Basketball On The Internet.

IF Opals Bronze Medallists Rachel Jarry, Rebecca Allen and Nat Burton all suit, expect Melbourne Boomers to be the surprise winner of the WNBL’s Spring Shield preseason tournament this weekend in Bendigo.

It’s not often you can go from an Opal to a Boomer in one week – a sex change operation notwithstanding – but Melbourne’s trio and Guy Molloy’s influx of other young talent suggest they would be the tournament dark horse.

Well, not anymore, obviously but that prediction is predicated on everyone playing.

And that’s the thing you don’t know before the protagonists hit the hardwood, exactly who will be suiting up for a three-games-in-three-days challenge less than a week out from the start of the regular season.

Adelaide already has declared its hand that Opals vice-captain Laura Hodges won’t be playing and the likelihood is Bendigo wouldn’t play Belinda Snell throughout, and maybe also give Gabe Richards some time off.

Or not.

If Tess Lavey plays, then why not Gabe?

Who knows, the reality in Bendigo being very few teams will tip their hand, mostly just using their matches as they originally were intended, as game-like practices.

That said, a young, fresh-legged and eager outfit such as the Boomers, with Tess Madgen and Co. ready to rock and roll, is my best guess as the likely team to hold up the Spring Shield at the end of the tournament.

Or not.

A week later, it won’t have mattered much anyway.

Spring Shield Draw

October 10-12, Bendigo Stadium, 134 Marong Road, West Bendigo, Victoria

Friday:

Court 6

5pm, Townsville Fire V Canberra Capitals

Main Court

5:30pm, Sydney Flames V Melbourne Boomers

Court 6

7pm, West Coast Waves V Dandenong Rangers

Main Court

7:30pm, Adelaide Lightning V Bendigo Spirit

Saturday:

Court 6

4pm, Melbourne Boomers V West Coast Waves

Main Court

5pm, Canberra Capitals V Adelaide Lightning

Court 6

6pm, Dandenong Rangers V Townsville Fire

Main Court

7pm, Bendigo Spirit V Sydney Flames

Sunday:

Court 6

9.30am, 7 v 8

Main Court

10am, 3 v 4

Court 6

11:30am, 5 v 6

Main Court

12pm, 1 v 2

IT’S great to occasionally find a good news story and this one is certainly it with the newest Trans-Tasman rivalry now challenging our indigenous brothers and soon, sisters.

If you haven’t caught the stories, they are here at News Corp: http://bit.ly/1nZ2tdp and earlier at: http://bit.ly/1y4BeRQ

And here's a WNBL Spring Shield piece at: http://bit.ly/1rW1XLu

TOMORROW: The NBL tips-off at last. Tips, rankings - it's all here.