A heavy 18-goal defeat to the Melbourne Vixens in last weekend's First Nations Round match at Nissan Arena has left the Firebirds keen to make amends and secure a much-needed victory against the Fever.
This weekend's opponents have mirrored the Firebirds' campaign, losing their first two matches of the season before the return of superstar shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has inspired a five-game winning run to lift Dan Ryan's team to second on the ladder at the halfway point in the campaign.
LAST TIME WE MET
The Firebirds backed up their opening round win over the Giants to defeat the Fever 67-54 in front of a sell out Nissan Arena crowd in the most impressive display by Kiri Wills' team so far this season.
Mary Cholhok finished the match with 42 goals despite some close attention from Fever's Jamaican defensive powerhouse Kadie-Ann Dehaney while Isabelle Shearer was hugely impressive for the Firebirds at the back with six gains, two intercepts and four deflections as the hosts claimed a dominant 13-goal win.
TEAM NEWS
Firebirds midcourter Imogen Allison has been named in the team after missing last weekend's loss to the Vixens following a concussion at training during the week. The English international’s return is still subject to the successful completion of Netball Australia’s Concussion management protocols but her presence would certainly be welcomed by her teammates if she is cleared to take the court.
Tippah Dwan remains sidelined with a knee complaint, with Abigail Latu-Meafou staying in the team for a fourth straight week.
The Fever have kept a settled line-up during their winning run with only young defender Ruth Aryang sidelined after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in late April while Fowler-Nembhard has hardly missed a beat after returning to the line-up in Round 3.
KEY MATCHUP - Hulita Veve vs Alice Teague-Neeld
Such is Fowler-Nembhard's reliability in front of goal the key to stopping the Jamaican shooter is to stop the ball getting into her hands first.
Fever wing attack Teague-Neeld was one of the standouts on court in her team's Round 7 win over GIANTS Netball last weekend, recording a whopping 38 feeds and 23 goal assists in the Fever's fifth-straight win of the season.
Tonga captain Veve had a quiet game against the Vixens and her ability to bounce back and shut down Teague-Neeld's connection with the Fever's shooters will be a crucial aspect of where this match will be won and lost.
KEY STAT
Firebirds co-captain Ruby Bakewell-Doran is mounting a case for an Australian Diamonds recall with her superb form in the first half of the SSN season. Despite her team's overall struggles, Bakewell-Doran leads the league for defensive rebounds (16) and stood tall against the Vixens despite the heavy loss with seven gains, three intercepts and five deflections.
LAST WORD
"Kadie-Ann has amazing physicality and just gets into your head. I've personally just got to lock in quicker, just not letting her slip through because she's really good in the air and also on the body so just playing it smart as well, using my body more." - Firebirds goal shooter MARY CHOLHOK is looking forward to taking on the challenge of facing Fever defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney.
HOW TO WATCH
Watch Saturday’s game live and on demand on Kayo Sports and Foxtel as well as on Binge. International viewers can catch the entire 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season live and on demand via Netball Pass.
