Nothing beats hard work.
That's the message Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson is drilling into his players as the club attempts to snap a two-game NBL losing streak in Friday night's clash with Townsville at Perth Arena.
The Wildcats appeared destined to lock up the minor premiership after making a 12-1 start to the season.
But losses to Cairns and Wollongong over the past 10 days has whittled their lead at the top of the table to just one game, with Adelaide (11-4) and Melbourne (10-6) looming as their biggest threats.
The Wildcats boast arguably the most talented lists in the competition, with NBA recruit James Ennis and fellow import Jermaine Beal leading the way.
But Gleeson conceded his team were vulnerable if they didn't put in the hard yards.
"What we talked about is hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard," Gleeson said on Thursday.
"We weren't working hard enough to win the last two games.
"If you don't play at your best in this league, you're going to get beaten.
"We didn't stick to our structure, and defensively we were bad.
"We have to get back to our No.1 (philosophy of) playing hard out there and playing team basketball.
"The last couple of days of practise we've got back to doing that.
"But when the bright lights come out on Friday night, that's when we'll get a real indication."
Wildcats centre Matt Knight is ready to return from a bout of concussion, while guard Damian Martin is also set to play against Townsville despite sitting out of training earlier this week.
Townsville sit dead last with just four wins from 13 games.
But they're still within striking distance of fourth-placed Cairns (6-9).
Townsville coach Shawn Dennis will have some vital inside knowledge about the Wildcats after working as an assistant there under Rob Beveridge before winning the Crocodiles' top job last year.
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