6 days Ago By Georgia Smith
Bandits' coach Sam McDonald believes an early season loss may have been a blessing in disguise. or signup to continue reading The women's side has won three of its first four NBL1 games, most recently defeating Manly Warringah in front of a home crowd. After an undefeated home and away campaign in 2024 before , McDonald said the side's round two loss to Newcastle came with a silver lining.
"The loss against Newcastle, while it stung, I think it was really good for us," he said. "If we reflect on 2024, 20-0 was awesome, but to get our first loss against Newcastle in a final, there wasn't a lot of turnaround to make changes. "From a loss, you learn so much more than you do from a win.
"We were able to have a proper review of what we were doing and highlight some areas we need to improve." After some in recent seasons, homegrown talent has been leading by example. Mahady landed 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists against the Sea Eagles.
"Having Emma back fit and healthy has been fantastic for us," McDonald said. "She did a phenomenal job against one of the better players in the league, Taylor Wurtz." New recruit Brynn Masikewich top scored with 28 points against the Sea Eagles, while and Caitlyn Jones continued to make an impact.
"The addition of Caitie, Riley, Brynn and Hannah, although she hasn't seen a lot of court time, has been fantastic for our group," McDonald said. "Their desire to be leaders and to really work with the young group that we have outside the experienced players has been fantastic." McDonald also praised the efforts of the young up-and-coming Bandits.
"I've been really impressed with our young ones," he said. " has done a phenomenal job in the minutes she's played so far and she's really growing into being an NBL1 player. "I'm really excited to see where the rest of the season goes for her.
"Claudia Hocking is starting to work her way into it, and we're really happy with where Timeeka (Coleman) and Caitlin (Quintal) are sitting at this point in time." The Bandits are also anticipating the inclusion of Kijana McCowan in the coming rounds. has achieved one win so far this season, after a recent 78-87 loss to the Sea Eagles.
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