The Queensland Firebirds’ trip to Tasmania was still one of celebration, despite again falling victim to the Collingwood Magpies in a four-goal loss at MyState Bank Arena on Sunday.
The story of the week had been that of star goal attack Gretel Bueta clocking up her 100th league match, a milestone the Firebirds were determined to celebrate with a win.
Firebirds head coach Megan Anderson said although unable to get the victory for Bueta, the achievement was ‘special’ - just like the player achieving it.
“Gretel is an amazing athlete, she's one of a kind and I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to coach her,” Anderson said.
“The past couple of years she's really developed her game and taken it to a new level, there really is no one like her.
“Since the birth of Bobby, she's really matured and made the most of her time at netball and away from the court with family.”
The other special occasion celebrated was the Firebirds and Magpies coming together to play in the second ever Pride Match in Suncorp Super Netball.
After hosting the inaugural Pride Match in Brisbane last year, Anderson acknowledged the importance of the two clubs flying the flag and continuing the club-driven initiative.
“Elite teams have the privilege of being in the spotlight, so being able to raise awareness by holding things such as Pride Match is the least we can do to show the nation that netball is an inclusive sport,” The Firebirds coach said.
“We had some amazing feedback from the community after last year's match and that feedback on how it affected people lives mean the world to us.”
The Firebirds will continue their trip away as they fly to Adelaide to take on the thunderbirds where they will be looking to bounce back in a bid to remain in the top four.
Having just a two-day break before their next match in Adelaide is yet another test for the Queenslanders, but Anderson said her and her team are again looking forward to the challenge.
“We love playing away as a team, it brings us together and we get to just concentrate on doing our jobs, so we are looking forward to going to Adelaide,” she said.
“All the arenas we play in across Australia are great, so it doesn't matter where we play.
“They’ll be a tough side to beat, they turnover a lot of ball with their defensive end so we have to be super safe and accurate with our passing and just create lots of defensive pressure to get them on the move and not sure where to pass it.
“We’ll be looking at some video throughout the week and hopefully we will come out firing on Wednesday.”
The Queensland Firebirds take on the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Netball SA Stadium at 8pm on Wednesday.
