Watch her play and you'd swear there is no off switch. You get the sense the Canberra Capitals' American import would run through a brick wall if coach Kristen Veal asked her to. So where does the aggressive streak come from?

"I'm from Philly," the Capitals import said.

"In America, people always talk about people from Philly being tough and gritty. That's how I try to mould my game. That's just how I grew up, watching all the Philly athletes do that. You have to be tough, you have to be strong, you always have to work your hardest. That's how I try to play."

So it makes sense that "compete" is something of a buzzword when Munger picks apart her game.

MORE SPORT

Munger wasn't even supposed to be on court for the Capitals this season. She knocked back a deal in Europe to join Canberra after Veal came armed with a training contract and trust.

Within days, Dekeiya Cohen walked out and Veal's vision had suddenly turned into a reality.

Munger averages more minutes than any other Capitals player. She is ranked fourth for Canberra in points per game, second for assists, and third for both rebounds and steals.

Veal knew she had a good one when Munger and Jade Melbourne kept knocking on her door every day asking for a workout.

"We get really competitive, we compete with each other. That's been so much fun. The whole summer has just been unreal," Munger said.

"I know the wins aren't coming, but getting to come in every day and compete, get better and really work towards a goal, and to keep competing against the best players in the world has been something so exciting, so fun.

"We do only have a couple of games left and it's really coming quick, the end of the season, but we're really trying to enjoy it and get better. Hopefully the wins will follow."

Shaneice Swain will miss Friday night's game against Townsville after suffering a minor meniscus tear against Southside last week, but Veal expects her to be back for Canberra's final three games of the season.

The loss of the Opals extended squad member has been offset by the return of Britt Smart and Lizzy Tonks as the Capitals continue to fight a torrid injury toll.

Swain joins Alex Bunton and Alison Schwagmeyer-Belger on the injury list, with the trio all targeting a return during a run of home games to close out the competition.

The Capitals have won just once this season - never have they recorded less than two wins across an entire campaign - but Veal can still find a silver lining.

"Chloe [Tugliach] is going to continue to get minutes with Bunts being out, she has been really solid and had a breakout game against Bendigo in the second game. With Abby [Solway] getting some solid minutes, you can see them growing in confidence," Veal said.

"They can both play. When you think about the upside to this season, they're not getting junk minutes, they're getting legitimate chunks of minutes to get their feet wet and improve.

"We talk about reinforcements, we're going to have a squad of almost 12 back for the last three games. The hard thing is going to be, how do we play 12 players compared to playing eight and nine?"

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.