Canberra Capitals guard Maddison Rocci will play through the pain of an injured hand in search of back-to-back WNBL championships.
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The 21-year-old was in tears and feared she had broken her left hand during game one of the grand final series in a blow which would have ended her season.
But scans have cleared Rocci to suit up against the Southside Flyers at the AIS Arena on Wednesday night as she nurses bone bruising and ligament damage.
"I was in tears. I was like 'oh my god, it can't be broken, I'm not going to be able to play in the championship game'," Rocci said.
"I was in a bit of shock, but when they told me the news I was really relieved to be out there and helping this team get that championship.
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"It's all good, I had scans and everything was clear. There was no break, which they thought there was, but it's just some bone bruising and ligament [damage] but I'll be fine.
"I'm super excited."
Rocci was so desperate to play in game two of the grand final series she called Canberra coach Paul Goriss before she went for scans with one simple message.
"I'm just telling you before the scan, I'm playing regardless of what they say," Rocci said.
Now she has a chance to help the Capitals clinch a second consecutive title - and build on their league record of eight - after taking a one-game lead in Dandenong last weekend.
Rocci is one win away from her second WNBL ring - a remarkable feat in her third season in the league.
But such an impressive resume so early in her career is somewhat fitting, given Goriss looks at Rocci and sees a tenacious defender oozing class beyond her years.
"She's tough. The thing we never underestimate with our group is how tough some of the characters are," Goriss said.
"We've had so much stuff we've had to deal with during the season with injuries, people being out, but we have a tough and resilient group.
"That's what we hang our hat on, anything that anyone throws at us, we've got belief we can close it out and win games because of the people we have."
WNBL GRAND FINAL SERIES
Game one: Canberra Capitals 82 bt Southside Flyers 80 at Dandenong Stadium.
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.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
