THE WNBL has wrapped for another year, and there was plenty of excitement across the course of the 2023 season.

It was a different looking landscape as the campaign rolled on, with contenders rising and falling in a tense finish to the home and away fixture. Ultimately, the strongest side in the Townsville Fire claimed the grand prize, but other teams showed plenty of promise and delivered highlights of their own.

As we did with the NBL over the past few weeks, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at how each side fared in the 2022/23 season, with mixed results across the eight teams.

Next up are the Adelaide Lightning, who delivered patches of strong play over the course of their campaign, but could not string together any sort of winning streak.

Despite some big names on the list, Adelaide was unable to take advantage of its roster, and will be eager to retool its ways over the coming offseason.

Adelaide Lightning

2022/23 record – five wins, 16 losses

The Lightning showed glimpses of the side they were striving for over the course of the season, but the losses ultimately outweighed these positives.

Many of their wins came against struggling sides such as the Capitals and the Flames, but one highlight did come against the eventual grand finalists.

The Lightning produced a convincing triumph over the Flyers back in December, and it was evident this side still had the DNA of a winning team.

However, performances as strong as this were too and far between for the remainder of the season, and the Lightning finished the season in seventh place.

MVP – Stephanie Talbot

Yet again, it was Talbot who led the way for the Lightning, producing a valiant performance in a turbulent season for Adelaide. She was always a chance of posting a strong performance and potentially a double-double. She posted numbers of 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.83 steals per game over the season. The 28-year-old also recorded six double-doubles and came dangerously close to a triple-double on two occasions. Her work in every facet of the game was a real standout for Adelaide in the 2022/23 season, and she remains a stalwart of the club.

Next season

The Lightning will need to lift on the defensive end coming into next season, as it was an area that let them down in a big way. Despite finishing seventh in the standings, Adelaide finished fifth in points per game, so offence is not a big issue. Other facets of its game were strong, but defensively, the Lightning conceded a winning score far too often, and will need to tighten up defensively prior to Round 1.