The Firebirds were simply too good for their state rivals in a Queensland Day epic in front of a sold out crowd, winning three of the four quarters on their way to a 66-59 win over the Lightning.
The victory ends a four-year wait for the Firebirds to defeat the Lightning in Suncorp Super Netball.
Goalkeeper Kelly Jackson, facing off against former Firebird Donnell Wallam, was named player of the match after another standout display at the back.
The Silver Fern international ended the game with a whopping 10 gains, four intercepts and six deflections as well as four rebounds.
Fellow New Zealander Maddy Gordon ran the midcourt, picking up 93.5 Net Points including 10 goal assists and three gains of her own.
At the scoring end, Mary Cholhok nailed 46 goals from 52 attempts to lead all scorers while Te Paea Selby-Rickit was outstanding with 20 points including two Suncorp Super Shots as well as a game-high 21 goal assists.
Both teams traded blows in the early minutes with only the clock preventing the Firebirds taking a lead into the first change as the first term ended level at 16-all.
The Firebirds hit the front in the second term, opening up a three-goal advantage heading into the Power Five that the hosts would hold going into the halftime break.
A turnover on the Lightning's first centre pass of the third quarter set the tone for the second half as the Firebirds seized control of the match.
When Wallam missed a Suncorp Super Shot late in the quarter the Firebirds managed to pull away to an eight-point lead though the Australian Diamond hit back with a late two-pointer to mean the home team were six goals clear heading into the final quarter.
The Firebirds' advantage hit double-digits during the final quarter and although the Lightning rallied late to reduce the margin there was no nerves as the hosts ran out confident winners to secure the Queensland Cup for the first time in four years.
The Firebirds will look to repeat their performance and close out their 2026 season with a win next weekend when they head to Victoria to face the Melbourne Mavericks at John Cain Arena on Saturday, June 13 from 7pm.
