Canberra Capitals centre Tracey Beatty took time out to help the capital's needy yesterday, but she won't be so obliging against the Australian Institute of Sport at Tuggeranong on Sunday.
Beatty joined injured forward Abby Bishop and Red Cross volunteers to serve healthy meals to people in need at the Griffin Centre in Civic as part of Anti-Poverty Week events.
The experience was a welcome distraction from the pair's injury woes and the Capitals' stuttering early season form.
Beatty (foot) is on limited game time, while Bishop (shoulder) isn't due back from injury until December.
The weight of injury and expectation has taken a heavy toll on the WNBL defending champions, the team sinking to a win-loss record of 1-2.
A heartbreaking 79-78 loss to the Townsville Fire at the weekend was particularly hard to swallow.
Capitals coach Carrie Graf said yesterday a win against the Australian Institute of Sport would be an important confidence boost ahead of back-to-back home games against Sydney Flames and Adelaide Lightning the following weekend.
''It's probably good timing to play the AIS for us ... to have an opponent that isn't going to push us too much,'' Graf said.
''If we can guarantee this win against the AIS it should be a good place for us, building into a huge weekend against Sydney and Adelaide. We'd much rather be 4-0 or 3-1 but 2-2 won't be a disaster.
''This is about us regrouping, getting healthy, getting fresh, and going into Sunday to find our form ready for a big weekend following that.''
The Capitals will be boosted by the return of forward Carly Wilson for the local derby.
The 27-year-old confirmed yesterday she would face the AIS after being sidelined midway through the Townsville match with a back injury.
''It was certainly very hard to sit there and watch but the girls give it their all and we'll definitely learn from that and won't let it happen again,'' Wilson said. ''My back's feeling much better, it's still not 100per cent but I'm really happy with the way it's going.''
While the AIS is yet to taste victory this season, Wilson, who played 48 games for the institute between 1999 and 2002, wasn't expecting an easy match.
''It's hard against the AIS, they've had a few big losses so far but you can never take them lightly.
'' ... They'd know we've lost a couple of games early and that we're carrying injuries so they're probably thinking it's is a good chance for them to take us, but we've got other ideas about that.''
Meanwhile, the WNBL and NBL will remain in their summer timeslots after a Basketball Australia review found that was the best way to make them financially sustainable.
BA chief executive Larry Sengstock said the September to March timing enabled a more lucrative television rights deal than competing with football codes in winter.
He said that while the NBL was at its most popular during the 1980s and 1990s in a midyear slot, the sporting market had become much more competitive.
SUNDAY
Canberra Capitals v Australian Institute of Sport at Southern Cross Stadium, Tuggeranong. Game starts at 5pm.