Woods determined to keep the Championship Fire alive

Returning its Championship-winning core and hosting the second annual Townsville Tip Off in September, Fire captain Courtney Woods knows the entire league will be watching them closely.

After making three of the past four Grand Finals, the Fire have established themselves as the WNBL's benchmark for success, claiming Championships in 2023 and 2026 under five-time Coach of the Year Shannon Seebohm.

Under Seebohm's leadership, players have consistently developed, with no better example than Woods. After playing a limited role off the bench during the Fire's 2023 Championship series, logging just 16 minutes across the series, Woods has transformed into arguably the league's premier point guard. Her breakout campaign was recognised with the Golden Hands Award, before she capped off the season by earning Finals MVP honours.

With all eight teams set to descend on Townsville, Woods said the Fire will continue to embrace their underdog mentality, despite entering the season as reigning champions.

“Any time you win a championship, the next year everyone's got your of name circled. And I think that's something we haven't experienced a lot here. I think we kind of really like to be the underdogs and I think going into this next season I always think we're underdogs,” she said.

“Obviously teams sign amazing players. Sydney have done a great job signing, Steph’s (Reid) back and Tassie. I know we're coming off a championship, but I still feel like we do have that underdog mentality. So I think just leaning into that as much as we can and just not taking any games for granted, respecting all of our opposition.”

With the Townsville Tip Off launching the season in September, Woods said the chance for fans to see their hometown heroes for the first time since the Championship-winning campaign is another reason to be there.

"I know the Townsville community will be excited to see us. They haven't seen us since the Championship games. It's really exciting to have them all come back out," she said.

"It's obviously a long journey defending the title, and defending the Townsville tip-off title is first on the list."

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