With just a few days until the FIBA Women's World Cup tips off in Sydney, all eyes will be on the Opals and the remarkable return of superstar Lauren Jackson six years after her international retirement. But who will the Opals face on their World Cup journey?
Opening their tournament on Thursday night, the Opals will take on one of their sterner tests when they face France, before they take on the remainder of their Group B opponents Mali, Serbia, Canada and Japan in the now dubbed 'Group of Death'.
FRANCE
In previous international tournaments the Opals have looked very different to what they do now so it would be unfair to comment on the win/loss record against France. Despite being ranked ninth on FIBA's power ranking for the World Cup (in comparison to Australia's third), France cannot be underestimated.
Being the first game of the tournament it is likely both teams will be feeling a few nerves. The Opals have the added pressure of playing on home soil and will be feeling the expectations from fans after a disappointing result in Tokyo last year. Hopefully they can stay focused on the job at hand and take it game by game. To beat France will be a matter of using the team's depth, an arguable better set of 12 players at their disposal than their opponents.
Danger players:
Gabby Williams - Athletic power forward, strong scoring threat
Marine Johannes - Shooting guard, strong scoring threat from three and off the dribble
MALI
Having taken Nigeria's spot at the World Cup and ranked last, Mali should not be a threat for the Opals. However, they cannot be complacent, as often teams who are underdogs possess the most fight. It is important that the Opals play their own style of game and don't allow their game to become unstructured and erratic. This game could be a good opportunity to fine tune things before playing against their more serious competition.
Danger players:
Sika Kone - Power forward, all rounder, aggressive on offense and defense
CANADA
Only a few months ago, the Opals travelled to New York City for a training camp and two practice matches against Canada. During these games the Opals turned the ball over too many times, the physicality and defensive intensity of the Canadian team being evident. The Opals came out on top in both games, but it was still a tight contest. At the time they were missing key players due to WNBA commitments so you would think that now that they are back to full strength and with better chemistry, they should be able get another win against Canada at the World Cup.
Danger players:
Natalie Achonwa - Strong forward, good inside presence
Kia Nurse - Smart guard, speedy, strong defender
SERBIA
Having played and lost to Serbia in the qualifying tournament (QT) back In February, the Opals will be looking to fix any issues they encountered during that game. Serbia's game style is intense and physical; they go after the ball aggressively and apply constant pressure. This was evident in the QT as Australia struggled with the pressure; particularly from the guard front and tensions were high with Steph Talbot being ejected in a controversial manner. It will be interesting to see how the Opals tackle this at the World Cup; they are retaining point guards Steph Talbot, Sami Whitcomb, Tess Madgen and Kristy Wallace (who wasn't used in their last game). Now, with more preparation under their belt and the opportunity to learn from their past experience with Serbia they can hopefully eliminate that issue.
Danger players:
Tina Krajisnik - Centre/Forward, rebound machine, crafty inside
Yvonne Anderson - Point guard, dangerous from all areas of the court, shooting, passing and defending
JAPAN
Earlier this year the Opals faced off to Japan in a three game friendly series, ultimately resulting in Japan winning two games to one. All three games were very close and the Opals were without some of their star players, meaning that their contest at the World Cup should be more competitive and a winnable game for them. What the Opals struggled with in the friendly series was Japan's three point shooting and their transition as they like to move the ball quickly with their passes. If the Opals can lock them down defensively and find their own way to score on the other end, then there is no reason they can't come away with the win.
Danger players:
Ramu Tokashiki - Forward, Athletic defender, strongest rebounder for Japan, scoring threat
Monica Okoye - Smart defender, can be dangerous from beyond the arc
At the last Olympics, Japan, France and Serbia finished higher than the Opals, all in the top 4, whereas they finished eighth. This statistic would make them the underdog in their group, with the exception of Mali. In saying this, the Opals have a fresh new squad and have now had more time together, particularly to regroup after the loss of Liz Cambage. Having had strong results in their practice matches, the addition of Lauren Jackson and the bonus of a home crowd advantage - the odds are in their favour!