Bendigo Spirit: Five things you need to know

• Jade Melbourne joins reigning MVP Isobel Borlase in the Spirit backcourt for WNBL27
• Captain Kelsey Griffin re-signed on July 17, 2026 for another season in Bendigo
• Bendigo open away against Melbourne's former club Canberra on October 17, 2026

The Bendigo Spirit start WNBL27 with the reigning league MVP, an Australian Opals point guard who learned the game 90 minutes down the highway, and a 38-year-old captain who keeps finding reasons not to retire.

Isobel Borlase won the Suzy Batkovic Medal in February 2026 in her first season at the club. Jade Melbourne, 23, signed on June 30, 2026 after leaving the Canberra Capitals. Kelsey Griffin, 38, re-signed on July 17, 2026. Kennedy Kereama, the reigning WNBL Coach of the Year, is contracted for two more seasons.

That is a lot of certainty for a club that spent nine seasons out of the finals.

The Spirit won the 2024-25 championship, sweeping the Townsville Fire in the Grand Final series, then finished third in WNBL26 with a squad rebuilt around Borlase. Townsville won that title back. Bendigo now go again with more talent than they had in either season.

Why it matters

Bendigo's pitch is no longer about who is finishing their career there. It is about who is starting one.

Spirit general manager Dan Jackson has been explicit about the shift. When the club chased Melbourne, the argument was built on what happened to the guards who came before her.

"Kennedy has proven over the past couple of seasons that he's a very good coach for guards. We saw it initially with Veronica Burton and Sami Whitcomb, then last year with Izzy Borlase," Jackson told basketball.com.au in an exclusive interview.

"Hopefully we can continue that progress and success with Jade as well because we think she's got more to offer than what she's shown."

Jackson said the recruitment worked because the players already knew each other.

"Izzy (Borlase) was very excited, and she was a big part of getting Jade over the line," he said.

"They're a similar age. They're genuine friends, not just basketball friends.

"I think they room together when they go away with the Opals. Playing with your best friends in a program that I think will be very competitive this season – there are plenty of positives there.

"She's very close friends with Liv Pollerd. She went through the AIS with Kelsey Rees.

"She's (also) got a really good relationship with Kelsey Griffin and Marianna Tolo from their time together in Canberra, and with people like Kelly Wilson as well. She thinks very highly of the people around this club."

Jackson was equally clear about what WNBL26 exposed.

"We felt like we were short last year," he told basketball.com.au.

"The girls played so well, but what really hurt us down the stretch was that we became so reliant on Izzy to create shots and create offence.

"Jade is someone you can throw the ball to at the end of the shot clock, and she can get to the rim and create a basket out of nothing.

"I think that's what we really lacked."

The recruitment that started it

Borlase was the first move, and it was made under pressure. Sami Whitcomb had won the 2024-25 MVP, the Grand Final MVP and a first WNBL championship, then left for Europe. Bendigo had to replace her.

"Losing Sami was always going be difficult for us, because of what she did for our team and club as a whole," Jackson told basketball.com.au in June 2025.

"When we scanned the market, we always try and look for Aussies before imports, we'd go for someone from overseas if we needed to, but the best two guard available was Issy (Borlase).

"We did our homework on her and then when we got the chance to speak to her and her agent, we were able to find out what her plans were, what they were looking for, and we figured out how we could help with the next level of development her and her game."

The specific target Jackson set was her shooting.

"What we talked through in her proposal, the first thing which will be a difference maker for her is ability to shoot the ball. We think she's a good shooter but the stats last season probably didn't support how good a shooter we think she can be," he said.

"If we can get her shooting from the perimeter up to around 35% and she can be a knockdown shooter for us, similar to what Sami did, it'll be huge for her and us as a team."

Borlase shot 34 per cent from three across WNBL26 and averaged 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 33.5 minutes a game. She won the MVP by almost double the votes of runner-up Anneli Maley, and became the fifth Australian to win the award aged 21 or younger, after Alison Cook, Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor and Liz Cambage.

"Isobel has set the benchmark for excellence in WNBL26," WNBL chief executive Jennie Sager said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"Her consistency, competitiveness, and ability to lift her team in key moments have been outstanding. She represents everything this award stands for and continues to inspire the next generation of players."

The captain who keeps coming back

Griffin has won five WNBL championships, the 2019 Suzy Batkovic Medal, three Grand Final MVP awards and five All-WNBL Team selections. She was taken third overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2010 WNBA Draft, became an Australian citizen in 2015, won MVP at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

WNBL27 will be her 11th season at Bendigo. When she re-signed for her 10th, in June 2025, she said the choice was never about the club.

"The decision to re-sign wasn't about whether or not I'd play in Bendigo; that part was easy," Griffin said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"This community has given me and Erin so much, and we feel deeply connected here.

"What I really had to consider was whether it was time to retire or go around one more time.

"In the end, I felt like there was still more to do.

"I want to help build a sustainable club that keeps giving back to Bendigo long after I've finished playing."

Jackson, speaking before Griffin's WNBL27 decision was made, said the club would wait as long as it took.

"Kelsey has a spot at this club as long as I'm here. Basically, as long as she wants," he told basketball.com.au.

"She's so important to our club. She hates people saying this, but she is the heart and soul of the club.

"She's not going to come back and play unless she thinks we can compete for a championship."

Griffin re-signed on July 17, 2026.

Her 250th WNBL game came on November 23, 2025, the same night Marianna Tolo reached the same mark, in an 87-58 win against the Perth Lynx.

"It was a very emotional game," Griffin said at the post-game press conference, in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"My wife started off the morning by surprising me with a video of all of my past teammates and family and everyone sending me a message congratulating me on 250.

"But I do want to take a moment to talk about my team, because I was just blown away. You know we had – we have so many first year pros on our team, and for them to come out and show out the way they did with the defensive tenacity they played with. I'm so so proud of our group."

Tolo, who sat beside her, pointed at the depth.

"It was a really good team show-out," Tolo said in the same press conference, in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"And different people stepped up and had phenomenal games.

"Then Izzy comes out week after week and is just amazing herself.

"So it's such a good group to be a part of because they're so talented but they're such good people as well."

Tolo is the one name still outstanding on the WNBL27 list. She had a baby during WNBL26 and the club has left the decision with her.

"Having a baby is a huge thing for anybody, so we're giving her as much time as she wants to make that decision about whether she's going to play again," Jackson told basketball.com.au.

Coming home to regional Victoria

Melbourne played her junior basketball in Traralgon, and Bendigo now play home games there.

"Coming back to Victoria means so much to me," Melbourne said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"I grew up there, and it's where my basketball journey started, so to now represent the Spirit and play in front of that community is really special.

"The vision of the club really resonated with me – being part of a team that represents all of regional Victoria and connects with so many communities is something I'm incredibly proud to be joining."

Jackson called it a natural fit.

"She's a big country girl through and through. She played her junior basketball in Traralgon. We played a home game there last season," he said.

"It's just a match made in heaven where we can bring one of country Victoria's finest back to country Victoria."

The Spirit will play WNBL27 home games at three venues: Red Energy Arena in Bendigo, Selkirk Stadium and Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium.

That regional footprint was also the point of the 2025 rebrand, which brightened the club's blue and yellow and rebuilt the logo around the Bendigo poppet head, a symbol of the city's mining heritage, and the Australian wedge-tailed eagle, which holds cultural significance for the Dja Dja Wurrung people, Traditional Owners of the land on which the club operates. Star elements in the mark represent Spirit players past and present.

"This new brand reinforces that Bendigo is our home, and we're here to stay," Jackson said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"We believe this evolution will give us a platform to continue representing Bendigo and regional Victoria for years to come."

Griffin framed it as continuity.

"To me, this rebrand is about celebrating the Spirit's legacy and carrying it into a bold new chapter," she said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"It's about linking where we've been with where we're going."

Richard Simkiss, chief executive of SEN Teams, which owns the Bendigo Spirit licence, said the club was a long-term investment.

"Our commitment to Bendigo is unwavering," Simkiss said in comments published by basketball.com.au.

"This is about more than sport it's about building trust and connection, and showing that the Bendigo Spirit is here for the long haul."

WNBL26 season summary

• Finished third
• Isobel Borlase: WNBL MVP (Suzy Batkovic Medal), All-WNBL First Team
• Kelsey Griffin: All-WNBL Second Team
• Kennedy Kereama: WNBL Coach of the Year, the first New Zealander to win it

Bendigo Spirit history

The Bendigo Spirit were founded in 2007 and debuted in the WNBL in 2007-08 under coach Bernie Harrower, with his daughter Kristi Harrower on the floor. Kristi Harrower, a three-time Olympic silver medallist with the Opals, won the WNBL MVP in 2009-10.

The club's first golden era ran from 2013 to 2015: three consecutive Grand Finals and back-to-back championships in 2012-13 and 2013-14, with Gabrielle Richards, Kelsey Griffin and Kristi Harrower anchoring a side known for defensive intensity.

Then came the drought. From 2015-16 through 2023-24 the Spirit missed the playoffs every season, despite having a league MVP in Anneli Maley.

The 2024-25 season ended it. Bendigo finished with the best record in the league at 18-3, swept the Townsville Fire in the Grand Final series and won a third championship. Sami Whitcomb won the MVP and the Grand Final MVP.

Whitcomb left for Europe. Borlase replaced her, and won the MVP herself.

Five fast facts

1. Isobel Borlase is the fourth Bendigo Spirit player to win the WNBL MVP, after Kristi Harrower (2009-10), Anneli Maley (2021-22) and Sami Whitcomb (2024-25).

2. Kennedy Kereama is the first New Zealander to be named WNBL Coach of the Year.

3. Kelsey Griffin and Marianna Tolo played their 250th WNBL games on the same night, November 23, 2025.

4. Bendigo is the birthplace of NBA star Dyson Daniels.

5. The Spirit will play WNBL27 home games at three venues across regional Victoria.

Club timeline

• 2007: Club founded, debuts in the WNBL under coach Bernie Harrower with Kristi Harrower on court
• 2009-10: Kristi Harrower wins the WNBL MVP
• 2012-13: First WNBL championship
• 2013-14: Back-to-back championships
• 2014-15: A third straight Grand Final
• 2015-24: Nine seasons without a finals appearance
• 2021-22: Anneli Maley wins the WNBL MVP
• 2024-25: Best record in the league at 18-3, sweep Townsville, third championship
• 2025: Club rebrands, brightening the blue and yellow and rebuilding the logo around the poppet head and the wedge-tailed eagle
• 2025-26: Third place, Isobel Borlase wins the MVP, Kennedy Kereama wins Coach of the Year
• 2026: Jade Melbourne signs, Kelsey Griffin re-signs for an 11th season

What's next

Bendigo open WNBL27 away to the Canberra Capitals at AIS Arena on Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 3:00pm (AEDT). It is Jade Melbourne's first game against the club she left.

The Spirit play 22 games across 16 rounds, 11 at home and 11 away, and close the regular season at home against the Tasmania Jewels at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on Sunday, January 31, 2027 at 1:00pm (AEDT).

The WNBL27 season tips off two days before Bendigo's opener, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, when the expansion Tasmania Jewels host the Geelong Venom in Hobart.