Molineux hopeful Melbourne Renegades "can go a couple better" in WBBL06

Melbourne Renegades star Sophie Molineux has said that they are keen to better their performance from last year's Women's Big Bash League where they reached the semifinal.



Molineux said the side have improved significantly over the last couple of years and are hungry to do well this season. "We've got a core group that's stayed along the ride so far. So, having added a couple of (new) faces like Lizelle Lee, hopefully, we can go a couple better this year," she said on Thursday (October 22).



Speaking about the bio-bubble in Sydney, the 22-year-old said that they are lucky to be a part of it as a lot of hard work has been done behind the scenes. "It's exciting to see everyone. All the Vic girls (were) in quarantine and they've been let out in the last 24 hours, so they're really excited as well. So, there's a great feel about it all."



ALSO READ: Marizanne Kapp and Sydney Sixers keen to right the wrongs of WBBL05



She felt that it is a unique environment where all the eight teams are staying together in the same place; something they have never seen before. "It's like a big athlete's village in there - a big dining hall, café, breakfast, and everything like that. I think it will be awesome."



"It's a pretty small sort of community where everyone knows each other, and we've all got pretty good mates from other states. So, it's great to have the opportunity to catch up with them, and we've got plenty of time to do that."



On the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, the young allrounder said that the players understand how lucky they are to be able to take part in the competition. She added that the state's plight will add to the side's motivation to do well this season. " We've all been affected - our families have all been affected in some way or the other," she said.



ALSO READ: Sydney Thunder skipper Rachael Haynes thrilled to begin their WBBL06 campaign



"To come here, and be able to, hopefully, put a smile on their faces will mean the world to us. We've definitely got them in our minds, so there's sort of a sense of doing it for them. So hopefully there's a Melbourne team there right at the end, and hopefully, it's red and not green!"



Renegades will face Melbourne Stars in their tournament opener, and Molineux is aware that despite their poor performances over the last couple of years, their city rivals are serious title contenders this year. "Obviously, they've got a couple of big ins, so we're definitely wary of them. We always have some tight games, so we're definitely very keen to get out there," she concluded.