A dominant late surge from the Queensland Firebirds was not enough to topple West Coast Fever, with the visitors running out 11 goal winners in tonight’s Round 9 Suncorp Super Netball clash at Nissan Arena.
Despite finishing the better of the two sides to win the fourth quarter, the Firebirds left their run too late as Fever secured their first win over the Queensland side in the Suncorp Super Netball era.
Head Coach Roselee Jencke OAM said her side would rue a scrappy start to the game.
“Too many errors in our first quarter really cost us and we were in chase mode from there,” Jencke said.
“It felt almost like a complete role reversal tonight, they did to us exactly what we did to them back in Round 6.”
“We have to be better than we were tonight, particularly in our second phase.”
One highlight for the home side was the performance of Rudi Ellis, with the Goal Keeper injected into the game prior to halftime in an attempt to halt the momentum of Jhaniele Fowler.
The first year Firebird more than held her own against the league’s leading scorer and was rewarded for her defensive pressure, finishing the game with two intercepts and two deflections.
Ellis said it was an opportunity she relished.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to finish with that result but it was exciting to get a shot against one of the best shooters in the world and it’s definitely something I want to continue to work on and grow,” Ellis said.
“I knew I just wanted to keep off the body, have a real presence and contest on as many balls as I could.”
Romelda Aiken’s added to her fine season with a 45-goal haul, while Captain Gabi Simpson and Centre Mahalia Cassidy also continued their string of consistent performances, providing formidable resistance through the midcourt.
Despite igniting the crowd, a run of Suncorp Super Shots scored by the Firebirds late in the match wasn't enough to bridge the gap in the final term, with the home side falling to a disappointing defeat.
Attention now turns to Saturday's Round 10 assignment against defending Premiers the NSW Swifts at Nissan Arena.
