AFTER an entertaining match to kick off the season, the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) fixture resumes tonight, marking the beginning of what should be an exciting weekend of action.

Friday night sees the Perth Lynx and the Sydney Flames lock horns in the second match of the round, set to take place at Bendat Basketball Centre out west.

The first round of play kicked off with an excellent clash between the Adelaide Lightning and the Melbourne Boomers, during which the latter claimed an eight-point win after a powerful second half comeback.

Both sides tonight will be eager to get off to the same start to the season as the Boomers, but there can only be one winner in what will be an intriguing battle.

The Lynx are coming off a campaign in which they snuck into the finals after a strong finish to the season, and although the team fell short of a grand final appearance, they showed their best can defeat nearly anyone.

However, Perth was aware of the strength of the competition, and made some big moves over the off-season, which should keep it around the same mark once again.

The biggest addition for the team was the inclusion of Anneli Maley was the biggest move for Perth, with the former MVP set to play a big role for the Lynx. She will slot into the frontcourt nicely, and should produce her fair share of points and rebounds, although she will be expected to shoulder most of the load in the frontcourt given the team is lacking a bit of depth here.

The Lynx will also have home court advantage, with Bendat Basketball Centre proving a tough domain for opposition teams in the past. If the crowd can behind a strong start from Perth, it may play a big part in the result of the game.

Meanwhile, the Flames have loaded up with some proven talent, as a clear indicator of the intentions of putting a troublesome campaign behind them.

The addition of Cayla George and Lauren Nicholson instantly launches the Flames into contention for this season. George is the reigning WNBL Most Valuable Player, while Nicholson led the Fire to a title last season. Both players will have a big say in tonight’s match and will need to have strong performances if the Flames are to start their season with a win.

There will be stars aplenty in tonight’s match, with both sides adding some quality players over the off-season, building up to a contest that should go down to the wire.