EXPECT NOTHING BUT BEST

HEAT ALL BUSINESS DESPITE REACHING THE FINALS

THE Brisbane Heat may have booked their spot in the WBBL finals with a win over the Melbourne Stars on Thursday, but skipper Kirby Short knows there’s still plenty to play for in their final match of the season at Cazalys tonight.

Short, who touched down in the Far North with her teammates yesterday, said tonight’s game against the table-topping Sydney Thunder, the Heat’s last regular game for the season, would be “business as usual”.

She said there was a good chance the two teams would meet again in a semi-final, with standings still yet to work themselves out and only three WBBL regular season fixtures remaining after today.

“Now, it’s just a matter of what the placings will be through one to four,” Short said.

“The two Sydney teams will most likely finish up the top, so it’s a good chance for us to have a bit of a hitout against them.

“Our challenge will be, no matter what happens tonight, that if we meet them in the semi, we learn from it.”

The trip to Cairns is the final leg of what has been a gruelling touring schedule for the Heat in recent weeks.

They were in Perth on Boxing Day, Launceston for New Year’s, Mackay last weekend and then Brisbane for Thursday’s match at the Gabba before arriving in Cairns yesterday.

“It’s not to be underestimat- ed, the amount of flights we’ve done and how much travel there’s been, but we knew it up front,” she said.

“It’s just one of those things where you just prepare the best you can.”

After playing in Mackay last weekend, Short said the team was excited to be bringing the game to yet another sports-hungry part of Queensland.

“Typically, towns or cities outside of Brisbane tend to really get around these local sporting events,” she said.

“Having more than 5000 people in Mackay really close to the field gave it an incredible atmosphere.”

Short expected the Cazalys wicket to play similarly to Mackay’s Harrup Park.

“(Regional grounds) tend to be a little bit thatchy, a little bit slower and they can do a bit off the seam but also hold a little bit as well, so sometimes pace on isn’t always the best bet.”