The Firebirds will be determined to make an immediate bounce back after last weekend’s heavy loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Nissan Arena, while the Giants are also 0-3 after going down to West Coast Fever. With both teams desperate to get on the board, Saturday’s showdown at Ken Rosewall Arena shapes as a crucial early-season contest.
LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting between the sides ended in heartbreak for the Firebirds, who fought back bravely before falling 68-63 to the Giants at Nissan Arena. After trailing by as many as 11 in the second quarter, the Firebirds stormed back to hit the front in the final term, only for a late run of Suncorp Super Shots from the visitors to swing the match back their way. Mary Cholhok led the scoring for Queensland with 36 points, while Ruby Bakewell-Doran again stood tall in defence.
TEAM NEWS
Firebirds 11th player Elsa Sif Sandholt remains in the matchday 10 after her impressive outing against the Thunderbirds, coming off the bench to score 30 points including six Suncorp Super Shots in just her second SSN appearance. International midcourter Maddy Gordon is still sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The Giants are also unchanged from last week, with Jamaican Jodi-Ann Ward making a successful return from the ACL injury that sidelined her last season in the clash with Fever.
KEY MATCHUP – MARY CHOLHOK v JANE WATSON
Firebirds shooter Cholhok will be itching to deliver a big performance after playing just 12 minutes in last weekend’s loss to the Thunderbirds. With youngster Sandholt showing good form as her replacement in that match, the Ugandan international will be eager to deliver a top display and cement her status as the team’s leading goal threat.
Standing in her way will be experienced New Zealand international Watson, who has made a strong start to life in the Giants dress and leads the league in deflections with 20, while also collecting five defensive rebounds so far this season.
If Cholhok can impose herself early and consistently in the goal circle, it will go a long way towards helping the Firebirds take control against one of the competition’s most disruptive defenders.
KEY STAT
The Firebirds hold a winning record over the Giants in Sydney, winning four of their seven matches in NSW including last year’s opening-round match at Ken Rosewall Arena.
LAST WORD
“It’s actually more about us bringing our game. We couldn’t focus on them too much this week because there was stuff that we needed to sort out.” — Firebirds Head Coach Kiri Wills is focusing on her own team’s performance ahead of the trip to face the Giants.
HOW TO WATCH
For fans residing in Australia, you can watch live on Foxtel, Kayo and BINGE.
