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UNDER normal circumstances Bendigo Spirit coach Tracy York would be conditioning her players to prepare for a marathon of a season rather than a sprint.
Not this year though, with the WNBL season to be very much a sprint in the north Queensland hubs of Townsville, Cairns and Mackay.
The release of the WNBL fixture for the upcoming condensed season has the Spirit playing 14 games in just 29 days between November 12 and December 11, followed by a whirlwind finals series if they are good enough to finish top four.
"We've known for a while that the season is going to be in a short amount of time, so we've been preparing the girls the best we can to get them in shape," York said on Saturday.
"We normally say a season is a marathon, not a sprint. But this season is very much going to be a sprint.
"It's a tough draw in terms of the amount of games in such a short amount of time, but we feel over the journey of our five months doing online training sessions and fitness work that we've brought the players in with a good base behind them."
Such is the condensed nature of the season, the longest break the Spirit will have between games is three days off from their November 24 game against Adelaide and November 28 clash against defending champions Canberra.
"The two weeks we spent training in Bendigo was all about working really hard to prepare, but once the season starts it will be very much playing and recovery and making sure we're right mentally because it really will be a survival of the fittest both physically and mentally," York said.
"We feel confident in the group we've put together... we'll roll with the punches and see where it takes us."
It's very much a new-look Bendigo Spirit roster for what is the club's 14th season in the WNBL.
From last season's team that finished seventh the only returning players are Carley Ernst, Tessa Lavey and Demi Skinner, while Alicia Froling was sidelined for all of 2019-20 with a wrist injury.
The Spirit is currently in quarantine in Brisbane, with the travelling squad featuring the 12 players, York, assistant coach Mark Alabakov and three support staff.
BENDIGO SPIRIT SEASON FIXTURE:
v Southside Flyers
Thursday, November 12
at Townsville (9pm Bendigo time)
......................................
v Sydney Uni Flames
Saturday, November 14
at Townsville (3pm)
......................................
v Canberra Capitals
Monday, November 16
at Mackay (6pm)
......................................
v Perth Lynx
Wednesday, November 18
at Mackay (8pm)
......................................
v Townsville Fire
Saturday, November 21
at Townsville (5pm)
......................................
v Townsville Fire
Sunday, November 22
at Townsville (3pm)
......................................
v Adelaide Lightning
Tuesday, November 24
at Townsville (6pm)
......................................
v Canberra Capitals
Saturday, November 28
at Townsville (7.30pm)
......................................
v Perth Lynx
Tuesday, December 1
at Townsville (8pm)
......................................
v Southside Flyers
Thursday, December 3
at Cairns (9pm)
......................................
v Melbourne Boomers
Saturday, December 5
at Cairns (5pm)
......................................
v Sydney Uni Flames
Sunday, December 6
at Cairns (1pm)
......................................
v Adelaide Lightning
Wednesday, December 9
at Carins (8pm)
......................................
v Melbourne Boomers
Friday, December 11
at Cairns (6pm)
......................................
SPIRIT ROSTER
Alicia Froling
Amelia Todhunter
Carley Ernst
Cassidy McLean
Demi Skinner
Georgia Pineau
Jennie Rintala
Mary Goulding
Paige Price
Piper Dunlop
Shelby Britten
Tessa Lavey
Coach - Tracy York
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