Perth Lynx urged to keep chasing championships after devastating WNBL grand final loss to Townsville Fire

Perth Lynx coach Ryan Petrik has urged his players to not let the devastation and torture of multiple grand final losses deter them from chasing future glory, saying the only way to become a loser is to quit. Perth’s extraordinary run of grand final heartache continued on Sunday when they lost game two of the WNBL grand final series 108-105 during overtime to Townsville Fire. The Fire won game one on Thursday, and Sunday’s victory handed them the championship. The Lynx lost the grand final by one point on the buzzer in 2022, by two points on the buzzer in 2024 and have now lost by three points in overtime. The club has lost its last six grand finals since winning its only championship in 1992. Petrik said the only way to recover from the shattering losses was to keep trying to win. “It’s not enjoyable, but greatness courts failure,” Petrik said. “If you’re going to be chasing at this time of the year, and chasing championship games and championship rings, you either get our locker room post-game or you get Townsville’s locker room post-game. You only really become a loser if you keep fighting and just quit “You can roll over, curl into a ball, suck your thumb and cry ‘woh is me’, or you can dig your heels in and try again. At this point in time I would prefer option B. “It feels like a game that could genuinely have gone either way. We had our chances to grab it and unfortunately, Townsville did.” Atwell, Anneli Maley, Alex Ciabattoni and Steph Gorman were all part of the 2024 defeat, while Ciabattoni also played in 2022. Petrik coached all three teams. The Lynx erased an eight-point deficit during the game and the match had 41 lead changes as both teams hit massive shots. Maley was brilliant with 27 points, 19 rebounds and six assists. Ciabattoni stood tall with 23 points, Han Xu produced 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Ally Wilson was on the verge of a triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Atwell hit massive shots at key times to score 12 points. The Lynx co-captain said the loss hurt more than in 2024. “I don’t know how to process it. We were in a similar position two years ago but this one stings a little more,” Atwell said. “Being that close and watching them celebrate on our home court definitely stings.” The championship was Townsville’s redemption after they lost to Bendigo last season and missed the grand final in 2024 despite finishing on top of the ladder. Captain Courtney Woods won the Rachael Sporn Medal for her two brilliant grand finals. She had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before fouling out on Sunday. Alicia Froling was huge with 25 points and eight rebounds, and former Lynx star Miela Sowah stepped up at key times with 18 points. Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm fought back tears when paying tribute to Woods’ performance. “She does everything,” he said. “She has played every single role for me that you could imagine. From not playing a second to playing for 40 minutes per game, to me telling her she needs to pass the ball, to she needs to shoot more threes. “In the semifinal, I asked her to inspire everyone defensively. She just makes big plays. She didn’t have great finals last year. To come out today, and in game one, carry us and make big plays, I couldn’t be prouder.” PERTH’S GRAND FINAL TORTURE 1993: Lost to Sydney Flames. 1999: Lost to AIS. 2015: Lost to Townsville. 2022: Lost to Melbourne. 2024: Lost to Southside. 2026: Lost to Townsville.