The Spirit will open their 2021-22 season against the defending champion Southside Flyers on December 4 at Dandenong.

The Spirit are now into week two of their pre-season training regime under coach Tracy York, who is heading into her third year at the helm.

"It still does feel a long way away from the season starting, but then when you see it's now a month away, it's going to come around quickly against the reigning champions on their home court," York said on Thursday.

READ MORE - Bendigo Spirit tip off against Southside Flyers for season opener, full fixture

"It's going to be a really good test for us to see where we are early in the season."

There's both a sense of familiarity and freshness to the Bendigo Spirit roster of 10, with five players returning from last season plus five inclusions.

Tessa Lavey fresh off representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, Mary Goulding, Cass McLean, Demi Skinner and Piper Dunlop are all returning players from last season.

Dual Spirit championship player Maddie Garrick has rejoined Bendigo having previously played 79 games with the club, the last of which was in 2014-15, while Anneli Maley, Megan McKay, Carly Boag and one of the club's biggest signings in its history, Australian Opal Leilani Mitchell, are all new.

Mitchell - a three-time WNBL champion - will arrive in Bendigo next week.

"With the group of players we kept and the group that we recruited, we're really excited about the roster we've got," York said.

"There's some familiarity with the group and even with the new players we've got, with the nature of the league everyone knows everyone.

"The group has hit the ground running during these first two weeks of pre-season, which has been great."

Following their season-opener against the Flyers on December 4 the Spirit will make a long-awaited return to the Bendigo Stadium to play Melbourne.

The game against the Boomers on Wednesday, December 8, will be the Spirit's first on their home court since playing Perth on January 24, 2020, after last season was played in a Queensland hub.

* Bendigo Spirit 2021-22 roster - Carly Boag, Piper Dunlop, Maddie Garrick, Mary Goulding, Tessa Lavey, Anneli Maley, Cassidy McLean, Megan McKay, Leilani Mitchell, Demi Skinner.

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