EMERGING talent Manuela Puoch put forth an encouraging performance off the bench for the Southside Flyers in their Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) preseason win over the Perth Lynx over the weekend.

The 2025/26 WNBL season gets underway in mid-October, and a massive batch of preseason outings took place over the weekend, all being held at Townsville Stadium. With plenty of eye-catching roster changes over the offseason, the preseason matches offered an exciting glimpse into how the competition was going to pan out in the coming months.

It ended up being a one-sided affair on Friday evening, with the Flyers storming out to a 23-point lead at the first change after an emphatic opening 10 minutes of play. Although the Lynx fought back in the second frame, the final two quarters were all Southside once again as the Flyers cruised home to a hefty 28-point win.

Given it proved to be a blowout win, Puoch was given plenty of opportunity off the bench, and made every minute of court time count in a performance that could see her on the court more frequently during the regular season.

Perth Lynx (74) def. by Southside Flyers (102)

Manuela Puoch – 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals

Making the most of her 20 minutes of playing time, Puoch was rock solid for the Flyers in their blowout victory, overcoming an inefficient scoring night inside the arc to fire from long range and have a significant impact on the match.

The 18-year-old entered the match midway through the first quarter, and tried to get going with some midrange jumpshots in the minutes that followed, but they did not fall. However, she did chime in for a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the quarter to cap off what was a dominant period of play from the Flyers.

It was a quiet second frame from Puoch from a scoring perspective but the youngster was still able to make an impact in other ways. She had a quick burst of rebounds early in the piece, pulling down boards on both ends of the floor as she used her physicality in a big way. Puoch also showed her feel for the play with a nice dish to a cutting Haylee Andrews for her first assist of the game before heading to the bench for the remainder of the half.

She returned to the fold midway through the third frame, and Puoch’s first play of the second half was a well-timed steal, poking the ball free from the grasp of Alexandra Ciabattoni to create a fast break for her team. After a quiet few minutes, the young gun came alive in the final 60 seconds of the period, starting with her second three-pointer of the match to showcase a strong ability to stretch the floor. She then recorded another assist and steal to ensure the Flyers entered the last frame with all of the momentum.

Puoch began the final period looking much more aggressive driving the ball inside, earning multiple trips to the charity stripe, where she made three of her four attempts in a solid display of composure. She capped off her evening with a third made three-pointer to round out a strong performance both from a team and individual perspective.

Puoch ended the match with 12 points, thanks to making three of her five attempts from long range despite being unable to find the bottom of the net from midrange. She also posted four boards and three assists in a balanced display to indicate she could play a significant role for the Flyers in their upcoming campaign.