The Jayco Southside Melbourne Flyers opened the 2025/26 WNBL season against the UC Capitals at John Cain Arena on Saturday afternoon. The opener marked a historic day under the new league ownership. Despite a strong start and plenty of energy from the crowd in the arena, the Flyers fell short, going down 71–80 to the Capitals.
The season opener got off to a nervous start as the Flyers and Capitals found it hard to find the bottom of the ring. Tera Reed opened the scoring for the game with a reverse lay-up in what would end up becoming a standout performance for herself. The Capitals were a tough match physically for the Flyers, which saw the Flyers trail 16-24 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Reed and rising young talent Issie Bourne as they combined on the offensive end to narrow the deficit. Missed shots and costly turnovers proved punishing for the Flyers as the Capitals edged their lead out to 10 points at the half.
The beginning of the second half was one the Flyers wouldl ook to forget as the Capitals over run them on both ends of the court. The Capitals went out on a 11-0 run, with the Flyers not scoring a point until the 7-minute mark of the quarter. The Capitals kept edging out their lead, but it was an entire team effort from the Flyers to cut a 22-point deficit to 10 again at the end of the third.
The Flyers were unable to match the physicality of theCapitals recording a 71-80 loss in the opening game of the season.
Tera Reed finished the game with 22 points, while Issie Bourne proved she is ready for the big stage with 18 points, and 9 rebounds.
Cayla George was restricted to 4 points however, the game still marked a momentous milestone for her as she become the third highest point scorer in WNBL history, boosting her tally to 5,205 points.
Flyers Head Coach Kristi Harrower noted post-game that the Flyers have "a lot to work on".
"The thing that we've been trying to work on the most is physicality. We turned it on and off at times, and I don't think we can be like that," Harrower said.
"I don't think we played well offensively, and it's going to probably take us some time.
"We need to make sure that we get Cayla George more involved and really get her going, because we really need her."
The Flyers will look to bounce back as they hit the road this week to take on the Sydney Flames in Indigenous Round on Friday, 24th October, 7pm at the Quay Centre. Flyers fans can watch the game live on 9NOW, ESPN, and ESPN on Disney.
The Flyers will then return home to play the Townsville Fire in our home opener at the State Basketball Centre on Friday 31st October at 7pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here through Intix.
