FIVE weeks ago, the Queensland Firebirds inflicted a 13-point defeat against the New South Wales Swifts and next Sunday, in the final round of the regular season, they need a repeat performance to have any hope of securing a Suncorp Super Netball finals berth.
Shrugging off a disappointing one-point (72-73) loss to Giants Netball on Saturday, in what was a record Firebirds crowd at Nissan Arena, is a must if they’re to battle for the 2022 premiership.
“The last two weeks, the turnaround from the previous four games has just been really dramatic and we’ve just got to keep backing ourselves and know we can take these games and really push hard and make that last final four spot next week,” Firebirds coach Megan Anderson said.
The Swifts are also in finals contention, in what is the closest SSN season to date, so Sunday’s round 14 clash at Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney will be brutally competitive.
“Ultimate goal is to win and just take care of business in each of the quarters, and have that real moment-by-moment focus so that we’re not looking too far ahead,” Anderson said.
It’s a return home of sorts for Anderson, a four-time Swifts premiership player and teammate of current Swifts coach Briony Akle.
“It’s always a tough game against the Swifts,” Anderson said.
“They’ve got stars across the court and they play a really fast, open style of netball. We’ll be just trying to shut them down and slow down their speed in attack, and hopefully we can come away with a win.”
Firebirds captain Kim Ravaillion suffered an ankle “twinge” in the second quarter of the loss to the Giants, but is expected to recover fully ahead of Sunday’s “State of Origin” battle.
