“Killer instinct”: New-look Flames ready to fire

It's been a busy off-season for Sydney Flames coach Renae Garlepp, as she heads into her first full season at the club.

Garlepp, who took over midway through WNBL26, only had Lauren Nicholson, Shaneice Swain, Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Issy Morgan signed for the upcoming campaign, meaning a full roster revamp was necessary.

"I was pretty fortunate to learn a lot and experience what I did last year," Garlepp said on The Beat.

"That helped my strategy, focusing on players that fit the style of play I wanted, while having a good work ethic and a want to come in and get better.

"I wanted to recruit competitors who had that killer instinct, who wanted to win and complement one another."

Two of the players that fit that mould were Australian Opals duo Ally Wilson and Issie Bourne.

"Ally's someone I've really enjoyed watching play for a really long time and the thing that stands out most with her is her passion and the way she goes about it," Garlepp said.

"Her competitiveness and passion are contagious, and I just think it's something we needed, which is not even talking about the way she impacts the game and creates for others.

"While Issie is an incredible talent, with so much talent, versatility and skill. She's only just scratching the surface on how good she is going to be and what she's capable of.

"It's exciting that we get to help her continue to grow."

Garlepp has also added Charlise Dunn, Maya Dodson, Darcy Rees, Shuyu Yang and Jaz Shelley to her group, confident the talent at her disposal can help guide the Flames back to the post-season with their exciting brand.

"The style we want to play with is great pace and sharing the basketball," she said.

"Ball movement's going to be a key, while being completely relentless [with everything we do on the court].

"We want to be connected and tough defensively, while also kind of playing an exciting brand of basketball on offence [that our fans enjoy].

"Most importantly, we want to be a team that's enjoyable to watch, while playing hard for one another.

"We've got the players that are willing to do that, and that will be the focus for us from the start [of pre-season]."

The Flames tip off their WNBL27 season at the State Basketball Centre against the Southside Melbourne Flyers on October 16.