That is the challenge for the Southern Steel with a tight turn-around this week, featuring in the first double-header of the ANZ Premiership season.
The Steel takes on the Central Pulse in Wellington tonight, before heading north to play the Northern Stars — also facing a double-header — in Auckland on Monday.
It is a good opportunity for the team to shake off its disappointing 64-38 loss to the Northern Mystics in last week’s opening game, and there is the added incentive of captain Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit returning for her 200th domestic game, after missing last week with a calf niggle.
Coach Reinga Bloxham said her side acknowledged it was not at its best against a strong Mystics team, but had plenty more in the "tank" for the season.
Players had the "engines" for back-to-back games, but it could be a struggle mentally playing in Wellington, travelling to Auckland and then getting back on the court.
"Also coming off the back of a loss can also just knock the confidence that you have within the team," Bloxham said.
"I felt that we were tracking really well in that space after losing George Fisher.
"We were building some nice connections and our confidence was building, but when you lose like that it kind of just shakes you to the core.
"It’s about making sure that we’ve given ourselves time to take out learnings, but also the expectation for me is still the same that the girls that I have here should be able to do the job, so it’s about them now stepping up and taking some ownership around their own personal performance to help us as a team."
The Pulse is the defending champion and while it may have beaten the Waikato Bay of Plenty by one goal last week, it was hardly a comprehensive win.
The Pulse led by nine goals in the third quarter, yet failed to capitalise through the middle, and the Magic clawed its way back into the game.
Fa’amu Ioane, who has joined the Pulse from the Mystics, was smothering at wing defence and the Wellington side struggled when she took a seat on the bench during the third spell.
Tiana Metuarau — well-known to Steel players from her stint in the South in 2021 — is known for her craft, Whitney Souness and Maddy Gordon have speed to burn in the middle, and Amelia Walmsley was strong in one of her first starts at goal shoot.
"I think it’ll be a great challenge for us.
"It’s about making sure we try and disrupt those connections really early on, so we can get on top of that."
The Stars, on the other hand, are coming off a six-goal loss to the Tactix last week.
It has been a back-and-forth battle between the Steel and the Stars in recent years, and Bloxham expected Monday’s night game would be no different.
The two were well matched and the Stars had plenty of experienced players, spearheaded by Maia Wilson and Gina Crampton in attack.
"They’ve got some real ball-winners in their team.
"If you allow them to get a sniff then they’ll come in and they’ll get really excited about things.
"For us, it’s more about the things that we’ve been concentrating on for this week ... making sure that we do our own job first and that we really connect in with our units, and each other, and then let the rest take care of itself."
ANZ Premiership
TSB Arena, 7.15pm today
Southern Steel: Eseta Autagavaia, Georgia Heffernan, Jess Allan, Sam Winders, Ivari Christie, Kate Heffernan, Renee Savai’inaea, Kate Burley, Courtney Elliott, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit
Central Pulse: Joyce M’Vula, Tiana Metuarau, Amelia Walmsley, Maddy Gordon, Whitney Souness, Fa’amu Ioane, Ainsleyana Puleiata, Kristiana Manu’a, Kelly Jury, Parris Mason
