Contracts up for grabs as Meteors look to avoid historic losing season

The side will host NSW in a pair of one-day matches at Phillip Oval on Tuesday and Thursday, with the hosts staring down the barrel of their worst campaign since joining the competition in 2009. The Meteors have won at least two games in every season they have played.

The two games provide the last opportunity for ACT to snap the losing streak and for a host of young players to prove they belong at this level moving forward.

Cricket ACT officials knew this year would be a challenge, with one of the most inexperienced squads in the competition.

Meteors coach Erin Osborne hasn't measured success on wins and losses and has not discussed the prospect of a winless season with her side this week.

She knows, however, the Meteors do not exist as a development squad and has a desire to compete with the competition's best, as they did when she was a player.

The coach is far from finalising her squad for next summer and said the next two games are a final opportunity for a number of players to prove they belong in the franchise's long-term plans.

"That's high-performance sport," Osborne said. "Athletes should always be looking to perform. If you don't, you do leave [contracts] up for consideration. Our job [as coaches] is to find good cricketers and skilful cricketers. The job of the players in the squad is to not make me have to look elsewhere.

"We're hoping for some good performances this week. That's the nature of high-performance sport, there's always pressure to perform, there's always someone pressing for that spot."

While the losses have mounted, Osborne said it has not been hard to maintain a positive atmosphere within the squad.

There have been a number of bright spots for the Meteors, with captain Katie Mack taking her batting to the next level and knocking on the door of an Australian call up.

Osborne has also been pleased with the development of her players and points to the recent performances against Victoria as a sign the team is moving in the right direction.

So while she'd be disappointed if the Meteors finish the season without a win, that has not been her primary focus.

"The focus has been the same the whole year," Osborne said. "We're trying to hit our key performance indicators and looking to take the game on, play the cricket we want to play.

"That hasn't changed all season. The results haven't gone our way but there's definitely been improvements, particularly with the bat. Hopefully the bowlers will be able to put in place a few key work-ons this week."

While ACT is eager to secure a breakthrough win, the Breakers are not going to do them any favours.

NSW has endured a disappointing season and currently sits second last on the ladder with three wins from eight matches.

It's why ex-Meteor Erin Burns drove down the Hume Highway on Monday morning determined to lead her new side to a pair of dominant victories.

The all-rounder has overcome a slow start to the season to find form after Christmas and has her sights on another century in Canberra. She knows, however, it won't be a walkover.

"You can't take any games lightly," Burns said. "As we've seen across not only this year but over many years, you can never discount any team in this competition. Each team has match winners on either side and we always know when we're travelling to another state, to another team's home ground, they have extra fire in the belly.

"We had a disappointing start to the season and we're hoping to kick along, finish strongly and take momentum into next season. We can't rest on our laurels, they're going to be two hard-fought games."