Finals quality netball came early to Queensland on Sunday, with the Firebirds claiming their first ever Suncorp Super Netball win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in a 55-52 derby victory at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
After both teams suffered heart-breaking losses in round one, both came out to play in a relentless and pulsating clash with no quarter given.
In the absence of injured former skipper Laura Geitz (back), dual ANZ Championship winner Laura Clemesha was elevated to the starting roster at goalkeeper. Diamond players, Gabrielle Simpson and Tara Hinchliffe, were her allies in the backline, while Mahalia Cassidy lined up at centre again in her second game coming back from a serious knee injury in 2017. Veteran goal-scoring machine Romelda Aiken, Gretel Tippett and Caitlyn Nevins made up the front line.
The Lightning went with the formidable front court of Diamonds players, Caitlin Bassett and Stephanie Wood, along with rising star Kelsey Browne. Laura Scherian was named at centre with Madeline McAuliffe, Karla Pretorius and Geva Mentor the back-court combination.
It was the Firebirds who started the strongest, with an early 5-2 advantage. But it didn’t take long for the potent Lightning front court to strike back and even the ledger.
In the blink of an eye, the reigning champions pushed the lead out to 11-7 with Bassett strong under the hoop. The Firebirds clawed their way back in a game played at a furious pace, but some late turnovers allowed the Lightning to claim the quarter 15-11.
The Firebirds were shooting the ball well, but gaining possession was their Achilles heel in the first quarter. They quickly turned that around in the second, locking the scores up after just five minutes.
As the Firebirds possession surged to close to 60 per cent, razzle-dazzle plays began to emerge with Tippett and Aiken pulling off aerial acrobatics to bamboozle the Lighting and open up a five-goal margin.
Simpson and Hinchliffe were ferocious in defence, giving the Lightning nothing and paving the way for a booming second quarter win, the Firebirds leading 31-24 at half-time.
Noeline Taurua changed up the roster in the third quarter, the Sunshine Coast mentor saying they ‘needed a change to hopefully get into the offence’s head a bit, but also to settle ourselves’.
That stemmed the Firebirds onslaught, but the home side still held a seven-goal advantage midway through the quarter when a timeout was called.
Ultimately the changes disrupted Queensland’s flow, with the Lightning winning the quarter, taking a bonus point and slashing the margin to just two goals heading into the final term.
The Firebirds responded by slowing down the tempo in a hard-fought final quarter, claiming the term, the bonus point and the win.
Firebirds shooting statistics
Romelda Aiken 39/45
Gretel Tippett 16/21
Lightning shooting statistics
Caitlin Bassett 35/36
Stephanie Wood 17/18
Firebirds Starting Seven
GS: Romelda Aiken GA: Gretel Tippett WA: Caitlyn Nevins C: Mahalia Cassidy WD: Gabrielle Simpson GD: Tara Hinchliffe GK: Laura Clemesha
Lightning Starting Seven
GS: Caitlin Bassett GA: Stephanie Wood WA: Kelsey Browne C: Laura Scherian WD: Madeline McAuliffe GD: Karla Pretorius GK: Geva Mentor
