Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan believes his side can use experience to their advantage as they prepare to face finals debutants Melbourne Mavericks in an elimination clash.
Fever will look to advance in their seventh straight finals campaign in a do-or-die semifinal on Sunday afternoon in front of a home crowd at RAC Arena.
The winner will face Adelaide Thunderbirds or Melbourne Vixens the following weekend, with the top two sides also facing off on Sunday.
The league’s newest franchise Mavericks will be looking to upset the hardened Fever, who fell agonisingly short of winning last year’s grand final and possess plenty of big-game experience.
“Finals experience is really important, but it’s now what we do with that experience that’s most critical,” Ryan said.
“When the pressure mounts in the game, we need to stay locked in together and composed, and all of those little things that can either sway you one way or another.
“We need to make sure we are banking on our experience and wisdom to know how to handle those situations, but Mavericks will be confident, and so they should be.
“They’ve had a wonderful season, but we certainly want to make sure that we’re playing the game on our terms.”
While the Fever has the home court advantage, the side has lost four home games this season, including a heartbreaking three-point defeat to Mavericks just a few weeks ago.
With key lessons learned from the round 12 encounter, Ryan is prepared for a physical battle.
“They are a very physical team in how they like to play, and it’s got them this far in the season, so I’m sure that will be very much a part of what they want to bring to the courts. Our ability to counteract that will be most important,” he said.
“They’ve just got weapons all over the court, so I think when you get to a final series, it becomes really about fight and hunger and executing in key moments.
“We just want to make sure that we’re focused on us, and we’re doing that better than our opposition.”
After a nine-point win over the Vixens last Sunday to secure the home final, Ryan is looking to keep building momentum and is confident his side can get the job done.
“It was a great performance against the Vixens. We now need to make sure that we can produce that quality in a do-or-die final.” he said.
“I know that if we can do that, we’re as good as next team in the competition, and that will be what we’re striving for. We believe we’re good enough, and that’s what we need to run really hard towards”
