A MILESTONE 250th WNBL game in last weekend\u2019s stirring win over Perth Lynx will be the last this season for Bendigo Spirit co-captain Marianna Tolo following confirmation she is pregnant with her first child.<\/p>\n
The three-time Olympian and her husband, Spirit general manager Dan Jackson, informed the club during the early stages of the pregnancy, with Tolo sharing the news with her teammates several weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The news was unveiled publicly by the Spirit on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Still confident that she could perform and contribute to the team on-court, Tolo \u2013 a five-time WNBL champion – has already provided fans with many memorable moments so far this season.<\/p>\n
From her buzzer-beating match-winner against Canberra Capitals in round four, to a 15-point, six rebound game on the road against Adelaide Lightning last week, Tolo has made every post a winner in her 12th season in the league.<\/p>\n
Fittingly, to conclude her time on-court for the 2025-26 season, Tolo played her 250th league game against the Lynx las Sunday, sharing the limelight with her great mate and co-captain Kelsey Griffin, who reached the same milestone.<\/p>\n
The pair automatically qualified for WNBL life membership, with the Spirit marking the occasion in style with an emphatic 29-point win.<\/p>\n
With the news of her pregnancy made public, Tolo \u2013 a key in the Spirit\u2019s drought-breaking WNBL championship win in 2024-25 – admitted to a sense of relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get to game number 250 \u2013 alongside KG \u2013 and for us to get through with a good win …we really couldn\u2019t have asked for much more for our milestone game,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin myself, there have been a few questions over the past few weeks about \u2018how many more games do I have in me\u2019, but I\u2019ve always made the decision knowing 100 per cent within myself that my body has felt good, I\u2019ve pulled up pretty well after each game, and I feel that I\u2019m still contributing to the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled I\u2019ve played as much as I have this season, especially playing alongside some of the new girls to the squad like Izzy (Borlase), Meg (McConnell), Polly (Olivia Pollerd) and Kelsey (Rees).<\/p>\n
“But I know the time is right now for me to take more of an off-court role for the rest of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
On behalf of Spirit ownership, SEN Teams CEO Richard Simkiss congratulated Tolo and Jackson on the announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are absolutely thrilled for Marianna and Dan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will obviously miss her on-court, but we know that Marianna contributes to this team in so much more than her on-court role, so we know we\u2019re incredibly lucky to still have her around the club until we get to meet the newest member of the Spirit family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson said he and Tolo were incredibly thankful for the support they have received during what has obviously been uncertain time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were very open with Simmo (Richard Simkiss) and Kennedy (head coach Kennedy Kereama) with where things were at from the very beginning, and they and the entire organisation have been nothing but supportive in letting Tolo manage the early stages of her pregnancy in a way that worked best for her,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obviously very excited for this next stage for our family, but also really excited about the club culture we\u2019re continuing to build at the Spirit, and whether she\u2019s playing or not, Tolo will still be a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Spirit, minus Tolo, return to the court on Friday night in Sydney against the Flames.<\/p>\n
They will be back in Bendigo for a Sunday clash against the Lightning at Red Energy Arena,<\/p>\n
Currently second on the ladder behind Townsville Fire (7-1), the Spirit head into their clash against the Flames at 5-2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A MILESTONE 250th WNBL game in last weekend\u2019s stirring win over Perth Lynx will be the last this season for Bendigo Spirit co-captain Marianna Tolo following confirmation she is pregnant with her first child. The three-time Olympian and her husband, Spirit general manager Dan Jackson, informed the club during the early stages of the pregnancy, […]<\/p>\n