ROUND 3 of Big V Women’s is set to be a blockbuster with the unbeaten Sunbury kickstarting the weekend while Bulleen and Casey will also have a keen eye on keeping their unblemished record intact. On the other hand, Whittlesea and Hawthorn are searching for their first win of the season.

Sunbury vs. Hume
Saturday, March 27 @ 6:00pm

With two wins under their belts Sunbury will be striving for their third straight up against Hume Broncos on Saturday. The opening game of the round will bring plenty of excitement and intrigue from fans as they hope to impress. It is a tale of two very different stories with Hume yet to register a win this season while the Jets are yet to drop a game making for an interesting matchup given the vast ladder differences.

Orla O’Reilly is coming off a game to remember posting up 25 points in Round 2 to guide the Jets to victory while Tess Barnes and Bianca Dufelmeier are other handy options for Sunbury when looking at adding points to the scoreboard. The options do not stop there with Emily Conn a commanding figure off the boards along with Tahnee Cannan who is able to mount the pressure through her accuracy to the basket. Sunbury have no shortage of threats while Hume can struggle at times to generate any scoring power with only two players managing double figures in their last outing. Leilani Siamoa is a handful on the basketball court with her drive and tenacity a potential problem for the Jets while Sophie Byrnes has proven to be a consistent figure for the Hume side notching up 10 and 11 points respectively across the two rounds. Sunbury will have to look out for the likes of Ellen Wright who managed to impose herself off the boards and will be eager to replicate that performance to ruffle the feathers of the Jets.

McKinnon vs. Casey
Saturday, March 27 @ 5:30pm

Casey have enjoyed a hot run of form over the first two rounds, claiming back-to-back victories and asserting themselves as competition favourites. Both wins have been over 20-points highlighting their strong defensive ability, paired with their attacking intent to pile on the scoreboard pressure and suffocate their opponents. McKinnon have not had the ideal start to the 2021 season and will be fighting to restore their campaign.

There is no denying that Shereesha Richards is the go-to girl for Casey and often controls proceedings with not only her dead-eye accuracy but power to out-position opponents and reel in the intercepts. Richards knocked down 29 points and 10 rebounds last round, a small window into the powerhouse player she is and just what she is capable of. Expect Richards to draw a lot of attention from McKinnon however Alannah Gillespie and Rebekka Mawdsley are both known to pop up and contribute for Casey. It is no surprise that Bendigo Spirit aligned star, Amelia Todhunter is the player to watch for McKinnon given her ability to get free and cause all sorts of headaches on the scoreboard. Teammates Rosie Fadljevic and Katie Bluzer are others that are able to chime in whether it be off the boards or on a points scoring front.

Keilor vs. Wyndham
Saturday, March 27 @ 6:00pm

Wyndham have had a mixed bag of results to kickstart their 2021 campaign with a win and a loss headlining their season. The loss was at the hands of the unbeaten Sunbury Jets while the win was credit to a convincing performance against Whittlesea meaning they will be looking to consolidate this round. Keilor have also had an up and down season but have shown that they know how to win when under pressure, able to effectively grind out games.

The points are often shared around by Wyndham with Courtney Middap, Lauren Jones and Jamilee Pearce all able to throw their weight around and have an impact. Their efforts are not only felt on the scoreboard but so too in defence able to collect multiple rebounds. Another exciting prospect for Wyndham is that of Nicola Handreck who is coming off a 21 point and five rebound performance highlighting just how damaging she can be when given enough time and space. The Thunder have a shared mentality with multiple players able to ply their trade to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Bianca Babic is a livewire and is not afraid to get her hands dirty given her ability to pick up steals and register blocks. Emily Suckling is also a viable option for the Thunder as is Ellen Kent given her endurance and overall smarts.

Bulleen vs. Whittlesea
Saturday, March 27 @ 6:00pm

Bulleen boast a perfect record after two rounds and will have every intention of keeping that winning streak alive. The Pacers have not had the same luck still currently sitting winless, comprehensively beaten in both outings. Bulleen are a well-oiled team that use their silky ball movement down court to attack the rim and score freely while Whittlesea often struggle to find the right level of synergy to impact the scoreboard at a consistent rate.

The Boomers ooze class and boast one of the most prominent attacking units with Rebecca Cole, Kate Gaze and Louella Tomlinson all capable of running amuck. The trio combine seamlessly in both offence and defence with Cole coming off a stellar performance thanks to her 30 point, six rebound and seven assist effort. Gaze is just as exciting able to light up the court in an instant while Tomlinson is a force to be reckoned with off the boards. Hayley Merrigan and Annie Garrick are others that are able to chime in and impact the game. For the Pacers Indiana Bodley is the go to girl able to hit the scoreboard and reel in the rebounds while Lyndsey Hoogenhout will be keen to keep the good times rolling and get busy. Teammate Saule Kontautaite will have to have another big performance if she is to worry the Boomers and give her side a chance of stealing a win.

Hawthorn vs. Southern Peninsula
Sunday March 28 @ 2:00pm

The final game of the round gets underway on Sunday as Hawthorn and Southern Peninsula battle it out. Hawthorn are looking for their first win of the season while Southern Peninsula are aiming to secure back-to-back wins, meaning it will be a high intensity match as they aim to assert themselves and subsequently leapfrog their way up the ladder. Hawthorn fell agonisingly short in Round 1 and were well beaten last round.

Bella Niven-Brown was a gamechanger for the Magic producing 22 points last week and will be hoping to replicate that form once again here but this time in a winning side. Emily Kurkowski is another one for the Magic that is able to lend her hand on the points scoring front while Georgia Gray is never out of the contest thanks to her basketball nous. The combination of Tanarly Hood and Jayde Popovski is the one to watch for Hawthorn as the pair are able to seamlessly connect and cause scoreboard headaches for opposition sides. They are both renowned for their ability to get busy off the boards while Mikaela Watson impressed in Round 2 putting up 24 points at 64 per cent from the field.