Opals star's push to make trial rule stick

The Geelong Venom dominated at the 2026 TechnologyOne Townsville Tip Off, claiming their club's first piece of silverware at the pre-season tournament.

One reason for that was the play of Australian Opal Maddy Rocci, who took out the Tiana Mangakahia MVP award.

Not only did the guard fill the stat sheet, but she also used the WNBL's trial rules to her team's advantage.

In particular, Rocci and the Venom made the most of the player only time-outs in their wins over the UC Capitals and Bendigo Spirit, twice scoring out of the short breaks.

“I'm in my 10th season in the WNBL, and, being a point guard, I really enjoyed using the player-led time-out because it allows you to take a break for 30 seconds, regroup and then communicate a play that you know you're going to score out of, nine times out of 10,” Rocci said to CODE Sports.

“At certain times during the games in Townsville, I felt the momentum of the game going the way of the opposition team and so it gave me the opportunity to call the player time-out, bring everybody together and be able to say, ‘Hey, this is what we're running, and this is what we want to actually get through’.”

Rocci believes a full-time change would add an exciting new element to the WNBL, having already experienced it recently in the WNBA with the Toronto Tempo.

“They call it a reset time-out in the WNBA, and you can't look at the coach,” she added.

“It gives the leaders on the court the opportunity and responsibility to put their own plans in place.”

Rocci and her Venom open their WNBL27 Season on Thursday, October 15, at MyState Bank Arena against the Tasmania Jewels.

The historic fixture tips off at 7pm AEDT, live on 9Now and ESPN via Disney+.