Was it the broken arm or the bittersweet feeling of watching her Sydney Thunder teammates lift the first WBBL trophy? She got a winners medal, but it's not the same when you're in a team tracksuit with your arm in a cast.

Three years later she has a chance for redemption as she looks to spin the Thunder to victory in a semi-final against the Brisbane Heat at Drummoyne Oval on Saturday.

It is a chance to bury the heartache she felt when she suffered a compound fracture in her right forearm four games into WBBL|01, the season that would prove a watershed moment for the game.

"It was nice for my team to get over the line in the first year and to still be a part of the atmosphere," Bates said.

"But it’s still never the same, being on the sidelines compared to being out in the middle and really contributing to the win. That will definitely be an extra [motivation] for me heading into the finals."

While she wasn't in the XI when two of her teammates scampered through for a run to secure the first WBBL title on an historic day for the Thunder, Bates has relished every second of the ride as the league emerges in its own spotlight.

This is the first time both WBBL semi-finals will be standalone matches, as opposed to BBL curtain-raisers, with the top ranked winner set to host the final on their home turf on January 26.

It is another sure-fire sign of just how strong the women's game has become. No longer is Bates living off dollar soups from a grocery store.

"I remember my first season of cricket, we weren’t getting paid any money," Bates said.

"We were still trying to do full-time work, full-time uni and cricket. It’s grown so much, now we get paid enough that we don’t have to work and we can still pursue our uni degrees.

"It’s an awesome rollercoaster to be on, and hopefully it just keeps going."

That ride has been mirrored across the boundary rope.

"I think there’s already been four, maybe five centuries hit this season... I think there might have been one in the first season. It’s always growing at a big rate for the batters, so it’s challenging for the bowlers," Bates said.

Make that six centuries this season. The unnerving stat for Bates? Two of them were scored by Sydney Sixers superstar Ellyse Perry, who is shattering records like three young tyros from Newcastle did when Silverchair released Frogstomp.

Another was by her partner in magenta Alyssa Healy. If the Thunder can force their way into the final, there's a good chance the all-conquering Sixers will meet them there in search of a third-straight title.

But to even get that far, Bates (eight wickets at 34.75 in 13 matches this season) will have to knock over Brisbane Heat stars Beth Mooney and Grace Harris - two of the competition's five centurions - in the semi-final.

Of course, not that any of those numbers will bother the Thunder.

"We’ve adapted the motto this year of ‘our game’," Bates said.

"That’s bowling to our plans, batting to our plans. If we do meet the Sixers in the final, we will just concentrate on us, rather than concentrating on them.

"We played Brisbane in Cairns and we lost on the [third-last] ball. It’s going to be an extraordinary game and it just goes back to our plans and executing them.

"It’s really nice to make the semis after the disappointing end to our season last year. We’ve worked really hard and gelled really nice as a team which has probably shown heading into the semis."

WBBL SEMI-FINALS

Saturday: Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat at Drummoyne Oval, 10.40am. Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades at Drummoyne Oval, 1.50pm. Both matches televised on Channel Seven and Fox Cricket, and broadcast on ABC Grandstand. Tickets via Ticketek, with all proceeds going towards Dolly's Dream.