Gordon, who became Firebird No.119 after making her own SSN debut in last weekend’s opening round clash with the Melbourne Vixens at Nissan Arena has been ruled out of Saturday’s derby against Sunshine Coast Lightning at UniSC Arena.
The Silver Ferns star suffered a hamstring injury in training earlier this week and is set to be sidelined for several weeks.
It’s a deserved reward for third-year training partner Flegler who was named MVP of last year’s HART Premier Netball League Grand Final as she helped Bond University Bull Sharks to the premiership.
Born and raised in Tully, in Queensland’s far north, 20-year-old Flegler was a member of Australia's Commonwealth Youth Games gold medal triumph in 2023 and has appeared for the Firebirds at the 2024 and 2025 Suncorp Team Girls Cup pre-season tournaments.
“It’s a blow to have Maddy sidelined but I know she’ll be doing all she can to complete her rehab and get back on court as soon as possible,” Firebirds Head Coach Kiri Wills said.
“Injury, however, does create opportunity and this is an exciting chance for Sasha to show her stuff on the biggest stage.
“Sasha has been part of our program for multiple seasons now and I’m confident she’ll show what she can deliver if given the chance to take the court on Saturday.
“It’s fantastic to see a Queensland regional pathways product like Sasha continuing to progress in the Firebirds program.”
The Firebirds face state rivals the Lightning from 4pm at UniSC Arena on Saturday with both teams chasing their first win of the season after opening-round defeats.
