Olympians cleared for WNBL27 debuts

The lineups of the Perth Lynx and Sydney Flames will be bolstered in Round 2 of the WNBL27 Season, after announcing that two respective stars would return this weekend.

Olympians Anneli Maley and Ally Wilson will suit up for Perth and Sydney, respectively, this round, after their clubs announced their returns.

Maley missed the Lynx’s Opening Week victory against Townsville in Perth due to WNBA commitments with New York, while Wilson was sidelined with a knee injury during Sydney’s victories over Southside Melbourne and Adelaide.

“I trust what Ryan [Petrik] pieces together,” Maley said to basketball.com.au on the Lynx’s revamped roster.

“Yes, there was a lot of turnover, but Ash (Samantha Ashby) has been here before. A lot of the young girls are still around. Chibba (Alex Ciabattoni) is a cornerstone of what we do here, and so is Steph Gorman. There’s been turnover, but there’s also been a lot of pieces that have stayed.

“The style of play, the speed, the way that the girls have played together, it was a really fun brand of basketball and something that hopefully we can continue to put out as a group.”

Both stars were members of the 2025-26 All-WNBL First Team after exceptional seasons with the Lynx.

Looking ahead, Maley’s Lynx travel to Adelaide to play the Lightning, while Sydney host Canberra on Friday before travelling to Townsville to face the Fire on Sunday.

Watch all of Round 2’s blockbuster fixtures live on 9Now and ESPN via Disney+.

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