Rivalry renewed: Fire expecting "intense" Lynx fixture

The Fire head into the second TechnologyOne Townsville Tip Off having won both of the WNBL's past two pieces of silverware.

After winning the inaugural pre-season tournament on their home court last season, Shannon Seebhom's side took out the WNBL championship by defeating Perth in two thrilling games.

A big part of this success is Fire star Courtney Woods, who appreciates that with success comes extra challenges.

"Anytime you win a championship, the next year people tend to talk about you a bit more," Woods said during the Tip Off's media availability on Wednesday.

"But I feel like we're just really excited to play at home; our fans haven't seen us since the Grand Final last year, so it'll be really nice to see some familiar faces.

"Kids are coming free which is really awesome.

"We have such amazing support from our community here, so we're really excited just to see some familiar faces again."

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Woods' Fire will open the 2026 edition of the Tip Off against Grand Final opponents Perth at the Murray Sporting Complex.

"Any time we play Perth, it's an intense game and I'm sure the pre-season won't make that any different," Woods added.

"Their roster's been shuffled around a little bit so they look a little bit different, but I feel like whenever Ryan [Petrik] is the head coach of a team, they're going to have a good season.

"I feel like they might be trying different stuff, and we'll probably try some different stuff too.

"Both teams will hopefully just be looking to make it a productive game in the pre-season."

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This is the first of two pre-season fixtures the Fire will play at the Tip Off, with the second being the final fixture on the schedule on Sunday against Sydney.

"The thing about the pre-season tournament is that it's an awesome opportunity for the younger girls, while also trying to get something productive out of it [as a group]," she said.

"Obviously, we are not training this week as much because we're playing these games, so we're trying to make the games more productive than if we were training.

"[We will] try some different stuff, but you also don't want to reveal too much of what you're thinking and have going on for the season.

"There's a balance, and I'm sure Shannon will do a great job with it, as all teams are trying to get as best ready they can for the season with what players they're bringing."

Game 1 of the Tip Off gets underway from 7pm AEST, live on 9Now and Disney+.