By Philip Jurkovsky and Lauren Morgan
Now that the 2021 season has concluded, our teams will begin to build towards redemption or, in the case of the Swifts, the chance to defend their title.
But, before we look too far into the future, let's take a moment to reflect on the season gone by.
Over the next two weeks we will be critiquing every team to find out what worked, what needs a revamp and what moments stood out above the rest in 2021.
So far, we have analysed the Melbourne Vixens, Adelaide Thunderbirds and Collingwood Magpies.
So, moving up the ladder, we will now delve into the year that was for the Queensland Firebirds.
QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS
Season Record
Games played: 14
Wins: 6
Losses: 8
Percentage: 100.8%
Quarters played: 56
Quarters won: 24
Home record: 2/5
Away Record: 4/9
Stat Leaders
Nissan Net Points: Kim Ravaillion - 922 (ranked 4th in league)
Minutes played: Kim Ravaillion - 831 (8th)
Total goals scored: Romelda Aiken - 531 (3nd)
1 point goals scored: Romelda Aiken - 518 (3rd)
Super Shot’s scored: Gretel Bueta - 23 (7th)
Goal assists: Kim Ravaillion - 258 (2nd)
Feeds: Kim Ravaillion - 478 (1st)
Centre pass receives: Gretel Bueta - 288 (1st)
Interceptions: Tara Hinchliffe - 23 (8th)
Gains: Kim Jenner - 42 (9th)
Deflections: Kim Jenner - 63 (6th)
Offensive rebounds: Romelda Aiken - 87 (1st)
Defensive rebounds: Tara Hinchliffe - 8 (16th)
Total penalties: Kim Jenner - 218 (1st)
BEST WIN
Round 11: Firebirds (59) defeated Lightning (49)
The Firebirds notched up six wins for season 2021, but none more hard fought than their round 11 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
In the week leading up to this game, the league was in turmoil over the current COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, as teams were scattered around the country with fixtures changing repeatedly.
The Firebirds were due to fly to Adelaide to create a bubble, but the South Australian government extended their restrictions on the Queensland border, meaning those plans were changed only days before round 11.
On top of that, the Firebirds lost Tara Hinchliffe and Tippah Dwan only hours before start time, which gave the Firebirds little hope to claim victory.
At this point in the season, the Lightning were equal first on the ladder and in red-hot form. In the round prior, they handed the Fever only their second defeat for the year.
Despite all of the hurdles the Firebirds faced heading into their biggest game of the season, they were able to put emotions aside to claim a crucial 10-point victory in front of their home crowd.
In the absence of Tippa Dwan, Gretel Bueta put on an attacking masterclass, earning herself the Player of the Match with 18 goals on 90% shooting accuracy; along with 26 centre pass receives, 25 feeds and 12 goal assists.
This was the Firebirds’ third win in a row, tying them with the Fever in fourth spot and keeping their finals aspirations alive.
BEST MOMENT
The Firebirds had six terrific wins this season, along with some amazing individual highlights and performances that could have taken the mantle.
But, it was Kim Ravaillion’s return to netball, which saw her claim the Firebirds' Most Valuable Player, that takes the cake.
The 28-year-old has experienced a roller coaster ride of emotions over the past two years, however, Ravaillion certainly did not let those outside noises impact her performance.
Ravaillion took the year off in 2020 for the birth of her first child, to then move to Queensland to play for the Firebirds away from her partner and AFL star Adam Treloar who stayed in Melbourne.
Treloar spoke to Fox Footy in March about Kim’s journey during her time away from the game.
“With Kim being pregnant and going through everything she went through with her own mental health, she took time away from the game before the pregnancy and fell out of love with netball. Kim then became pregnant and really appreciated the game again and really pushed herself to get back.”
Returning to the game after such a tumultuous period is a great achievement in itself. But, to be able to return and take out your club’s MVP award in your first season back, is a testament to the resilience and strength of Ravaillion.
The star centre also took home the Players’ Player of the Year and the Members’ Player of the Year awards to cap off a truly inspirational return to the game.
MOST IMPROVED
Megan Anderson
Despite falling just short of a finals appearance, it was a consistent season in terms of player performance, which saw an even contribution across the entire board.
Rudi Ellis stepped up in the absence of injured defender Tara Hinchliffe, more than doubling her statistics from last season. Lara Dunkley is continuing to build on her game, playing all 14 matches this year while being a solid contributor for her team.
But, I’ve decided to go a little unconventional with this one, and I have selected Megan Anderson as the most improved.
Anderson took over the reins as head coach of the Firebirds for season 2021, becoming just the sixth head coach in the club’s history.
After retiring as a player, Anderson transitioned to coaching; including five seasons as assistant coach at the NSW Swifts and two years as assistant coach of the Australian Diamonds.
Anderson had the credentials heading into her first season as coach, but it took some time for the former Diamond to settle into the role.
To start the year, Anderson was shaking up the Firebirds’ line-up perhaps more than it needed. The team struggled to find consistency early on in the season, losing four of their opening five games, including a loss to the eventual wooden spooner's.
But, as the season progressed, we saw the team gain more confidence and it seemed like Anderson had more conviction in the way she utilised her players.
The injection of Jemma Mi Mi and Lara Dunkley off the bench provided some much needed fresh legs into that WA position in the back end of the year, displaying Anderson’s trust in her players.
Despite finding themselves sitting second from the bottom after six rounds, the Firebirds then went on to win five of their remaining nine games to finish one spot out of the finals.
Anderson has clearly cemented herself as the right choice to lead this team and, after a strong finish to the year, will be looking to go that one step further next season by making the finals.
WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE?
The Firebirds’ squad is solid. Their attacking and mid court options are more than capable of leading this team to the finals.
Their only concern will come from their defensive end, especially considering Tara Hinchliffe is set to miss considerable time recovering from a ruptured ACL.
Rudi Ellis will need to step up big time to fill that hole in defence. The 191cm defender and 2019 Victorian Fury premiership player was given the starting role after the injury to Hinchliffe, and certainly held her own.
The key question will be whether Ellis can take the next step and have a strong impact in that spot for season 2022.
The 24-year-old took the court in 11 games this year, picking up eight intercepts and 16 gains. However, Ellis also picked up 114 penalties. We can probably put that down to inexperience, but it will be interesting to see how the Firebirds’ lineup will look to start the season next year.
The Firebirds featured at the bottom of the competition for total gains, intercepts and deflections; so improving their defensive structure is a necessity for next year.
Another big issue this team needs to focus on is their penalty count. The Firebirds were by far the most heavily penalised team in the competition, committing a total of 959 penalties across the season.
In comparison, the Swifts, who went on to be crowned Champions, received only 681 penalties in the regular season.
On top of this, the Firebirds recorded the lowest gain total, as well as having the lowest gain to goal ratio out of any team.
When you’re missing out on the finals by a couple of games, these small mistakes start to prove costly. If the Firebirds are to challenge for the Championship next year, they will desperately need to tighten up those penalties and start to force more opposition turnovers.
GRADING
The Firebirds had every chance to make the finals this season. But, their slow start to the year meant they were playing catch up from the get go.
The team from Queensland are another one of those clubs who have the ability to make the jump into the top four next year. They fought all the way to the end of the season but just missed out on making the finals after defeats to the Fever and Magpies in round’s 12 and 13 respectively.
Losing Tara Hinchliffe was a big loss, who, despite injury, still finished the season ranked 8th in interceptions.
They will be kicking themselves they didn’t make the most of the league being moved to their home state, which would have seen the Firebirds play in front of a home crowd in the finals.
It was a season that could have been for the Firebirds. Their fans will certainly be hoping they begin the 2022 season a bit stronger..
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