A DOMINANT fourth-quarter display has secured the Queensland Firebirds a thrilling triumph over the Melbourne Vixens at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup.
Trailing by a point heading into the final term of Saturday evening’s match at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, the Firebirds outscored the Vixens 10-6 to secure a 43-40 win.
Mia Stower closed out the win with a Suncorp Super Shot – her second of the match – to finish with 12 points.
Donnell Wallam was the top scorer for the Firebirds with 23 goals from 28 shots including a Suncorp Super Shot.
Remi Kamo and Ruby Bakewell-Doran were also hugely impressive in defence for the Firebirds, with Kamo recording four gains and four intercepts while Bakewell-Doran had five gains on her way to a tally of 41.5 Nissan Net Points.
Despite only playing 20 minutes of the game, Lara Dunkley also notched 41.5 Nissan Net Points 17 feeds and nine goal assists.
Captain Kim Ravaillion was inspirational in the mid-court, with 19 feeds and 11 goal assists against the Vixens’ Aussie Diamonds pair Kate Moloney and Liz Watson.
The win was Queensland’s first of the tournament after going down to a 10-point loss to GWS earlier in the day.
Despite that defeat, there were positives for Head Coach Bec Bulley with training partner Olivia Dijkstra making her first appearance for the Firebirds.
The goal shooter was at the heart of a fourth-quarter run sparked by an intercept from Macy Gardner, scoring four of five straight goals for the Firebirds but Giants’ international goal attack Sophie Dwyer’s two Suncorp Super Shots ensured GWS claimed a 47-37 win.
Queensland will face Collingwood in Sunday’s finals day of the Suncorp Team Girls Cup from 11am AEST where the Firebirds will seek to build on their confidence-building win over the Vixens.
Fans can watch every game of the Suncorp Team Girls Cup live and ad-free on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo Freebies.
Those wishing to attend the matches can purchase tickets and redeem free tickets for children 14 years and younger via Ticketek. Please note one free ticket will need to be redeemed per child for access to the venue.
THE BIRDIES ARE BACK! Tickets are now on sale via Ticketek for the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball season. Don’t miss a minute of the action and secure your seat now.
