Gary Smith has been told to take-off his tracksuit and help Worthing Thunder win the NBL Trophy.

Thunder hope to clinch their first piece of silverware by beating Teesside Mohawks in Sunday's final at Sheffield (5pm).

Player/coach Smith can play a key part in bringing the prize south, according to his assistant Neil McElduff.

Smith has been happy to direct operations from the bench this season but McElduff said: "If you don't want to play, don't suit up.

"I'm trying to get him to play more. He's a really good defensive player, he's a veteran in this league, he has a calming influence and he can makes good decisions.

"We need someone out there who can calm things down and hold on to the ball.

"I'm an experienced coach. I can run things from the bench."

Smith, 34, won a host of honours with Worthing Bears and Sheffield Sharks in the Nineties.

McElduff added: "He's fit. I work him as hard as anyone when I take training on Fridays.

"Marvin Addy gets asked to do some really hard defensive jobs for us and you can't keep that going for 40 minutes.

"Maybe Gary should take over for two or three minutes a quarter. It would make all the difference."