The Price Attack Opals are ready to take on some of the worlds best basketballers in the Opals World Challenge in Cairns and Canberra from this Friday

The Opals will take on the USA, China and Chinese Taipei throughout the six-day tournament, with two matches in Cairns on April 7 and 8, and three in Canberra on April 10, 11 and 12

The Australians arrived in Cairns on Tuesday afternoon and have been training hard under coach Jan Stirling who is giving the players no reprieve after the team won Gold at the Commonwealth Games only two weeks ago

Three Opals players have been dogged by illness since the Games - Tully Bevilaqua and Lauren Jackson are just now recovering, and Erin Phillips is unlikely to travel to Cairns after coming down with a bad case of the flu
Team management is still hopeful Phillips will travel to Canberra on Sunday to join the team for the second half of the tournament

This will be your last chance to see Lauren Jackson play on home soil before she heads to the WNBA and then to fulfil her contract in Korea for three years
"It's going to be really tough, a really challenging tournament" Jackson said
"But it will help us to see where we are at in the lead up to the World Championships
I know the girls want to win (against the US), and I know we finally have the talent to do it"

The majority of the US team arrive into Cairns today (Thursday), but coach Anne Donovan and the WNBA's newest stars, WNBA Number 1 and 2 Draft picks Seimone Augustus and Cappie Pondexter, will arrive on Saturday and will suit up against the Price Attack Opals that night

Tom Maher is back on home soil, but he is on the other side of the fence, coaching the Chinese team
He hopes to take the team to the Medal Rounds at the World Championships in Brazil later this year and take them even further at the Beijing Olympics in 2008

The Chinese Taipei team is on the improve after finishing 14th at the 2002 World Championships in China
They have brought an all-female entourage to the tournament

(photo was taken with a camera-phone)

Game Schedule

Friday 7 April Cairns Convention Centre
6:00pm - USA v China
8:00pm - Price Attack Opals v Chinese Taipei

Saturday 8 April Cairns Convention Centre
5:00pm - China v Chinese Taipei
7:00pm - Price Attack Opals v USA

Monday 10 April AIS Arena Canberra
10:30am - USA v China
12:30pm - Price Attack Opals v Chinese Taipei

Tuesday 11 April AIS Arena Canberra
6:00pm - USA v Chinese Taipei
8:00pm - Price Attack Opals v China

Wednesday 12 April AIS Arena Canberra
6:00pm - China v Chinese Taipei
8:00pm - Price Attack Opals v USA