Perth Lynx veteran Alex Ciabattoni has declared she wants the pressure of having to take the shot to win a WNBL grand final, revealing previous disappointments have mentally prepared her to be ready for the big occasion.

The Lynx will play game two of the WNBL grand final series at a sold out Perth High Performance Centre on Sunday knowing they must beat Townsville after losing the first game on Thursday.

Perth’s last two home grand finals have ended in extraordinary heartbreak. Import Marina Mabrey missed the free throw on the buzzer in 2022 which would have sent the game to overtime, and the Lynx lost that game by one point.

Then in 2024, Anneli Maley missed two free throws and a lay-up inside the final minute when scores were level and Southside hit the match winner on the buzzer.

Ciabattoni watched the finish of the 2022 grand final from the bench and was on the court during the 2024 drama. She said if the Lynx are in the same position again on Sunday, she wants the ball.

“I’d rather be on the court and in that position and have to play through that than be watching it in someone else’s hands,” Ciabattoni said.

“I’ve been put in that situation a few times in the last two seasons. I know it’s not grand final pressure, but I have had the ball in my hands at times when games are coming down to the last shot.

“As much as it’s stressful, I think I’ve been in that situation enough to hopefully be able to play through it. If I’m in the moment, it’s not that stressful. When I’m watching, the anxiety and stress is a lot more real.”

Ciabattoni was also part of the Lynx team that won the minor premiership in 2018 and suffered the heartache of not playing in the grand final after they were given a nightmare travel schedule to finish the season.

The star guard said those disappointments drove her to return to the game after becoming a mum and remain her biggest motivation.

“There’s unfinished business for me,” she said.

“Grand finals are really hard to get to and they’re even harder to win. Those past experiences are important. They make me not take it for granted.

“Some people are a Development Player who happen to be on the team that wins the grand final and they become a championship player straight away. I haven’t been able to get that yet.”