Canberra Capitals lock in star Jade Melbourne on new WNBL contract

The Capitals are set to reveal Melbourne's new two-year deal on Friday morning, in a massive boost ahead of their final game of the WNBL season against Perth at the National Convention Centre on Saturday.

Melbourne looms as the key piece coach Kristen Veal can build a team around as she shifts her focus from a rebuild to finding a team capable of delivering Canberra's 10^th title as soon as next season, with Alex Bunton and Tahlia Tupaea already on the books.

The 20-year-old's emergence as a bona fide star has been the highlight of an otherwise tough campaign during which the Capitals have won just two games.

Now she will return to Canberra after her rookie season in the WNBA, with Melbourne bound for the Seattle Storm after signing with the club that retired Lauren Jackson's No. 15 jersey.

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"Canberra has become home for me and there's nowhere else I'd rather be next season than in a Caps uniform," Melbourne said.

Saturday's clash could mark Rae Burrell's final game for the Capitals, with the American import set to return home ahead of a WNBA campaign with the Los Angeles Sparks.

"I came out here off the back of an injury, so I wanted to get my knee back to where I was and have confidence back in my knee. I feel like I successfully did that while I was out here," Burrell said.

"I can't believe it's already the last game, it seems like I just got here yesterday. I've had a great season. I've met great people, great teammates, I've got some people I call family now."

Capitals fans are being encouraged to wear purple to the club's final game of the season to mark Canberra's domestic violence awareness round.

Alex Bunton, a domestic violence survivor, is the driving force behind Canberra's player initiative round and has vowed to overcome niggling injuries which have kept her sidelined in recent months.

"I'm playing, that's my goal. I get the all clear hopefully [on Friday] morning. I've been training this week, it's been really nice to have Vealy respect my body. It's about the bigger picture in my career, but I'm tracking well," Bunton said.

"We're people still, we're humans but we're still basketballers and we want to be fit and ready. We want to be at our top tier performance.

"I keep saying this week is a personal thing as well, but to have the Caps family and the team involved, that's going to spread the awareness and that's what we need. It's something I'm going to remember forever."

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