Warrnambool, currently 10th and without a win in the Big V's premier division, hosts Whittlsea Pacers, 8^th, at Arc Stadium on Saturday.

Pacers import Rachel Bell ran riot last time the two sides met in round four, finishing with 45 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in Whittlesea's 73-58 victory.

But Warrnambool played without its captain, Amy Wormald, that day.

And as Wormald will run out for the Mermaids after representing the Hampden netball league against Ballarat on Saturday, Brown said her side had a clean slate.

"Obviously Amy makes a pretty big difference to our side," the Mermaids coach said.

"We're feeling excited and confident.

"But we need to execute at both ends of the floor.

"They're like us in having a spread of youth and experience, so I think it will be a fairly even contest."

Offence has been the Mermaids' Achilles' heel in 2019, with last week's score of 68 points against the Southern Peninsula Sharks its highest of the season.

And this, Brown says, makes defence doubly important, with the goal being to limit Whittlesea to in between 12 and 15 points per quarter.

"We've been able to do it in patches, but not consistently for four quarters," she said.

"If we can pull it off, getting the win this week would just be really rewarding for the girls who've put in so much time and effort over the season."

Warrnambool may be without Jae Leddin for the clash after she suffered a minor calf injury at training on Thursday.

But Brown said talented youngster Juina Lual could start in her absence.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have a golden opportunity to rise up the men's division one ladder with a double-header against two lower-ranked sides.

The Tim Gainey-coached outfit, currently eighth on the ladder with a 5-5 record, host the Collingwood All Stars, 10^th, and the Melbourne University Black Angels, 11^th, at Arc Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

Two wins could launch the Seahawks as high as fourth on the table, depending on other results.

But they will be without Josh Dean, who went down with a hamstring injury in Warrnambool's thrilling one-point win over the Keysborough Cougars last week.

Gainey said banking two wins from the weekend would be a major confidence booster for the team.

"It's a tough competition," he said.

"You've got to be on your game every time. And we've got to be more mentally prepared this week after a few lapses have given the opposition chances to pinch wins against us.

"The goal for us to play finals so I'm trying to get our guys to play more consistent basketball."

Warrnambool was thumped 101-68 by Collingwood All Stars the last time the two sides met in round four.

But the Seahawks didn't have American import Xavier Johnson-Blount, who has been a force since returning to club in early May, with an average of 26 points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists per game.

Gainey side Johnson-Blount would go toe-to-toe with Collingwood's import Manuel Hendrix, who finished with 27 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals against Warrnambool last time.

"They're similar types of players, so we'll just let 'X' (Johnson-Blount) have the first crack at defending Manny," he said.

Gainey said Ashaan Cunningham (knee) and Alex Gynes (illness) would play despite not being 100 per cent fit.

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