United gets reality check in debut WNBL game

GEELONG United has been given a stern welcome sternly to the WNBL by the Townsville Fire, going down to the champions of two years ago by a significant margin.

The league’s newest expansion club went down 58-84 in front of more than 1,200 people at Geelong Arena last night (Wednesday, October 30).

The home side was unable to tame the offensive dominance of the Fire while also struggled to hit shots of their own.

United captain Keely Froling top scored for United, putting up 15 points and 7 rebounds on the night, while her sister Alicia led the Fire with 17 and 9.

Townville was offensively hot from the field throughout the matchup, shooting 56 per cent on two-pointers and scoring eight three-pointers.

Geelong head coach Chris Lucas said it was a disappointing outcome in the club’s first match.

“We have to take as much out of it as we can. It was a huge learning curve for the girls who haven’t played WNBL and how tough the league is.

“Townsville took our game away and we weren’t able to play against their physicality.

“We know this year will be a challenge, and we are keen to find out what pieces work for us in the near future.”

He praised his captain for fighting hard for the home team.

“I thought Keely battled really well, but there was no one else who really stood out for us tonight.

“Gelling a new team takes time. We’ve only had girls like Haley Jones with us for one week.

“Tonight’s game wasn’t our identity. It’s disappointing. Maybe we got caught up in the moment, but we will learn a lot.”

Geelong will look to regroup ahead of its Round 2 clash with the Southside Flyers on Thursday, November 7.