Latu-Meafou will miss the Round 14 match against the Swifts for personal reasons.
The 28-year-old Samoa international, who has featured in nine SSN matches as a replacement player for Tippah Dwan this season, will be replaced by Queensland Firebirds Futures shooter Sandholt - capping a big week for the 21-year-old after she was named in the Australian Under-21 squad on Thursday.
Sandholt will make her SSN and Firebirds debut if she takes the court.
The Firebirds are hoping to end their season on a high in front of another bumper Nissan Arena crowd against a Swifts team who have locked up second spot heading into finals but are eager to find form themselves after losing four of their past five matches.
LAST TIME WE MET
A strong start wasn’t enough for the Queensland Firebirds as in-form NSW Swifts claimed an eight-point Suncorp Super Netball win at Ken Rosewall Arena in May.
Despite being level at halftime, a horror stretch in the third quarter proved pivotal as the Swifts opened up a match-winning lead to run out 71-63 winners in their annual Pride Round match.
Emily Moore was a standout for the Firebirds with 17 goals from 21 attempts including two Suncorp Super Shots while Mary Cholhok stood tall at goal shooter with 42 goals from 50 attempts including one two-pointer, as well as snaring 11 rebounds.
TEAM NEWS
Training partner Elsa Sif Sandholt replaces Abigail Latu-Meafou in the Firebirds squad, joining fellow Firebirds Futures player Dani Taylor as a potential SSN debutant.
The 190cm Icelandic-born shooter is coming off the back of a standout Super Netball Reserves campaign where she scored 235 goals in eight games to be in the top five scorers in the competition.
A Gold Coast junior, Sandholt was a member of the 2024 premiership-winning TAE Aerospace Jets squad and has represented Queensland at 17 and Under and 19 and Under level as well as at the Australian Netball Championship.
Taylor meanwhile is in the squad for a third straight week as an injury replacement for Hulita Veve (knee).
Swifts defender Teigan O’Shannassy misses out for a second straight weekend due to a back complaint while Australian Diamonds midcourter Paige Hadley has also been omitted.
Australian Under-21 representative Freddie Schneideman continues as O'Shannassy's replacement while former Allie Smith returns to the matchday squad in place of Hadley.
KEY MATCHUP - Isabelle Shearer vs Grace Nweke
Firebirds goalkeeper Shearer faces another tough contest this weekend against Swifts star import Grace Nweke.
The New Zealander has scored 659 goals so far in her debut SSN campaign to be just four behind West Coast Fever superstar Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard in the race for the top scorer's crown.
Shearer has had plenty of battles against leading shooters in her fledging career and the 22-year-old will be hoping to claim another scalp in the form of the Silver Fern champion.
KEY STAT
After winning their first eight matches of the season, the Swifts have won just once in their past five matches winning just two first-half quarters in that five-game span.
LAST WORD
"This team has worked really hard. We came into this season with a lot of belief and that hasn't come through for us but we're still there or thereabouts with these big teams and we want to go for it." - Firebirds Head Coach Kiri Wills is eyeing off a winning finish to her debut SSN campaign against the Swifts.
HOW TO GET THERE
All the information regarding game day is available here. For fans residing in Australia, you can watch Sunday’s game via Foxtel, Kayo Sports or Binge. Meanwhile, international viewers can watch the game via Netball pass.
