It's groundhog day in the WNBL as the Canberra Capitals and Townsville Fire prepare to square off for the second time in eight days.
It may be the same opponent but the Capitals are chasing a vastly different result after they were thrashed 93-60 in Townsville last weekend.
Coach Paul Goriss said the odd scheduling "is what it is" and his side must be prepare for another tough clash against the Queenslanders.
"We can whinge and moan about it [scheduling] but you've just got to play who's in front of you at the time and we've just got to be ready on Saturday," Goriss said.
Former Capitals player Suzy Batkovic was unstoppable for Townsville last weekend and Goriss agreed his players must find an answer for the Opals veteran.
"I don't think you're ever going to shut Suzy down completely, we can limit her touches but she's a dual MVP and a great player so all you can really do is limit her production," he said.
"But Townsville have so much depth you've got to be aware of the four other players on the court as well, not just Suzy."
Canberra defeated Townsville 81-77 in round seven in front of a home crowd which Goriss believes will be a key factor on Saturday.
"It's a crucial game for us with the series on the line and it gives us confidence knowing we've beaten them at home before," he said.
"They're the reigning champions and are starting to hit their stride, so they're a dangerous team but we've got a good record at home and all we can do is control our game."
Canberra bounced back from the Townsville drubbing with victory against Sydney to snap four-game losing streak and Goriss admitted his team's fluctuating form is frustrating.
"I've said all along we've got to be consistent throughout the year and I thought up until those last four games we had leading into christmas we were consistent," he said.
"But with a new team finding our feet there was always going to be that patch of inconsistency, we just didn't want it to be over four games."
With eight games remaining in the regular season Goriss agreed his sixth-placed Capitals are now in must win territory.
"Every game is a must win because leading into finals you want to be winning games and playing well," he said.
"It's a great league and the competition is so close you can't afford to be off your game on any one day.
"As we saw we strung together four losses in a row but you can easily string together three or four wins, it just depends where our mindset is at."
WNBL — ROUND 14
Saturday: Canberra v Townsville, Southern Cross Stadium, 3pm.
