THE Queensland Firebirds are out to bounce back after their round one Suncorp Super Netball loss to Adelaide when they host state rivals Sunshine Coast Lightning in Saturday’s Battle of the Bruce derby at Nissan Arena.
Both teams will be playing for the new Queensland Cup with the Lightning making the short trip to Brisbane after a win over an injury-hit GWS Giants in their opening fixture.
LAST TIME WE MET
Lightning goalers Steph Wood and Cara Koenen led the way for their team as the visitors picked up an 82-61 upset win over the Firebirds at Nissan Arena in round 11 of the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball season.
Wood scored 22 points and made 23 feeds in a dominant display before suffering a knee injury while Koenen led the scoring with 46 goals from 52 attempts.
The defeat was the Firebirds’ fourth in a row and one of the key losses in a campaign where Queensland missed out on finals by one win.
TEAM NEWS
Former Sunshine Coast Lightning player Ash Unie could make her Firebirds’ club debut after being an unused substitute against the Thunderbirds.
The Lightning didn’t make a single change in their win over the Giants with ex-Firebirds training partners Charlie Bell and Ash Ervin potentially in line to make their Suncorp Super Netball debuts against their former team. With Tara Hinchliffe (ACL) out for the season, returning South African defender Karla Pretorius is looking to build on a solid opening match in her partnership with Jamaican Kadie-Ann Dehaney. 32-year-old Shannon Eagland has been elevated into the side to fill a temporary replacement role for Hinchcliffe this weekend.
KEY MATCHUP – REMI KAMO vs CARA KOENEN
Australian Diamonds shooter Koenen was one of the players of the opening round as she scored 51 goals from 57 attempts in the Lightnings’ impressive win over the Giants. The 190cm target’s combination with fellow Diamond Steph Wood is one of the big dangers of the Lightning’s lineup.
Kamo meanwhile was hugely impressive making her long-awaited SSN debut against the Thunderbirds. Facing English international Eleanor Cardwell, Kamo had six gains, four of those deflections and a combination with Ruby Bakewell-Doran honed in the HART Sapphire Series looks already well established for the Firebirds.
The 29-year-old’s duel with Koenan will definitely be one to watch.
MILESTONE
After making her debut with the Lightning in 2020 and making three SSN appearances for the club, defender Ash Unie’s Firebirds’ debut may come against her old team. Goal attack Mia Stower is closing in on achieving both her SSN 50 goal (currently at 46) and 50 goal assist (currently at 41) milestones.
LAST WORD
"We don't mind a game that has a little bit of silver to claim at the end of but we're just excited. It's the Battle of the Bruce. Every year it's so competitive and you just want to win. No matter whether you're friends off the court, when you get on the court, it's game on and it's pretty cool that you're playing literally against your neighbours." - Lara Dunkley.
HOW TO GET THERE
Tickets are still available via Ticketek. All the information regarding game day is available here.
