'They've Had Our Number': Petrik's Plan to End Townsville's Reign

Perth Lynx Head Coach Ryan Petrik has declared his roster will be specifically designed to beat rivals and WNBL26 Champions, the Townsville Fire.

Despite reaching the Finals in the past five consecutive season under the former Coach of the Year, the Lynx have repeatedly run into a familiar foe, with Townsville responsible for three of their Finals defeats.

From 2023 to 2026, the Lynx have faced off against the Fire in four straight Finals campaigns. Losing the 2023 Semi Final, winning the 2024 Semi Final, losing the 2025 Semi Final and this past season, losing the Grand Final Series to the Fire in March.

With Townsville front of mind, Petrik has declared his priority is building a roster to prevent a Townsville dynasty.

“We've had dominant regular seasons, (but) every time we get to the Finals, unfortunately, we run into this mob called the Townsville Fire, who have had our number. So we've got to find a way to get past that final roadblock,” Petrik told SEN.

“We want to try to rebuild the roster a little bit and with Townsville in mind, because they've been the team that's knocked us out.

“(We’re) trying to make some adjustments knowing what their roster looks like already, they had a lot of their team already re-signed before the season even finished. We wanted to add a bit more defence and a bit more primitive defence to that roster. And then also get a little bit bigger in other positions to try and match up on Townsville.”

With WNBL25 MVP Sami Whitcomb, the Lynx have made up for the losses of Ally Wilson and Amy Atwell – knowing All-WNBL Second Team member Alex Ciabattoni is ready for a bigger offensive role.

The additions of Steph Gorman and recruit Nya Lok will lock down the perimeter, and three-time NBL1 MVP Teige Morrell adds much-needed size off the bench. Perth’s recruitment aligns with what Petrik is envisioning.

One large piece that’s missing in his vision board is Han Xu, the nearly seven-foot-tall absence on the roster, who is coming off an award-winning season. The Chinese superstar was a sensation on and off the floor in her debut WNBL season, averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and winning Defensive Player of the Year, the current New York Liberty fan favourite is in “deep talks” to return to WA.

“We’re still in ongoing dialogue with Han, clearly both parties have some interest in trying to reunite. But certainly we would have major interest in trying to bring her back.”

Can the Lynx assemble a team that can take down the reigning Champions? We’ll find out in October.

‍