Practice makes perfect: Canberra Capitals eye Melbourne Boomers WNBL clash

That's the nature of the condensed WNBL season which has all eight clubs slated to jam 13 games into a month-long schedule - but the Canberra Capitals are getting by just fine.

The Capitals boast a league-best 7-1 record leading into their clash with the Melbourne Boomers at Townsville Stadium on Tuesday night.

An overtime loss followed by seven consecutive wins suggests the start couldn't have been much better as the reigning champions pass the midway point of the season in search of a three-peat.

Now the club's veteran leaders in Marianna Tolo and Kelsey Griffin are setting the standard for a side Goriss believes is still finding its groove with ball in hand.

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"The good thing is our leadership, those ones come to work and they're our hardest workers every day," Goriss said.

"For us, it's no excuses. It is what it is. We'll have our good days and our bad days, but we move on and continue to get better.

"[Practice] is the thing that falls away. During a normal season there's things you need to improve or tweak, and you just don't have the time. You can't run the players into the ground.

"We need to practice because we haven't had a pre-season together either, I still think we're finding our chemistry offensively, more so than defensively.

"The more time we can spend on the floor together outside of games is going to make us better. We've got the group that wants to get better and do those things."

A win on Tuesday would keep Canberra one game clear of the Southside Flyers at the top of the standings, with a top-two teams to earn a second chance in the finals series.

The fifth-placed Boomers have everything to play for as they find themselves caught in a cluster of teams fighting for a playoff berth.

The Townsville Fire sit one rung above Melbourne on the ladder, but the competition's only team to enjoy home court advantage this season has already played nine games to the Boomers' six.

"It's so jam-packed. It's easy to fall from where we are at the top, straight back into a pack of at least three, four or five teams. We're not always going to be perfect," Goriss said.

"People expect us, because we're the reigning champions, to be perfect every game. We're not going to be. We need to make sure we do the right thing with our scouting, game plan, recovery and sleep, and prepare as best as we can.

"Lose one or two games and you fall back with that pack very quickly, and you're jostling for positions in the semi-finals."

WNBL ROUND FOUR

Tuesday: Canberra Capitals v Melbourne Boomers at Townsville Stadium, 5pm AEDT.