Team Bath head coach Jess Thirlby insists tonight's Netball Superleague match at Hertfordshire Mavericks is far from a dead rubber, despite both teams having already qualified for phase two.
A hard-fought 54-51 victory at Yorkshire Jets last Friday guaranteed a top-three finish for Team Bath and a place in the Showdown League.
Mavericks are currently third, a place below Team Bath going into the final game of phase one, and Thirlby said there is still plenty riding on the result.
"Bath v Mavericks has never let anyone down," she said. "It's a really important game for us and our preparation for phase two."
Defender Samantha Cook made a welcome return from injury in the win over Jets, who were leading 33-28 early in the third quarter before Team Bath finally found their range.
Cook will jet off to Australia with team-mates Rosie Allison and Yasmin Parsons after the Mavericks match as part of the England under-21s squad.
Meanwhile, Pamela Cookey, Kadeen Corbin, Serena Guthrie, Stacey Francis and Mia Ritchie will travel to Jamaica with the senior England team.
"After the Mavericks game, eight of our players will be away on tour with England so we won't have them together to train as a team," said Thirlby.
"That said, they will be away playing top-quality competitive netball, so we'd expect them to come back prepared, match-fit and ready to go for the second phase of the Superleague."
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