The Canberra Capitals put a bookend on another disappointing WNBL season on Saturday afternoon, and now questions arise about whether they can flip the script and return to the top in 2024-25.
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With a nail-biting, final-second 75-74 loss to the Melbourne Boomers at the National Convention Centre, the Capitals finished this year's campaign at the bottom of the ladder for the second-straight season.
Prior to Canberra's finale, the team locked in coach Kristen Veal on a new one-year deal, despite a tough first two seasons as WNBL coach where she led the Capitals to only six total wins.
Veal and University of Canberra director of sport Carrie Graf blamed the "adversity" of multiple injuries and unfortunate import player exits for the difficult stretch of the nine-time championship-winning club.
The Capitals still feel upbeat about the future though.
"In the wins and loss columns it's not the season we wanted but overall I couldn't be prouder of our efforts," skipper Jade Melbourne said.
What has to change
To keep doing the same thing and expect a different result is the definition of insanity, and while that might be an extreme way to describe the Capitals' situation, the fact is there must be change.
It's not going to be the coach, and therefore probably not the game plan, so the obvious thing that needs addressing is the squad.
The Capitals need to recruit high-calibre game-winners the likes of which it had when they were a championship-contending team, and they need them now.
The good news is Veal is willing and ready to go shopping, which is music to their Opals star Melbourne who has one year left on her contract at the Capitals.
"As much as I love this team, there has to be change," Melbourne said. "We can't finish on the bottom of the ladder two years in a row and not do anything about it.
"Hopefully we retain our core, but it'd be nice to get some key pieces in and hopefully move up the ladder next year."
Record crowd support
While winning has been hard to do, the Capitals faithful have not abandoned the team.
In fact, off the back of a surge in support for women's sport in Australia, the Capitals enjoyed record crowds for a season where they didn't play finals, and their membership also hit an all-time high.
The scary thing now is just how much things can further grow if the Capitals can get back on a winning run next season.
"It's been a record-breaking season for attendances and also memberships that have had 70 per cent growth," Capitals general manager Lucille Bailie said.
"It's why we lobby so hard to move quickly back to a venue that suits the current needs and facilitates that continued growth trajectory, and it can't happen quickly enough."
AIS Arena awaits
Sell-out crowds at the National Convention Centre were a regular sight this season. However, scheduling headaches at the venue forced the Capitals to also play at the non-air-conditioned Tuggeranong Stadium and even move a game last minute to Radford's school gym.
Next season the Capitals are desperate to call the AIS Arena home again for their WNBL games and possibly training too.
The venue was closed in 2020 because of safety concerns, but is ready to re-open in May this year after $15 million in repairs are completed. It's still unclear whether the Australian Sports Commission has purchased a new basketball floor to replace the previous one damaged in storage.
The positive is crowd capacity at the AIS Arena is nearly 5000 - more than double that of the convention centre - bringing a huge potential revenue boost for the Capitals next season.
"Sporting organisations are not cheap to run, so more bodies through the gates and more memberships sold, means more income to meet the growing expenses of running a club," Bailie added.
"What the metrics are telling us is there's a lot of people that want to come out, watch the Capitals and don't want to miss out."
WNBL Round 15 Result
MELBOURNE BOOMERS 75 (N.Hillmon 35, J.Canada 22) bt CANBERRA CAPITALS 74 (N.Munger 20, A.Sharp 18)
Season wrap: Wins 4 - Losses 17, last on the ladder