Wellington Phoenix midfielder Tim Brown knows the team will have to alter the way they play against North Queensland Fury this Saturday.
The Phoenix meet the Fury in Townsville in Round 11 of A-League action and Brown is wary of the heat affecting the Wellington players.
"You've got to change the way you play because the heat limits what you can do. You have to be clever in maximising your ability to run, for example, because you've only a finite amount of energy and the heat can take it out of you quickly," Brown said.
"It's a case of being sensible because the first thing that goes is your head and eventually your whole body wants to stop, so you wind up doing silly things you normally wouldn't do. In that respect we have to play smarter, not harder."
Despite the expected weather conditions, Brown is confident things are about to turn for the Phoenix, who have drawn their past five matches.
"We're on the cusp of a really good run and I speak for everyone when I say the confidence is really high," Brown added.
"There's great spirit in the team and, while results haven't been what we'd like, we know that we're playing well and that the good results will come."
