Spirit's Shyla Heal, Carley Ernst and Martè Grays are among some of the team's players who have moved to Bendigo for the 2019-20 WNBL season.

They've only been here for a month or so and whether it's walking around Lake Weeroona, relaxing in Rosalind Park or hitting the court with the Spirit, they've loved every minute of it.

The team's first year import Martè Grays moved from Chicago to Bendigo to play with the Spirit.

"Moving around opens me up to experiences, it actually makes me feel really comfortable," Grays said.

"Staying at home isn't comfortable. I love being out and exploring new things."

One aspect of Bendigo which Grays has embraced is the community vibe.

"In the first week when I moved here, before I had my car, I had to walk everywhere," Grays said.

"While I was walking down the street everyone would say hello to me, I was amazed at how nice everyone is here."

Moving away from home to play sport certainly isn't new to Ernst.

"I first moved out of home when I was 15 to go to the Australian Institute of Sport," Ernst said.

"All of the moving around started pretty young for me so I'm quite used to it now."

Throughout her WNBL career Ernst has lived in Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and now Bendigo.

"Bendigo is such a nice city, no where near as busy as it is down in Melbourne which makes it really easy to get around," she said.

"The people here are so lovely, I'm really liking it here."

Part of living in Bendigo has seen Ernst move in with two of her team-mates, Heal and Tessa Lavey.

"Having Carley and Tessa by my side is like having two big sisters," Heal laughed.

"I love getting to know new people and living with team-mates, it's part of the fun of it.

"It also makes it a lot more exciting when I go home to visit my family and friends."

Heal lived in Perth last year, making the move to Bendigo the second stint away from her native Sydney.

"Bendigo has such a really close community which I really like," Heal said

"I'm from Sydney, it's definitely a lot easier to get around here."

However, there was one minor downside for Heal.

"There's just no beaches here, I still need to get my tan on," Heal laughed.

Heal is the daughter of former Australian Boomer, Shane Heal.

"I call him everyday as he helps me a lot on and off the court," Heal said.

"So lucky to have him by my side."

RELATED: Meet the 2019/20 WNBL Bendigo Spirit team

In addition, Heal also has the support from the entire team.

"The team has been so great for each other. We're all starting to bond together on and off the court, it's all coming together well."

Moving forward, Heal was excited to see the team perform at its full potential.

"We haven't really had a full team yet with Becca Tobin out and Kara Tessari out for one game, once the team is together we will win more games," Heal said.

Bendigo Spirit's second year import Becca Tobin will return to the court this weekend.

The Spirit was without Tobin for its first four matches of the season.

Tobin is known for her athleticism which regularly sees her put double figures on the board in addition to taking multiple rebounds each game.

Tobin was sidelined before the first game of the season against the Boomers after taking a knock to the head at a training session.

Bendigo Spirit face another double-header this weekend on the court.

The team's first match will be on its home court against the Adelaide Lightning, followed by an away clash re-match with the Southside Flyers on Sunday.

"Every match is always tough, but we're looking forward to it," Bendigo Spirit coach Tracy York said.

"Our plan is to get off on the right foot at home, recover Saturday and travel down to Dandenong for the Flyers re-match."

Defensive pressure has been a particular focus for the team so far this season.

"Score line wise we've been getting great scores, but we just need to make sure that we're defending well," York said.

The Spirit has a 1-3 record so far compared to the Lightning at 3-1.

RELATED: Late charge by Bendigo Spirit not enough to fly over Southside

The Lightning's Brianna Turner, Lauren Nicholson, Steph Talbot and Nicole Seekamp will be on the Spirit's radar come tip-off on Friday night.

"We've just finalised our scouting preparations for the game against Adelaide," York said.

"We need to have a plan in place to be able to defend them well and not let one or two of them get away from us."

A relief for the spirit will be having its second year import Becca Tobin back on the court this weekend.

However, even without Tobin, York was pleased with how the squad had "gelled" together.

"The team is a really good group both on and off the floor, it's been very pleasing," York said.

"You never really know how things are going to work until you are in the thick of it."

RELATED: Spirit buoyed by first win, says Lavey

Even though the team is currently 1-3, York said it wasn't a reflection of the team.

"We're taking each game one at a time. Nothing will be reflective until November/December when all teams have played each other," York said.

"In the season's draw so far we've played, arguably, the two top teams (Boomers and Flyers).

"Then by Sunday we would've played them four times in our first six matches where other teams may have not played them yet.

"We've had two close losses and a really good win over the Lynx, which is fantastic for us."

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