When: Saturday 7 July 3.00pm (AEST)Where: Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, Gold CoastBroadcast: Channel 9, Telstra TV and the Netball Live app
Last time they met in Round 3:
Firebirds (59) defeated Vixens (55)
Vixens
MATCH-UP
Firebirds
30
Mins. in Possession
30
11
Gain
7
4
Intercepts
5
6
Deflections
8
88
Goal Shooting %
85
It was the Firebirds who came out on top the last time these two met in Melbourne, their domination in the final quarter bought them the win against the previously undefeated Vixens.
VIDEO
Game talking points:
The Vixens mid-court has been prolific in the last few games, with feeds into Mwai Kumwenda and Tegan Philip from Liz Watson in particular being unstoppable – the Firebirds will have to be on song to cut off that supply chain.
Firebirds have a strong attacking line-up of their own, with their goal shooter Romelda Aiken currently sitting third for most goals scored (365) this season and first for offensive rebounds (34).
The stakes are high for each team, as they both sit just inside the top four with five games remaining – a win here could go a long way to cementing a final’s position.
If Firebirds want to win…
Firebirds will have to focus on their defensive end in order to stop the Vixens feeding chances to Kumwenda and Philip. While they have their offensive side in excellent form, the challenge for them this week will be matching the Vixens consistency across the mid-court. By narrowing in on their movement, they need to halt the ball from getting to the scoring circle.
If Vixens want to win…
Vixens also face the tough challenge of trying to shut down the Firebirds attacking end. They will need to focus on stopping the flow of the ball down the court, something they’ve done consistently so far this season. By focusing on their own game and not being intimidated by the Queensland goalscorer’s fancy moves, they stand a great chance of winning their fourth game on the bounce.
Key match-ups:
Both teams will be confident in what their attacking players can produce, it is more the question of whether their defenders can stop the other team from scoring. Both Kumwenda & Philip (Vixens) and Aiken & Gretel Tippett (Firebirds) have such a strong cohesive relationship in the ring, that the defenders from both sides will have to work hard to break up their opposition’s dominant duos.
