The Opals are without two of their biggest stars at the women's basketball world championship in Turkey but another is fit-again and firing.
Veteran Penny Taylor stepped up brilliantly in the absence of the injured Liz Cambage and Lauren Jackson to lead Australia to a 33-point win over Cuba in their opening group game on Saturday.
The newly-annointed Opals skipper had a game-high 20 points, including 18 in the first half, in a comfortable 90-57 win in Istanbul.
Taylor's calming influence was precisely what coach Brendan Joyce had hoped to see after the massive blow of losing Cambage to an Achilles injury a week out from the tournament.
"You have to look at Penny with the way she led this team, coming out right off the bat and saying 'come with me'," Joyce told ABCTV.
"She kept everyone composed and was fantastic.
"Cuba have knocked off good teams so credit to the girls, they really locked down how we wanted to play."
Taylor, 33, has long been considered one of the world's best players and was the tournament MVP when Australia became world champions in 2006.
But she feared she'd never fully recover from four bouts of knee surgery after tearing her ACL prior to the London Olympics.
After two tough years Taylor returned to full fitness this year to help Phoenix to the WNBA title and she has carried her fine form onto the world stage.
"Having missed the last Olympics and after everything I've been through I feel really lucky to be out here and to play with this group of girls," Taylor said after the win.
Taylor scored 11 of Australia's first 14 points as the Opals asserted their authority with 22 unanswered points to run up a 23-6 quarter-time lead.
However Americas champions Cuba responded strongly in the second quarter, with star Yamara Amargo (19 points) finding her range to help cut the deficit to 45-31 at halftime.
Australia regained control after the main break, with veteran guard Belinda Snell lethal from outside the arc to help the Opals to a 30-point lead heading into the final quarter.
The world's second-ranked side was never threatened in the final as Joyce took the opportunity to give his squad players some valuable court time.
Rachel Jarry (13 points), Snell (11) and Cayla Francis (11) all had double-figure contributions while American convert Leilani Mitchell impressed with eight assists."
Australia will next face South Korea on Sunday (2115 AEST) before meeting Belarus on Tuesday, with first place in the three-team group earning automatic progression to the quarter-finals.
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