Canberra Capitals' co-captains return in bid for WNBL three-peat

Griffin will be unveiled as the Capital's latest recruit on Wednesday morning as the club moves to lock down their two-time championship-winning players.

More signings are expected to come in the next few days as the WNBL prepares to open the delayed free-agency period.

Griffin has been a revelation in the Capitals' resurgance as a championship contender, leading them to back-to-back titles in the two seasons she's played.

The star forward's return comes just a day after Canberra re-signed Marianna Tolo for the upcoming season, with the co-captains' retainment a huge boost for their bid to win a title three-peat.

The prospect of playing in Europe had been weighing in the back of Tolo's mind, but the postponement of the Olympic Games amid the COVID-19 pandemic lured her back to Canberra.

"It's hard to say no when you've just won two championships back-to-back and I haven't played anywhere other than Canberra and the AIS," Tolo said.

"Canberra has a special place in my heart and it's hard to imagine playing anywhere else.

"I did consider going overseas but just with the coronavirus and the Olympics being held next year, this ended up being the best decision I could make.

"The EuroLeague hasn't decided whether to go ahead next year and [the coronavirus outbreak] was kind of all happening when the negotiations start.

"So it was good to step back for a little bit and take time with my decision, as things unfolded I thought this was the best decision for me."

The WNBL announced its plans for the 2020-21 season last week, with the competition to be played in full from November to late March.

It leaves a small window for the Australian Opals to launch their preparations for the Tokyo Games, providing them with valuable game time as elite competitions shutdown across the world.

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"I do think it works in our favour in that it's an opportunity to train together, but at the same time the restrictions haven't completely opened yet," Tolo said.

"It will be a positive once we can travel interstate and train together. I look forward to that because we would have more time together, whereas we wouldn't have this year.

"It's crazy to think that at the end of the month it would have been Olympic Day and the Games would start next month.

"It's weird to think about that now, but it's good it's another year away because it gives us plenty of time to prepare."

Tolo is considering playing in the Waratah League for game time ahead of the WNBL pre-season, but those plans are dependent on it resumes.

Basketball NSW has suspended all competitions until June 29 and are yet to provided a restart date for the Waratah League.

"I'm not sure [if I'll play in the Waratah League], that will depend on whether it gets up and running," Tolo said.

"I spoke to Maddy [Wheatley] about it and she said 'I'll hold you to that now you might need some games.'

"It's an opportunity to play which is invaluable really, so we'll see if that happens."

In the meantime Tolo will look to gradually increase her workload as coronavirus restrictions ease.

"It feels like a bit of a rehab cycle when you're not on court as much and doing different things," Tolo said.

"It's been a bit of an adjustment but it's knowing there's an end to all this now and the WNBL will start on November 20.

"It's really good having a date to work towards and we've got a bit of time to build up to then.

"We can gradually add things, like now we can exercise inside which will be good for the body not having to run on the concrete outside. We can also start adding people to train against and with, so that'll be a bit more fun as well."