By Chris Wilson

She can't get her songs included in the team's warm-up music and her young teammates are always on her back about raising the team's average age, but Canberra Capitals captain Lucille Bailie says she hasn't passed her used-by date just yet.

Bailie, 33, announced yesterday that she would play next season and try to become the most capped player in Women's National Basketball League history.

Bailie, already an WNBL Life Member, recently became only the fourth player to reach 350 games. She will play her 354th tomorrow, the major semi-final against the Townsville Fire at Tuggeranong. With one more season she would be in reach of Karen Dalton's all-time best 375 games.

Bailie said she had tossed up the idea of retirement but had had a moment of clarity before the finals.

"Not many days go by when people don't say 'Are you going to retire?' or 'What are you doing?'. It's about drawing a line and making a decision, and once you make a decision it's beautiful - it really clears your mind. I feel terrific to have a clear mind and positive thoughts and energy for the finals," Bailie said.

"I think I'm in good enough form to keep contributing and leading the team, that's the primary reason I've decided to play one more year."

As the saying goes in sport, you're a long time retired ... well, that's excluding Bailie's first retirement after the 1999-2000 season, which lasted only a matter on months.

Bailie had been playing with the Dandenong Rangers but after an average season decided to fade out of the sport without her fairytale finish.

She then met long-time friend and Capitals championship coach Carrie Graf at the Sydney Olympics, who offered Bailie a spot on the Capitals' roster. She accepted it "in a flash".

"When you win a great game and you play well, the world's a beautiful place, and it does have a flow-on effect into other areas of your life. So I probably would have been a grumpy old wench if I stayed retired then," Bailie joked.

With the Capitals on the verge of back-to-back titles and boasting world-class talent such as Lauren Jackson and Kristen Veal, Bailie said she would be giving up too much too retire now.

"This is a special time. It's unique, so I'm going to milk this baby for all it's worth," Bailie said.

"The possibilities are amazing. There's the possibility we could go back-to-back this season and then it would be almost unheard of to go three-in-a-row. They're only possibilities at the moment, but they're not silly.'

Bailie hoped her decision might enhance the Capitals' recruiting next season, with Australian Institute of Sport centre Hollie Grima the club's number one target.

The Capitals will qualify for their fourth successive grand final if they beat Townsville Fire at Tuggeranong at 4pm tomorrow.