Super Netball's newest club has the good oil.
While nailing key matchups and shooting efficiency were crucial in the Melbourne Mavericks' first-ever victory at the weekend a midweek trip to regional Victoria to tour an olive grove proved an unlikely catalyst.
The Mavs took a day trip to principal sponsor Cobram Estate's Boundary Bend property, near the junction of the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River, last Wednesday which captain Amy Parmenter says was a circuit breaker for the team that has been riddled with injuries in the lead-up to its inaugural season and lost its opening three games.
"Initially everyone wasn't sure about getting on a small plane and doing it on our off day but to get out of the city, away from the court and really feel the support was nice and it just brought us together," Parmenter told ESPN.
"We did the full tour of how olive oil is made, we had lunch and the chefs made all the food from olive oil including dessert - who knew ice cream with olive oil and a bit of salt is amazing? They made a birthday cake for Olivia Lewis.
"It's not just another brand on our dress, there's a genuine connection there and Cobram got on board so early in the piece we didn't have a single player signed and now they're so passionate. They all messaged us after the win on Saturday night.
"It was just a really refreshing day and the connector was netball."
The Mavericks want to be disrupters with their new way of doing things but have experienced more than their share of disruptions, with season-ending injuries to Sasha Glasgow and Lauren Moore, and it was no different last week with some players affected by Covid before star shooter Eleanor Cardwell sidelined with an ankle complaint late in the game against the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
They overcame yet another hurdle and a deficit to prevail, 65-64, in a thriller.
"The resilience we've seen from the group has really put everything into perspective," Parmenter explains.
"The start that we've had has been so tough - the injuries, the CBA agreement which delayed everything by months, so many things have made this group tight-knit and so this win means so much.
"We've had so many disruptions to what's already a hard thing setting up a club from scratch so to be able to get that first win, move past it now and keep looking to win games like every team in the competition, we'll really welcome that.
"I think everyone wants to see us do well and part of that is because we are trying to do things differently and push netball in a new and different direction. I think it's exactly what the sport needs, a privately-owned franchise that's showing the league 'we can get sponsors, we can think outside the box, we can bring in new audiences' and I think that's good for the sport in general.
"And our first win was a massive moment in history."
As the Mavs etched their way into the history books on Saturday night, players' partners and club staff gathered around the TV in Melbourne while owner Craig Hutchison opted for a different routine.
"This was the first game I haven't been to, I locked into the lounge room and didn't move for two hours," he said.
"I can watch footy and not get too emotionally involved but by the last quarter I was jumping and pumping the air and running around the lounge room.
"It was all heart to hang in. I was just so proud, it was a special night. I'm still buzzing."
The Mavs get to test themselves against reigning champions Adelaide Thunderbirds, Cardwell and coach Tracey Neville's former team, on their home court this Saturday night.
"The season's so short you don't have much time to get going, we've had a slow start but been mindful that seven to eight games can get you in finals and the Thunderbirds won eight last year and won the whole thing," Parmenter says.
"That's been in the back of our minds, as long as we're getting better and edging closer to a win once we get one, they'll start coming.
"We needed some belief and I feel like sometimes the only way to get it is to have some wins to go off.
"It will definitely boost the confidence."
Just like olive oil, now the Mavericks have a taste for victory there's an appetite for more.