The Firebirds finished the stronger of the two teams at Nissan Arena, winning the final quarter 21-17 but it wasn't enough to reel in the Mavericks' lead as the Suncorp Super Netball newcomers claimed a seven goal victory.
Emily Moore hit five Suncorp Super Shots after coming off the bench including three from three attempts in the final quarter.
It wasn't enough for the Firebirds however after the Mavericks had built up a healthy lead across the opening three quarters with Shimona Jok the standout with 50 goals from 55 attempts.
Midcourter Mollie Jovic also stood out for the visitors, recording 28 goal assists as she connected brilliantly with Jok.
Macy Gardner was arguably the best on court for the Firebirds notching 102.5 Nissan Net Points as she recorded 35 feeds, 10 centre pass receives, three gains and four deflections along with 17 goal assists.
Ruby Bakewell-Doran also battled hard in defence, with three gains, two intercepts and four deflections.
Assistant Coach Lauren Brown filled the shoes of Head Coach Bec Bulley for the match, with Bulley absent due to a family bereavement.
Sunday's loss leaves the Firebirds with one win for the season heading into next Saturday's Queensland Derby against the Sunshine Coast Lightning at UniSC Arena.
