![Jade Melbourne is desperate to replicate a shock win over Bendigo this week. Picture by Elesa Kurtz Jade Melbourne is desperate to replicate a shock win over Bendigo this week. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/618de3cb-8449-4f56-ba63-596b77c35f7c.jpg/r0_420_4111_2731_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Canberra Capitals are prepared to call on development players to guard two of the WNBL's greatest of all time as a crippling injury toll leaves Kristen Veal with just eight fit players.
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The Capitals coach is squeezing every drop she can out of a severely depleted playing roster as Britt Smart races the clock for Thursday night's clash with the Bendigo Spirit.
Now Veal could call upon development pair Chloe Tugliach and Abby Solway to help shut down two league legends this week.
Kelsey Griffin awaits in Bendigo, before the Capitals face Lauren Jackson and the Southside Flyers at the National Convention Centre on Saturday.
Alex Bunton [hip flexor], Alison Schwagmeyer-Belger [knee], Emilee Whittle-Harmon [knee] and Lizzy Tonks [calf] are all sidelined as the Capitals fight their way through a season from hell.
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That's just this week.
Already this season the Capitals have lost one of the game's brightest young talents in Gemma Potter [knee], Tahlia Tupaea [leave], and Dekeiya Cohen, the American import who decided a tough start to the season wasn't what she'd signed up for.
"It's been crazy, some people are taking on much bigger roles than they anticipated when they first walked into the Caps," Canberra star Jade Melbourne said.
And she's one of them. With her co-captains Smart and Bunton sidelined, Melbourne has been made to shoulder the leadership role at 20 years old.
"On Wednesday night I had to take that into my own hands because the two of them were out," Melbourne said. "They actually came up to me and were like 'Are you captain tonight?'"
![Capitals star Alex Bunton is sidelined with an injury. Picture by Keegan Carroll Capitals star Alex Bunton is sidelined with an injury. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/fbe4225c-9cdc-418d-b204-3df9b8e155aa.jpg/r0_0_3701_2089_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
After a brief pause, she smiled and took it on.
"Pretty crazy", sure, but that's just the way things have gone for the Capitals this summer.
It's why Solway - who had seen just 51 seconds of court time all season - was called upon against Melbourne last week.
Why Tugliach almost tripled the minutes she had played all season in the space of four days.
Why Shaneice Swain has been asked to step up and in doing so, forced herself into an Opals squad alongside Melbourne with an eye on next year's Olympic Games in Paris, and why Rebecca Pizzey has become a focal point of a team chasing its second win of the campaign.
![Chloe Tugliach is relishing the chance to play bigger minutes. Picture by Keegan Carroll Chloe Tugliach is relishing the chance to play bigger minutes. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/14d6494b-b6ef-4a5c-9c29-dc2d5323bff0.jpg/r0_422_5273_3398_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We all call her 'Pizdog' now, 'big dog Pizdog'," Melbourne said.
"She's been awesome. She's just a giver, anything the team requires, she's going to get done. I have no doubt in the next two games, she's going to bring her A-game again.
"Chloe probably didn't expect to be playing 15 to 20 minutes a game and playing a major role.
"Swainy has always been a natural scorer. When the opportunity arrives, she can just take on anyone. She doesn't care who is guarding her."
The challenge for the Capitals is maintaining that ruthless edge for four quarters.
![Jade Melbourne will lead Canberra against Bendigo. Picture by Keegan Carroll Jade Melbourne will lead Canberra against Bendigo. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/e48eddf2-020b-490c-b7e1-72acfdbef831.jpg/r0_263_5142_3165_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
So often they've been in the fight for three, only to let games slip away.
The difference came in a drought-breaking win over Bendigo, which Melbourne is desperate to replicate.
"We've just got to continue to fight through fatigue. Being young, mentally sometimes we can switch off and think it gets too hard, but we know our bodies are capable of getting it done," Melbourne said.
"Just fighting through fatigue, continuing to focus and buy into our game plan, that's what it's going to take this week against Bendigo.
"It just gives us so much confidence now that we've got that first win. We've beaten a team in that top four. I think it just gives us so much confidence. There was belief in the group, but now there's heaps of belief that we can do it, night in, night out.
"Going into the Bendigo game with the same team, we know we can get the job done. I'm sure KG will be back this week, it'll be a tough match-up but we're looking forward to it. We know we can get the job done again."
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