Unfancied Heat happy to quell the critics

Brisbane Heat captain Jess Jonassen insists her team is more than happy to carry an underdog tag this Rebel WBBL season.

The Heat are gunning for a third-consecutive title, but many pundits have tipped the reigning champions to find it tough going in WBBL|06 following the departures of key players Beth Mooney and Sammy-Jo Johnson and the retirement of former captain Kirby Short.

Channel 7 commentators Lisa Sthalekar and Trent Copeland predicted the two-time winners would miss the top four altogether.

But Brisbane showed early signs the doubters may be wrong on Sunday at North Sydney Oval when they cruised to a seven-wicket victory over the highly-rated Perth Scorchers, who poached Mooney and signed star allrounder Sophie Devine in their bid for an inaugural title this season.

"It was vital," Jonassen told The Scoop podcast of that first-up win. "The fact we came up against an ex-teammate in Beth Mooney as well, and all the media attention in and around the Scorchers' signings in the off-season.

"And the fact that a lot of people had written the Heat off ... which is actually really good from our point of view; we have that bit of an underdog tag even though we won last year."

It is early days in the tournament but the batting effort, which saw Grace Harris and recruit Georgia Redmayne lead the successful chase, left the new Brisbane captain impressed.

Likewise their efforts with the ball and in the field, which saw Amelia Kerr pick up the key wicket of Devine for 26 before a brilliant direct hit from Georgia Prestwidge ran Mooney out on 37.

"That's something we pride ourselves on – we don't rely on one or two big-name players, we back our whole team and our whole squad," Jonassen continued.

"For us to come away with that win … that was really good from our point of view and a really good confidence booster."

Jonassen is still adjusting to her new role of captain, with the Australia rep juggling increased responsibilities with her own all-round workload – all while trying to strike a balance with some important time away from the game within the confines of the WBBL bubble.

Coming into the unknown quantity of life in a hub, with all eight teams housed across two adjoining hotels in Sydney Olympic Park, has presented a challenge for the new skipper.

"With taking on the captaincy role this year, there's a lot of extra time I have to dedicate to cricket and planning," Jonassen said.

"It's taken me a bit of time over the last few days to figure out how much time to dedicate to that, and when to switch off."

Fortunately for Jonassen, she has a ready-made distraction from on-field matters in her guitar, and a couple of fellow musicians in Kiwi Kerr and assistant coach Scott Prestwidge.

"We keep the door a bit ajar so some of the girls walk past and hear us and pop their heads in and have a sing along," she added.

"That's helping me be switched off … I'm still in and around and involved with everyone, but I'm switched off at the same time."