u2019t decisive. The difference was physicality and possession control, especially in the third quarter when the Fire outscored the Lynx 24-10.<\/p>\n

Speaking on It\u2019s a Cole World, former Opal Bec Cole identified second-chance opportunities and dribble penetration as the defining themes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTownsville won the rebound count 45\u201337, generated 23 free-throw attempts to Perth\u2019s 12, and found consistent paint touches when the three-ball wasn\u2019t falling,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n

Lynx head coach Ryan Petrik said: \u201cWe go and cut us some film, especially the third. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to clean up some stuff in our own backyard. <\/p>\n

\u201cTownsville were great, they got some things to go their way. We\u2019d get a really good defensive possession executed, and then we couldn\u2019t get a defensive rebound. In that third quarter, it felt like it all \u2013 and this will sound like a discredit to Townsville, I don\u2019t mean it that way \u2013 but it just felt like every time we just needed a break to go our way, we couldn\u2019t get one. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo the Maley three that goes in, there\u2019s an offensive rebounding foul. We\u2019d get a stop, they\u2019d get an offensive rebound, they\u2019d score a layup. We\u2019d get a stop, they\u2019d get an offensive rebound, they\u2019d go shoot free throws, they\u2019re an elite team, they\u2019ll make you pay for it. So I don\u2019t mean that as a diss at all, but at some point, you\u2019ve got to try and win the ball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, five-time WNBL Coach of the Year Shannon Seebohm expects Perth to get after the Fire in a bid to send the series back to Townsville for a deciding winner-takes-all Game 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned a lot in that Southside series about how we need to approach games,\u201d Seebohm said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you go and play a finals game on someone else\u2019s home floor, it’s different to the regular season and obviously, coming off a loss, Perth are gonna be seething, they\u2019re gonna be coming after us. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gonna be really aggressive and physical, and they, you know, they\u2019re in their home gym where they feel comfortable. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be ready to defend at a really high level and hopefully have a little bit more focus than we did in the Southside series in Game 2.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What Perth Must Change in Game 2<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s assessment of Perth\u2019s response was direct.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey must flip the rebounding margin and limit second-chance points, particularly by gang-rebounding and reducing Townsville\u2019s offensive boards,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Perth conceded 15 offensive rebounds. That cannot be repeated in a Finals series on the road.<\/p>\n

Han Xu\u2019s 16 points came largely from mid-post and elbow touches. Cole believes that positioning must deepen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHan Xu needs deeper post catches, not elbow touches, and the Lynx must re-establish pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transition is Perth\u2019s advantage. Defensive stops must convert to early offence. In Game 1, half-court possessions dominated the rhythm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefensive stops have to ignite transition offence, where Perth are at their most dangerous,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n

Ball-screen coverage on Woods is another pivot point.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore ball-screen pressure on Woods is essential \u2013 different coverages, more disruption, fewer clean reads.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Townsville Must Repeat<\/p>\n

For Townsville, the equation is simpler: discipline and duplication.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about discipline and repeatability,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n

Stay physical in the half-court. Collapse the paint. Trust shot selection.<\/p>\n

The Fire scored 29 two-point field goals in Game 1. Interior efficiency over perimeter volume defined their offensive identity.<\/p>\n

If Townsville win the rebounding battle again and maintains composure against Perth\u2019s expected home surge, they move within one win of the title.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they win the rebounding battle again and maintain composure under Perth\u2019s home-court surge, they put themselves in position to close the series in two,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n

The Deciding Factor<\/p>\n

Game 2 will not be decided by shot-making variance alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cGame 2 will hinge on who controls tempo \u2013 structure or speed,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n

Townsville prefers a controlled half-court structure. Perth thrive in pace and transition.<\/p>\n

Today in Perth, the style that survives will be determined.<\/p>\n

WNBL Champions1981 \u2013 St Kilda Saints1982 \u2013 St Kilda Saints (2)1983 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres1984 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres (2)1985 \u2013 Coburg Cougars1986 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres (3)1987 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres (4)1988 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres (5)1989 \u2013 Nunawading Spectres (6)1990 \u2013 North Adelaide Rockets1991 \u2013 Hobart Islanders1992 \u2013 Perth Breakers1993 \u2013 Sydney Flames1994 \u2013 Adelaide Lightning1995 \u2013 Adelaide Lightning (2)1996 \u2013 Adelaide Lightning (3)1997 \u2013 Sydney Flames (2)1998 \u2013 Adelaide Lightning (4)1998\u201399 \u2013 Australian Institute of Sport1999\u201300 \u2013 Canberra Capitals2000\u201301 \u2013 Sydney Panthers (3)2001\u201302 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (2)2002\u201303 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (3)2003\u201304 \u2013 Dandenong Rangers2004\u201305 \u2013 Dandenong Rangers (2)2005\u201306 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (4)2006\u201307 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (5)2007\u201308 \u2013 Adelaide Lightning (5)2008\u201309 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (6)2009\u201310 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (7)2010\u201311 \u2013 Bulleen Boomers2011\u201312 \u2013 Dandenong Rangers (3)2012\u201313 \u2013 Bendigo Spirit2013\u201314 \u2013 Bendigo Spirit (2)2014\u201315 \u2013 Townsville Fire2015\u201316 \u2013 Townsville Fire (2)2016\u201317 \u2013 Sydney Uni Flames (4)2017\u201318 \u2013 Townsville Fire (3)2018\u201319 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (8)2019\u201320 \u2013 Canberra Capitals (9)2020 \u2013 Southside Flyers (4)2021\u201322 \u2013 Melbourne Boomers (2)2022\u201323 \u2013 Townsville Fire (4)2023\u201324 \u2013 Southside Flyers (5)2024\u201325 \u2013 Bendigo Spirit (3)2025-26 \u2013 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Perth Lynx must flip rebounding and tempo as Townsville chase WNBL Grand Final sweep in Perth Perth Lynx…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-510460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}