THE Queensland Firebirds welcome the Adelaide Thunderbirds to Nissan Arena on Sunday for the opening round of the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball campaign.
The match will be the first for new Firebirds Head Coach Bec Bulley against the club where she won a premiership in 2013 and will be a strong test for her team against a Thunderbirds outfit many are predicting to be title contenders this year.
LAST TIME WE MET
The Thunderbirds recorded a 68-55 win at Netball SA Stadium when these two teams last met in Suncorp Super Netball in May 2022. A defensive lockdown in the final seven minutes of the match secured the win for the Thunderbirds with Lenize Potgieter draining 46 goals without a single miss and Latanya Wilson picking up 10 deflections, five gains and three intercepts.
Gretel Bueta led the scoring for the Firebirds with 27 goals from 27 attempts while Mia Stower hit three Suncorp Super Shots in her time on court.
TEAM NEWS
The Firebirds will give Suncorp Super Netball debuts to defender Remi Kamo and goaler Emily Moore while Ash Unie will make her first appearance at this level for the Firebirds after her off-season switch from Sunshine Coast Lightning. Mia Stower is poised to take on a starting role with Gretel Bueta (pregnancy) absent for the season.
Midcourter Hannah Petty is set to lead the Thunderbirds into a fourth straight season after missing February’s Suncorp Team Girls Cup due to an ankle injury. The visitors have recruited English star Eleanor Caldwell in a new-look attacking setup alongside Lucy Austin with Lenize Potgieter and Elle McDonald having departed in the off-season. Jamaican defensive duo Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson provide a formidable barrier for the Firebirds’ attack.
KEY MATCHUP - DONNELL WALLAM vs SHAMERA STERLING
The Firebirds star faces a real test against the Thunderbirds’ Jamaican goalkeeper in a match-up that will be an eye-catching watch for fans. Both players will be looking to use their athleticism and natural flair to get the edge in a pivotal duel.
Wallam scored 19 from 20 attempts in the Firebirds’ loss to the Thunderbirds at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup on the Gold Coast, sitting out the final term of that match but setting the template for a mouth-watering encounter against Sterling in round one of the Suncorp Super Netball season.
MILESTONES
Sunday’s game will mark the Suncorp Super Netball debuts for Remi Kamo and Emily Moore with the match also to be Bec Bulley’s first SSN game as a Head Coach.
LAST WORD
"We've had a good look at them and we feel we're ready to take them on and I guess this is the perfect test for us to see where we're at. There is nothing better than an ambush in a game of sport and I think we're definitely the underdogs for this game but they don't know what's going to hit them."
HOW TO GET THERE
Tickets are still available via Ticketek. All the information regarding game day is available here.
