| 2021–22 WNBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 2 December 2021 – 9 April 2022 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC Fox Sports Kayo |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Melbourne Boomers |
| Season MVP | Anneli Maley (BEN) |
| Top scorer | Anneli Maley (BEN) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Melbourne Boomers |
| Runners-up | Perth Lynx |
| Finals MVP | Lindsay Allen (MEL) |
The 2021–22 WNBL season was the 42nd season of the competition since its establishment in 1981.[1] The Southside Flyers were the defending champions, however they failed to qualify for finals.[2] The Melbourne Boomers won their second championship, defeating Perth in the Grand Final series, 2–1.[3]
After the 2020 season was condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was confirmed in July 2021 that the upcoming season is set to be closer to the traditional season fixture played over several months across the summer.[4] In October 2021, a new broadcast deal was signed with the ABC, Fox Sports and Kayo,[5] with an 84-game season fixture announced shortly after.[6]
Spalding will again provide equipment including the official game ball, alongside iAthletic supplying team apparel for the fifth consecutive season.
Player movement
Standings
| # | WNBL Championship ladder | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GP | |||||
| 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 12 | 5 | 70.5 | 17 | ||||
| 2 | Perth Lynx | 11 | 5 | 68.7 | 16 | ||||
| 3 | Canberra Capitals | 11 | 6 | 64.7 | 17 | ||||
| 4 | Adelaide Lightning | 10 | 7 | 58.8 | 17 | ||||
| 5 | Bendigo Spirit | 7 | 9 | 43.7 | 16 | ||||
| 6 | Townsville Fire | 7 | 10 | 41.1 | 17 | ||||
| 7 | Southside Flyers | 5 | 12 | 29.4 | 17 | ||||
| 8 | Sydney Uni Flames | 4 | 13 | 23.5 | 17 | ||||
Finals
| Semi Finals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Adelaide Lightning | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Melbourne Boomers | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Perth Lynx | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Canberra Capitals | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Perth Lynx | 1 | |||||||
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 19.8 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 15.7 RPG |
| Assists per game | Stephanie Talbot (ADL) | 6.4 APG |
| Steals per game | Kalani Purcell (SYD) | 2.8 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Ezi Magbegor (MEL) | 1.6 BPG |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 38 |
| Rebounds | Anneli Maley (BEN) | 24 |
| Assists | Stephanie Talbot (ADL) | 12 |
| Steals | Kalani Purcell (SYD) | 7 |
| Blocks | Abby Bishop (STH) Ezi Magbegor (MEL) | 4 |
Awards
Player of the Week
| Round # | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Brittney Sykes (CBR) | [7] |
| Round 2 | Lauren Nicholson (TSV) | [8] |
| Round 3 | Ezi Magbegor (MEL) | [9] |
| Round 4 | Anneli Maley (BEN) | [10] |
| Round 5 | Alanna Smith (ADL) | [11] |
| Round 6 | ||
| Round 7 | Marina Mabrey (PER) | [12] |
| Round 8 | Lauren Nicholson (TSV) (2) | [13] |
| Round 9 | Mikaela Ruef (CBR) | [14] |
| Round 10 | Anneli Maley (BEN) (2) | [15] |
| Round 11 | Alanna Smith (ADL) (2) | [16] |
| Round 12 | Anneli Maley (BEN) (3) | [17] |
| Round 13 | Keely Froling (SYD) | [18] |
| Round 14 | Jackie Young (PER) | [19] |
| Round 15 | Cayla George (MEL) | [20] |
Postseason Awards
Team captains and coaches
| Team | Captain | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Lightning | Stephanie Talbot | Chris Lucas |
| Bendigo Spirit[28] | Madeleine Garrick / Tessa Lavey (co) | Tracy York |
| Canberra Capitals | Kelsey Griffin | Paul Goriss |
| Melbourne Boomers | Cayla George | Guy Molloy |
| Perth Lynx[29] | Darcee Garbin | Ryan Petrik |
| Southside Flyers | Jenna O'Hea | Cheryl Chambers |
| Sydney Uni Flames[30] | Keely Froling / Lauren Mansfield (co) | Shane Heal |
| Townsville Fire[31] | Mia Murray / Lauren Nicholson (co) | Shannon Seebohm |
References
- ↑ WNBL official website
- ↑ "Flyers reach potential earn redemption for WNBL championship". wnbl.basketball.
- 1 2 "Melbourne Boomers are the WNBL 2021/22 Champions". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "2021-22 WNBL Season structure". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "WNBL INKS NEW BROADCAST DEAL AHEAD OF 2021/22 SEASON". australia.basketball.
- ↑ "2021/22 WNBL season released". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "ANNELI MALEY NAMED THE WNBL 2021/22 SUZY BATKOVIC MVP". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "2021/22 ROBYN MAHER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "2021/22 SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "2021/22 Betty Watson Youth Player of the Year". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "2021/22 WNBL COACH OF THE YEAR". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "ALL-STAR WNBL FIRST AND SECOND TEAMS". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "Bendigo Spirit on Instagram". instagram.com.
- ↑ "PROUD CAPTAIN GARBIN HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR LYNX". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "Mansfield and Froling to fan the fire as leaders of the young Flames". wnbl.basketball.
- ↑ "Captains announced". wnbl.basketball.