The ACT Meteors are ready to rise against a star-studded Victorian side on neutral ground, with captain Angela Reakes backing their middle order to build from last match's shortfall.
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After a fortnight's break between WNCL hitouts, Jono Dean's outfit will test Victoria's depth at Blacktown International Sportspark on Sunday.
Undefeated Victoria boasts a strong contingent of nine international players including Australian skipper Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, and Molly Strano.
It's a daunting task on paper, but batter Katie Mack said the fourth-placed Meteors can be competitive if they play their best one-day cricket.
"Victoria is looking really good. They have the players there but cricket is a funny game, so you never know what's going to happen," Mack said.
Victoria beat the NSW Breakers twice by eight wickets to start their season, while the Meteors enter the match with two losses and a win to their name.
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Mack, 27, scored an unbeaten century in their seven-wicket loss to the South Australian Scorpions earlier this month, with the Meteors left to rue a middle order collapse.
Reakes said the team has grown from the narrow defeat and they're "not that far off" from their rivals, with the Victorian challenge looming as an opportunity to lift in the middle order.
"It's always a shame when one of your teammates scored 100, especially a 100 like she did in awesome style, but you don't really have any anchors with her throughout the innings," Reakes said.
"It was a little bit disappointing for us but I think after that hurt for the last week, everyone is super pumped to try and go along with her and build some partnerships throughout the middle.
"I think it's really just one or two moments in the game [we lose], but I'm backing our middle order to score some runs this weekend which can really turnaround our momentum.
"We're super excited to take on a quality team like Victoria this weekend. I think they've got a really good lineup, so there's no other opportunity where you really rise to the challenge of playing a team like that."
The Scorpions clash doubled as the Meteors' Lifeline Community Round, with the WNCL team raising $10,728 to support the mental health services they provide in Canberra.
The initiative was led by Reakes, a Lifeline ambassador, and saw the Meteors smash their initial target of $2700 with help from Cricket ACT and Abode Hotels.
"For the Meteors to raise over $10,000 on one event truly humbles everyone's hearts at Lifeline Canberra," Mel Breen, Lifeline Canberra spokesperson and former Australian sprinter, said.
"It's been a difficult year for so many across Australia and these funds go directly to supporting our local crisis support centre in Canberra.
"It costs $26 dollar to fund a life-changing call. It costs about $10,000 to full train a volunteer to answer those calls. Essentially, these girls have put one volunteer through the years and years of training required to get on the calls. It's truly a remarkable effort."