Carrie Graf admits the Canberra Capitals will play their first pre-season trial ''under-manned',' but the supercoach has urged her fringe players to step up and show they're ready for an increased WNBL work load.
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The Capitals will begin their official preparations when they fly to Melbourne to play three games in three days from Friday.
They won't have superstar Lauren Jackson, Michelle Cosier, rising star Casey Samuels and Alex Bunton as they take on last season's grand finalists - Bulleen and Dandenong - in their first two matches.
However, Graf said the quartet's absence provided a perfect opportunity to test the squad's depth.
''When everyone is fit and ready to go, I think we're going to be physically bigger [than last season] and we'll have more depth and more talent,'' Graf said.
''We're conscious not to overdo it [this early in the season] so that we're fully fit for game one of the season [next month].''
Former Capital Katie Rose is training with the team to add depth while Jackson is still in the WNBA with Seattle, Samuels is with the Australian under-19s team and Bunton is recovering from a knee injury.
Guard Alice Coddington has also just joined the team after returning from the United States.
The Capitals have a brutal start to the championship. They will open their season against the Sydney University Flames before travelling to Queensland for a double-header against Townsville and Logan.
