Crunch Time: The key storylines from Round 2

An amazing Round 2 of the WNBL27 Season wrapped up on Tuesday, tying a bow on an exciting weekend of blockbuster clashes, high-profile debuts and maiden victories.

Courtney Ward looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

1 – Red-hot Flames

Through the opening two rounds, only one team has chalked up four wins and that’s the Sydney Flames.

Behind coach Renae Garlepp, the Flames’ revamped roster is firing on all cylinders, thanks to being top three in points per game (86), field goal percentage (46.1), free-throw percentage (79.5), assists per game (20), steals (9.8) and blocks (6.5).

Leading this charge is the Harbour City’s dynamic backcourt of Lauren Nicholson (18.5 points a game) and Jaz Shelley (career-high 17.5), with Opal Issie Bourne (14.8) also shining.

As hoops icon Lauren Jackson said on a recent version of The Loop, presented by Blackmores, the frightening aspect about the Flames is that star Ally Wilson is yet to really impact the exciting squad.

2 – Perth’s perfect start

The only other undefeated side through the opening two rounds is Perth, who secured big wins over reigning champions Townsville and Adelaide.

With WNBA stars Anneli Maley, Georgia Amoore and Teonni Key, as well as Haley Peters and Alex Ciabattoni as their starters, they’ve got one of the most formidable first fives in the League.

Opals captain Sami Whitcomb agreed on The Loop, saying “the whole starting five are standouts; I think they’re in for another dominant year.”

The Lynx’s ability to push the pace, put pressure on the rim and score in bunches will put them in contention for every game they play in 2026-27.

3 – Danger signs in Adelaide?

On the opposite end of the ladder are the Adelaide Lightning, who have dropped their opening three fixtures.

While there have been signs of how this team, featuring Zitina Aokuso, Shay Ciezki and Steph Talbot, can be, they are yet to produce a full 40-minute effort yet.

In both their two most recent losses, on their home court, the Lightning actually led in the second half against Townsville and Perth before fading.

If Aja Parham-Ammar’s side are going to end their losing streak, starting with Sunday’s clash at Southside Melbourne, they’re going to need consistent production across the board.

In saying that, this team is too talented to be 0-3 and I, as well as Perth's Ryan Petirk, fully expect them to figure it out and make the all-important top five when the post-season tips off.

4 – Xu-per debut in Geelong

No Maddy Rocci, no Bec Cole, no worries for Geelong.

Despite missing their starting backcourt on Saturday, and playing against an in-form Flyers team, the Venom marked their record crowd on Saturday with a big win.

While Chinese superstar Han Xu, despite battling foul trouble, had 16 points and 8 rebounds in her club debut.

But the real story was youngsters Indi Bowyer, Lilly Rotunno and Dakota Critchton stepping up and embracing the extra opportunity for the Venom, especially in the second quarter.

Now once those star guards return, Chery Chambers’ side all of sudden looks very deep.

5 – Flyer etches her name into record books

Two-time WNBL champion Carley Ernst became just the 24th player in League history to chalk up 300 games on Saturday, when her Flyers played Geelong.

Speaking of the milestone, the mother of two, who played her first game in more than one year on Saturday, was taken aback to being listed among some of the sport’s greats like Kelly Wilson (480 games), Cayla George (397) and Jessica Bibby (393).

“What an honour it is to be on the list of some of those names,” Ernst, 32, said.

“There are so many great Australian basketball players, and I’m honestly speechless to be among them.

“It’s really cool and special to be able to achieve this, especially after having the kids.”