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Firebirds out to slay Giants in season opener
A new era begins for the Queensland Firebirds this Sunday, with Kiri Wills leading her team to Sydney to face GIANTS Netball in the opening round of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season.
A new era begins for the Queensland Firebirds this Sunday, with Kiri Wills leading her team to Sydney to face GIANTS Netball in the opening round of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season.
The trip to Ken Rosewall Arena will not only be Head Coach Wills' first game at the helm but has special significance for new faces Mary Cholhok, Imogen Allison and Ashlee Barnett, who are all poised to make their Suncorp Super Netball debuts for the Firebirds.
Both teams will be eager for a strong start to their seasons after disappointing campaigns in 2024 with the Firebirds finishing seventh while the Giants picked up the wooden spoon with an eighth-placed finish.
The Firebirds failed to win a match at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup in Adelaide but improved with every game and defeated defending premiers Adelaide in their final pre-season match last week to boost their confidence heading into round one.
The Giants defeated the Sunshine Coast Lightning in their opening match at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup but lost their following three matches but picked up a big win last week against New Zealand side Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in Sydney.
LAST TIME WE MET
The Firebirds fell short in a shoot-out against the Giants at Ken Rosewall Arena in Round 9 last year, going down 71-67 to the hosts.
Scores were level at halftime in a match where the two teams traded blows like prizefighters with the two-point game of Sophie Dwyer and Jo Harten delivering a knockout blow as the Giants won by four.
Tippah Dwan hit two Suncorp Super Shots of her own in the match as she hit the scoreboard with 10 goals and provided 11 goal assists while Lara Dunkley and Macy Gardner stood tall in a bruising midcourt battle in a game where Ali Miller came on for her SSN debut, becoming Firebird No.112 in the process.
TEAM NEWS
The Firebirds have named their contracted 10 players for the opening match of the season, with Ugandan goal shooter Cholhok, English international Allison and young gun Barnett all potentially set to make their debuts.
The game will also be the first in official leadership roles for Firebirds co-captains Ruby Bakewell-Doran and Hulita Veve.
The Giants are also set to welcome a new face with 18-year-old midcourter Hope White poised to make her SSN debut if she takes the court. The GIANTS Academy product has been elevated to a replacement player for pregnant Gina Crampton and caught the eye at the Suncorp Team Girls Cup.
KEY MATCHUP - Imogen Allison v Jamie-Lee Price
So often a barometer of the Giants' form, co-captain and Diamonds international Jamie-Lee Price brings creativity in attack and formidable physicality in defence. Renewing a battle that has run several times at Test level, English import Allison will be eager to make a big impact in her first match for the Firebirds by stifling Price's influence.
With both players more than willing to put their bodies on the line, expect some tough contests across the middle of the court in what looms as an intriguing and potentially match-winning duel.
KEY STAT
Sunday's game will be the 400th in the Firebirds' history. The club has played 155 matches in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, 131 matches in the ANZ Championship and 113 in Suncorp Super Netball. This will also be the first time the Firebirds have faced the Giants in an opening round fixture.
HOW TO WATCH
Watch Sunday’s game live and on demand on Kayo Sports and Foxtel as well as, for the first time, on Binge. International viewers can catch the entire 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season live and on demand via Netball Pass.