Canberra Capitals import Olivia Epoupa poised to collide with WNBL champion Leilani Mitchell

Paul Goriss knows all too well just how dangerous Mitchell can be on the league's biggest stage, having helped guide the Canberra Capitals to a drought-breaking title last season.

But tit for tat. Throw in an Olympian who has experience playing in front of 50,000 screaming fans and you've got yourself a major match-up.

French import Olivia Epoupa will lock horns with a key piece of last season's triumph when Canberra collide with the Southside Flyers in Dandenong on Sunday.

She's gone a long way towards plugging the gap left by Mitchell, averaging a league high 2.9 steals per game and 6.5 assists.

So when Goriss says there's no way to shut down his former point guard Mitchell, he's planned to counteract her impact with his star import.

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"Mitchell is the kind of player who is very dangerous because she'll hit a basket when her team needs it, or she'll find an open player. She has great poise," Goriss said.

"I don't think there's a way [to shut her down], it's just limiting her impact on the game. It's making sure she doesn't get some of those easy shots or leaving her wide to get her going early.

"She's a great player but we've got one of the most unique point guards to have ever played in the WNBL in Olivia Epoupa. She brings something totally different that no other team has with her speed and skill set.

"I don't know how many times this season she has flirted with having a triple-double, that doesn't happen a lot as a point-guard that gets double figure rebounds.

"She brings offence and speed but also the ability to pressure people. Everyone is aware of where she is going to be because she's so good at anticipating stealing the ball, getting deflections, we need her offensively just as much as her defence."

The Flyers will be bolstered by the return of captain Jenna O'Hea from a wrist injury, but it's unknown whether she'll start or be on restricted minutes.

The star forward received the all clear by her surgeon on Monday and has been back training with the Flyers squad this week.

The Capitals have prepared for both scenarios and will most likely stick to their regular starting five of Epoupa, Kia Nurse, Marianna Tolo, Kelsey Griffin and Maddi Rocci.

"It's going to be a game day decision that we'll make on the fly when we find out 10 minutes before the game who their starters are," Goriss said.

"We're preparing like she's going to play and have different scenarios whether Aime Clydesdale or Jenna starts.

"We need to first and foremost worry about ourselves and what we need to do, rather than who's going to start in that spot. Our starting five is going to be the same as it always is barring any injuries.

"Jenna is just experienced in her basketball and she's definitely going to give them a boost for the finals."

The Capitals beat the Flyers by 19 and 24 points during their two regular season clashes at Dandenong Stadium, while Southside claimed the spoils in a tense six-point win when they came to Canberra.

Goriss says the two big road wins over the top-seeded Flyers is a massive confidence boost going into a grand final series, but is under no illusions about the difficult task ahead.

"Knowing we can win on the road and at this stadium is a huge confidence boost because we've done it before," Goriss said.

"We do feel good about ourselves coming into this stadium and playing this team on their home court.

"But it's not going to be the perfect recipe where we can just walk in and expect to win, they finished on top of the competition for a reason. They're super talented and can score."

WNBL GRAND FINAL FIXTURE

Sunday March 1: Game one - Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Dandenong Stadium, 5pm.

Wednesday, March 4: Game two - Canberra Capitals v Southside Flyers at AIS Arena, 7.30pm.

Sunday, March 8: Game three - Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Dandenong Stadium, 1pm.