Bowman bracing for Rockhampton return 

Townsville Flames import star Samantha Bowman called Rockhampton home for two seasons but she will be out to take down her old team on Friday night

Bowman returns to her former home court at Bravus Arena after enjoying a stellar run with the Rockhampton Cyclones, leading them to back-to-back grand final appearances and guiding them to last year’s NBL1 North title.

The 25-year-old forward was the Flames best with 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in their season opening loss to Cairns and she can’t wait to take on some familiar faces tonight.

“Obviously I have a lot of experience with them, they're a great team, with a good coach,” she said.

“Their coach Chris Muggeridge was our assistant coach when I played there and he knows what he’s doing so I'm looking forward to playing him.

“Their home court advantage is intense. I love their crowd, they are really close to the court and they’re very rowdy so we just have to stay composed and get used to that loud atmosphere.”

The 2024 All-NBL1 North Second Team member enjoyed her time in Rocky but said she was ready for a change and was excited to take on a new opportunity in Townsville.

“I loved Townsville when I came here on road trips and I’m loving the weather, the team culture,” she said.

“As a team we haven’t had that much time together, but everybody's nice and has been really welcoming. So I'm looking forward to having that opportunity to get to know everybody as our season goes on.”

Bowman and the Flames will have to be wary of a Cyclones coming off their own opening round defeat, with import Chelsey Perry pouring in 39 points and adding 11 rebounds in their loss to Mackay.

Defence will be key for the Flames as they look to limit Rockhampton on Friday night before backing up the next night against a quality Meteorettes team.

“We didn’t really have the best structure in our defence in Round 1 so we’ve tried to home in on that this week in practice and fixed up some of those little details,” Bowman said.

“I might have a few tips and tricks coming up against some of my old teammates.”

Don’t miss a second of the NBL1 North action, with all games live streamed at https://nbl1.com.au/conference/north.