THE WNBL has wrapped for another year, and there was plenty of excitement across the course of the 2023 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a> claimed the grand prize, but other teams showed plenty of promise and delivered highlights of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we did with the NBL over the past few weeks, Rookie Me Central <\/em>will be taking a look at how each side fared in the 2022\/23 season, with mixed results across the eight teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up are the Adelaide Lightning<\/a>, who delivered patches of strong play over the course of their campaign, but could not string together any sort of winning streak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lightning showed glimpses of the side they were striving for over the course of the season, but the losses ultimately outweighed these positives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nAdelaide Lightning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2022\/23 record – five wins, 16 losses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
MVP – Stephanie Talbot<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Next season<\/h3>\n\n\n\n