The Finals Are Here by Netball Australia

THE FINALS ARE HERE MAJOR

MINOR

SAT 11

SUN 12

Playing sport builds confidence for life. Start playing, keep playing. suncorp.com.au/teamgirls

SEMI FINAL

CONTENTS 1

Welcome from Suncorp

13 Minor Semi-Final

Welcome from Netball Australia

Firebirds V Lightning

Trivia Zone

Firebirds Preview

Lightning Preview

4 2018 Suncorp Super Netball Player Stats 5 Major Semi-Final

20 Deakin University Australian Netball League

GIANTS V Fever

GIANTS Preview

Fever Preview

2018 Club Report Cards

KEEP IN CONTACT /SUPERNETBALL

@SUPERNETBALL

WELCOME FROM SUNCORP As Netball Australia’s principal partner, we are thrilled to bring you the Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series, the pinnacle of the season for our much-loved competition. Netball has one of the highest rates of sports participation, and at Suncorp we’re proud of the role we play in supporting the game from the grassroots level, to the heights of professional competition. We want to see the Suncorp Super Netball competition continuing to grow and attract new fans as the matches are broadcast into millions of homes each season, allowing all Australians to watch these sporting stars in action. Whether you are a participant or spectator, netball has always been an inclusive sport, where players are role models for younger generations.

For years, the sport has brought families together every weekend to play and watch – inspiring girls and women to pursue their ambitions confidently. Suncorp Super Netball is one way we continue to inspire young Australians to strive, excel and succeed – on and off the court. Suncorp also partners with Netball Australia to deliver the #TeamGirls program. #TeamGirls aims to build a nation of confident girls and we champion the importance of participation in sport. Congratulations to all the Suncorp Super Netball teams on a successful 2018 season. Good luck to this year’s finalists and we look forward to continuing our support for this competition and this important and exciting sport.

MICHAEL CAMERON Suncorp CEO and Managing Director

WELCOME FROM NETBALL AUSTRALIA After an action-packed regular season, we are now down to the business end, with Suncorp Super Netball’s top four clubs fighting it out to be crowned champions.

The engagement on both league and club social media channels has been passionate – creating plenty of debate and interest in the world’s best netball league.

In Season One the Sunshine Coast Lightning created history as the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball champions. Who will step up in 2018?

The Finals Series promises even more excitement as the clubs put everything ‘On The Line’ to take home the major prize.

Could the Lightning go back-to-back? Will a transformed West Coast Fever take the trophy west?

A huge thanks to our Principal Partners, Suncorp and the AIS, Broadcast Partners Nine and Telstra TV and the great family of League and Club partners, including Major Partners Nissan, Cadbury, Samsung and Deakin.

Can the Queensland Firebirds add another national title? Will GIANTS go one better than 2017? The excitement around Suncorp Super Netball has gone up a level. More fans have filled stadiums and tuned in to the broadcast with our partners Nine and Telstra TV.

You share our vision of making the league, clubs and athletes household names, and have been there every step of the way to propel netball into the future. We look forward to an exciting Finals Series and wish all the clubs and their fans the very best of luck.

MARNE FECHNER Chief Executive Officer, Netball Australia

E N O Z A I V I R T s id

Quiz for the K 1.

How many players are on a netball team? a. 7 b. 8 c. 11 d. 10

2. When someone is shooting, how far away must the marker stand? a. b. c. d.

At least 1 foot At least 2 feet At least 3 feet Any distance

3. What is the maximum time a player can hold the ball for? a. b. c. d.

2 seconds 3 seconds 4 seconds No limit

4. Which two positions can shoot for goal? a. b. c. d.

Goal Shooter and Wing Attack Goal Shooter and Goal Attack Goal Shooter and Goal Keeper Goal Keeper and Goal Attack

5. Who has won the most Netball World Cups? a. New Zealand b. South Africa c. Jamaica d. Australia

SELECT THE ODD ONE OUT 1.

Goal Keeper, Goal Defence, Wing Defence, Centre, Wing Attack, Goal Stopper, Goal Attack, Goal Shooter

Thunderbirds, GIANTS, Magpies, Vixens, Swifts, Magic, Firebirds, Lightning, Fever

Caitlin Thwaites, Caitlin Bassett, Geva Mentor, Romelda Aiken, Mwai Kumwenda, Sam Wallace

Catherine Cox, Natalie Von Bertouch, Eloise Southby, Laura Langman, Michelle den Dekker

WHO AM I?

For the parents

Points

I started netball at the age of eight with Green Hills Netball Club in the Hawkesbury Association

I was a scholarship holder at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1991

My netball idol as a young player was Keeley Devery

I debuted for the Australian Diamonds in 1993

I won my first major international title at the 1995 World Championships

I won gold at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 and Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games

In 2011 I was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame

Since retiring from netball I have worked as a TV sports commentator and presenter

In 2018 I was awarded an Order of Australia

My name is? Quiz Answers: 1) a, 2) c, 3) b, 4) b, 5) d Select the odd one out: 1) Goal Stopper, 2) Magic, 3) Geva Mentor, 4) Laura Langman Who am I? Liz Ellis

2018 SUNCORP SUPER NETBALL

PLAYER STATS 2018 SEASON

MOST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS

Romelda Aiken

Queensland Firebirds

MOST GOAL ASSISTS

426

Melbourne Vixens

Courtney Bruce West Coast Fever

357

Madi Robinson Magpies Netball

MOST GOAL ATTEMPTS

Jhaniele Fowler

West Coast Fever

MOST DEFLECTIONS

102

MOST CENTRE PASS RECEIVES

Liz Watson

MOST GOALS

783

MOST DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS

846

Jhaniele Fowler West Coast Fever

MOST INTERCEPTS

Geva Mentor

Sunshine Coast Lightning

Karla Pretorius

Sunshine Coast Lightning

ALL TIME LEADERS MOST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS: (137)

Romelda Aiken

Queensland Firebirds MOST GOAL ASSISTS: (714)

Liz Watson

Melbourne Vixens MOST GOALS: (1144)

Caitlin Thwaites Magpies Netball

MOST DEFLECTIONS: (192)

Geva Mentor

Sunshine Coast Lightning

MOST DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS: (67)

Geva Mentor

Sunshine Coast Lightning MOST CENTRE PASS RECEIVES: (666)

Madi Robinson Magpies Netball

MOST GOAL ATTEMPTS: (1330)

Romelda Aiken

Queensland Firebirds MOST INTERCEPTS: (90)

Sharni Layton

Magpies Netball

R O L J A MA I-FIN M E S GU U A 1 1

GIANTS V FEVER

LAST TIME THEY MET You need not look far into the history books to find a head-to-head formline for the top two teams in Suncorp Super Netball. GIANTS netball and the West Coast Fever met just seven days before their semi-final showdown, in the final round of the regular season, with twists and turns that no one could have predicted. While home court advantage has been significant across all Suncorp Super Netball games this season, the GIANTS took it to a new level with a white-hot first three quarters that rocked the Fever and threatened to do as much damage to the West Australian team mentally as the carnage that was unfolding on the scoreboard. Jo Harten and Susan Pettitt were scintillating and virtually unstoppable in the goal circle, with the usually feisty Fever defence line of Courtney Bruce and Stacey Francis struggling to have an impact, while Kim Green underlined her ‘team of the year’ credentials with 32 goal assists.

RECENT ENCOUNTERS RD 14 : 2018

69/66 RD 10 : 2017

48/45

RD 6 : 2018

63/61 RD 2 : 2017

66/51

But in a telling sign that this Fever outfit is the real deal, they produced some of their best netball of the season to narrow a 14-goal three-quarter time margin to within a few goals in the final quarter, scoring 13 of the last 17 goals of the game. Time beat them in the end, with the GIANTS winning 69-66, but the Fever’s impressive comeback was soured further by a knee injury to midcourt lynchpin Verity Charles, who went down inside the final minute and looks unlikely to take part in this weekend’s action. With the teams splitting the results 1-1 in the regular season, their rematch in the major semi-final is the ultimate flip of a coin. The question is: who can hold their nerve?

HAVE GIANTS NETBALL TIMED THEIR RUN PERFECTLY? After winning their last three games of the home and away season and stealing the minor premiership and home court advantage from the West Coast Fever, it’s hard to argue with the GIANTS netball’ credentials heading into the Suncorp Super Netball finals. In fact, the GIANTS won five of their last seven, including victories on the road against the Melbourne Vixens and the Magpies, while their brutal takedown of the West Coast Fever in the first three quarters of their Round 14 match will inspire plenty of confidence ahead of their rematch this Saturday. While the GIANTS have unquestionable star quality in Kim Green, Jo Harten and Serena Guthrie, it’s the team aspect of their performances that has them well-placed to atone for their grand final loss in 2017. Defenders Bec Bulley and Sam Poolman collected just one intercept and five gains between them in last weekend’s crucial victory, and yet as a defensive unit they were able to

TEAM STATS Goals For

87% Goal %

Goals Against 776 Gain W-L-D

841

164 10-3-1

force the Fever into errors we’ve rarely seen from them this season, and hold their all-conquering attack line to just 12 goals in the decisive second quarter. In 2017 the GIANTS went down to the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Round 14, and then lost to them again three weeks later in a grand final performance the Sydney side would prefer to forget. Could their success against the Fever in Round 14 therefore be an omen for what may unfold over the next three weekends? There are plenty of storylines to be told between now and the grand final, but you get the sense that the GIANTS have something special brewing.

KIM GREEN DOB: 05/03/1986 HEIGHT: 177CM POSITIONS: WA, C @Kimmygee8 @Kimmygee8

KIERA AUSTIN DOB: 26/08/1997 HEIGHT: 185CM POSITIONS: GA, GS @kiera_austin

KRISTINA BRICE DOB: 09/07/1994 HEIGHT: 196CM POSITIONS: GS @kristina_brice @Bricey94

BEC BULLEY DOB: 18/8/1982 HEIGHT: 186CM POSITIONS: GD, GK @becbulley @becbulley

SERENA GUTHRIE DOB: 05/01/1990 HEIGHT: 177CM POSITIONS: WD, C @SerenaBob @SerenaBob

JO HARTEN DOB: 21/03/1989 HEIGHT: 188CM POSITIONS: GS, GA @JoHarten @Jarten

KRISTIANA MANUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;A DOB: 03/09/1995 HEIGHT: 182CM POSITIONS: GK, GD, WD @KristianaManua @KristianaManua

SUSAN PETTITT DOB: 23/03/1984 HEIGHT: 180CM POSITIONS: GA, GS @SusanPettitt @SusanPettitt

SAM POOLMAN DOB: 04/03/1991 HEIGHT: 189CM POSITIONS: GK, GD @spoolman @SamPoolman

JAMIE-LEE PRICE DOB: 10/01/1996 HEIGHT: 179CM POSITIONS: WD, C @jamielee_price @jamieleeprice_x

CAN THE WEST COAST FEVER COPE WITH THE LOSS OF STAR MIDCOURTER VERITY CHARLES? Can the West Coast Fever cope with the loss of star midcourter Verity Charles? That’s the question on every Fever fan’s lips as the team prepares to enter the great unknown in the Suncorp Super Netball finals series. While some Suncorp Super Netball teams have been prepared to change things up throughout the regular season, the Fever isn’t among them, with coach Stacey Marinkovich rarely deviating from her core seven players, and usually only late in games once the result is already wrapped up. And yet now the Fever will likely have to turn to their bench as they prepare to bounce back from last week’s loss to GIANTS netball, with Charles injuring her knee and considered unlikely to play a major part in the semi-final. Marinkovich threw caution to the wind in the third quarter in Round 14, putting veteran GA Nat Medhurst out to WA and injecting Kaylia Stanton into the goal circle in a bid to turn a 10-goal half-time deficit around. When that didn’t work, Jess Anstiss was shifted into C and Shannon Eagland was brought on at WD, with the Victorian helping to quell Kim Green and the GIANTS’ attack end significantly, limiting them to just 11 goals in the final quarter.

TEAM STATS Goals For

91% Goal %

Goals Against 851 Gain W-L-D

912

178 10-4-0

And yet Charles’ injury means that the combination that almost stole the win will now likely be ruptured again. However, the Fever know they have plenty more to give than what they displayed on Saturday. Samsung Diamonds defender Courtney Bruce and star international Stacey Francis both had quiet games by their standards, particularly in the first half when the match was up for grabs. The pair had seven intercepts between them when the Fever took down the GIANTS by two goals in Round 6, yet managed only three last weekend. The big question could be whether the West Australian team can erase 21 years of history as they approach this finals series, having finished inside the top four just once (2015) since 1997. They’ll have to do it the hard way, with another road trip to Sydney this weekend kickstarting their post-season campaign, but with Jhaniele Fowler almost certain to score around 60 goals again, they’ve a great chance of turning the tables.

COURTNEY BRUCE DOB: 08/12/93 HEIGHT: 189CM POSITIONS: GD, GK @Court.Bruce @Courtio

JESS ANSTISS DOB: 20/11/96 HEIGHT: 171CM POSITIONS: C, WD @J_Anstiss @j_anstiss

VERITY CHARLES DOB: 19/05/91 HEIGHT: 170CM POSITIONS: WA, C @VeritySimmons @VeritySimmons

INGRID COLYER DOB: 27/10/93 HEIGHT: 165CM POSITIONS: C, WA @Ingrid.Colyer @IngridColyer

SHANNON EAGLAND DOB: 16/05/90 HEIGHT: 182CM POSITIONS: WD, C, GD @Shannon_ eagland @ShannonEagland

JESS EALES DOB: 30/09/1993 HEIGHT: 175CM POSITIONS: WD, C

STACEY FRANCIS DOB: 01/01/88 HEIGHT: 180CM POSITIONS: GD, GK, WD @StcyJyneFrancis @StcyJyneFrancis

JHANIELE FOWLER DOB: 21/07/1989 HEIGHT: 198CM POSITIONS: GS

ANNIKA LEE-JONES DOB: 03/01/96 HEIGHT: 197CM POSITIONS: GK, GD, GS @annika_lj @annika_lj

NATALIE MEDHURST DOB: 20/01/84 HEIGHT: 175CM POSITIONS: GA, GS @NatMedhurst @NatMedhurst

KAYLIA STANTON DOB: 17/05/94 HEIGHT: 189CM POSITIONS: GS, GA @KayliaStanton_ @KayliaStanton

Get Netball live, fast and data-free. All on Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best mobile network. Download the Netball Live App.

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R L O A N N I MI F I M E S T GU U A 2 1

FIREBIRDS V LIGHTNING

LAST TIME THEY MET It’s been the better part of two months since the second Queensland derby of the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season. But the memories of the Round 9 clash between the Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning have lingered long for those who witnessed it.

They managed eight of the next 11 goals, with Romelda Aiken netting the leveller with just 25 seconds on the clock.

It was the game that signalled the Lightning were truly back on track as potential premiership contenders, and proved to be one of the most gripping games of the season, with the Lightning prevailing by a single goal – shot by Caitlin Bassett, with just seconds remaining.

But the Lightning – in possession at the ensuing centre pass - coolly chewed up the clock until finding Bassett under the post with just seconds remaining, allowing the Samsung Diamonds captain to slot the winner as the final whistle blew.

The Firebirds, who were victorious 55-52 in a seesawing first derby in Round 2, looked the better team early, collecting both bonus points in the first half after winning each quarter by a goal.

The result was critical for the Lightning’s premiership defence aspirations, with the result taking them to 4-5 and keeping them in touch with the top four, while for the Firebirds it was the one that got away, and was a major factor in them missing a top-two spot at season’s end.

But the Lightning bit back in the third quarter, winning it 16-13 off the back of plenty of defensive pyrotechnics from Karla Pretorius and taking a one-goal lead into the last change. From there the Lightning put themselves in the box seat, with Bassett and Steph Wood

RECENT ENCOUNTERS RD 9 : 2018

58/57 RD 7 : 2017

60/49 14

sharing four unanswered goals midway through the final term to establish a five-goal advantage, and yet still the Firebirds would not lie down.

RD 2 : 2018

55/52 RD 1 : 2017

56/56

One thing’s for certain: this one’s going down to the wire.

IS THERE A MORE IN-FORM TEAM THAN THE QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS? If the two-time national league champions are to add a third title to their trophy cabinet, they’ll have to do it the hard way with three consecutive wins – two of them against the league’s top two sides. But having beaten both the West Coast Fever and GIANTS netball as they embarked on a four-game winning streak to close out their regular season, the girls in maroon know they’ve every chance. After going down by a single goal to the Melbourne Vixens in Round 10, the Firebirds trounced the GIANTS 64-50 in a Laura Geitz masterclass. They then travelled to Perth and did the unthinkable – holding the Fever to just 54 goals to upset them by six goals on home soil as Kim Jenner announced herself as a genuine

TEAM STATS Goals For

85% Goal %

Goals Against 751 Gain W-L-D

858

191 9-5-0

star of the future. Jenner’s performance included six defensive gains and a combination with Geitz that restricted scoring machine Jhaniele Fowler to only 42 goals. The final two weeks of the season were handy tune-ups: a 21-goal win against the Adelaide Thunderbirds and an emphatic 32-goal demolition of the Magpies that has the Firebirds absolutely hurtling into the postseason. Reaching the grand final from third position isn’t unprecedented – the GIANTS did it last year – and if any team has the weapons at both ends to win three on the trot under Suncorp Super Netball finals pressure, it could be the Firebirds.

GABI SIMPSON DOB: 17/10/92 HEIGHT: 176CM POSITIONS: WD @gabsimpson @gabs_simo

ROMELDA AIKEN DOB: 19/11/88 HEIGHT: 196CM POSITIONS: GS @aiken_romelda @romelda7

MAHALIA CASSIDY DOB: 09/10/95 HEIGHT: 173CM POSITIONS: C, WA @mahaliacassidy

LAURA CLEMESHA DOB: 21/01/92 HEIGHT: 190CM POSITIONS: GK, GD @lauraclemesha_ @LauraClemeshaQ

LAURA GEITZ DOB: 04/11/1987 HEIGHT: 185CM POSITIONS: GK @lmgeitz

TARA HINCHLIFFE DOB: 25/05/1998 HEIGHT: 181CM POSITIONS: GD, GK @TaraHinchliffe_

KIM JENNER DOB: 27/02/98 HEIGHT: 184CM POSITIONS: GD, GK @kjenner21

JEMMA MI MI DOB: 04/03/96 HEIGHT: 176CM POSITIONS: C, WD, WA @jemma_mimi

CAITLYN NEVINS DOB: 01/06/87 HEIGHT: 173CM POSITIONS: WA, C @caitlyn_nevins @caitlyn_nevins

GRETEL TIPPETT DOB: 03/07/93 HEIGHT: 192CM POSITIONS: GA @gtippett @gretskies11

@LauraFirebirds

HOW THE SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING WOULD RESPOND THIS YEAR AFTER ACHIEVING THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS IN 2017 WAS ANYONE’S GUESS. After all, in many ways there was no precedent or road map to follow. They were a brand new franchise in the first year of a new league, and many players were experiencing success at the highest level for the first time. Add a draining Commonwealth Games campaign for four of the team’s starting seven, and there were a myriad of questions for the defending champions to answer as the 2018 season began. But there was plenty of collective headscratching when the Lightning started the season 0-3 and looked down and out before their title defence had even warmed up. Hindsight tells us that those three games were against the only teams to finish higher than the Lightning this year – the GIANTS netball, Firebirds and Fever – and they quickly righted the ship with three consecutive wins to put themselves back in the mix.

TEAM STATS Goals For

89% Goal %

Goals Against 752 Gain W-L-D

809

183 8-5-1

The league’s new bonus point system has had its critics, but you likely won’t find the Lightning inner sanctum among them, with the Sunshine Coast Lightning side collecting more bonus points (35) for quarter wins than any other team. While coach Noeline Taurua regularly rued major lapses that cost her team throughout the season, their best netball had them taking it right up to the other finals contenders. But of concern for the Lightning will be the fact they’ve only beaten one of those teams – the Firebirds in Round 9. A draw against the GIANTS was encouraging, as was a one-goal loss to the Fever in Round 10, but the Lightning are up against it, with home court advantage proving a formidable barrier for all visiting teams in 2018, and the Lightning face three weeks on the road if they hope to win back-to-back titles.

GEVA MENTOR DOB: 17/09/1984 HEIGHT: 190CM POSITIONS: GK, GD @GevaMentor @GevaMentor

CAITLIN BASSETT DOB: 23/05/1988 HEIGHT: 193CM POSITIONS: GS @C_Bass_ Netball @CBassNetball

KELSEY BROWNE DOB: 17/01/1992 HEIGHT: 164CM POSITIONS: WA, C @KelseyBrowne_ @KelseBrowne

CARA KOENEN DOB: 27/02/1996 HEIGHT: 190CM POSITIONS: GS, GA @CaraKoenen

MADELINE McAULIFFE DOB: 05/12/1994 HEIGHT: 180CM POSITIONS: C, WD @maddymcauliffe

ERENA MIKAERE DOB: 09/07/1988 HEIGHT: 192CM POSITIONS: GK, GD @ErenaMikaere @ErenaMikaere

KARLA PRETORIUS DOB: 12/03/1990 HEIGHT: 181CM POSITIONS: GD, WD @mostertkarlaa @karlamostert

JACQUI RUSSELL DOB: 01/06/1988 HEIGHT: 176CM POSITIONS: WD, C @jac_russell

LAURA SCHERIAN DOB: 26/06/1988 HEIGHT: 167CM POSITIONS: WA, C

STEPH WOOD DOB: 28/11/1991 HEIGHT: 175CM POSITIONS: GA, WA @SJWood91 @WoodsJ91

SARAHPHEINNA WOULF DOB: 19/02/2000 HEIGHT: 182CM POSITIONS: GD, WD

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

AUSTRALIAN NETBALL LEAGUE

Rising NSW Swifts star Sophie Garbin was all but unknown to most netball fans just 12 months ago. But fast-forward a year and she’s one of the names on everyone’s lips as the future of Australian goaling, having had a stellar first season in Suncorp Super Netball (SSN). This time last year the Perth native was busy making a name for herself as the best young shooting talent in Australia, sweeping all before her for the WA Sting in the Deakin University Australian Netball League (DUANL). The Swifts were quick to swoop on the 21-year-old, and she duly delivered for them numerous times throughout the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season as their go-to player when they needed a spark late in games.

ANL

Garbin’s instant success in the world’s best netball league, along with the retirements of a host of veterans, means clubs are almost certain to be looking towards the DUANL to unearth the next recruits for their rosters.

“The intent in everything that everyone does on that court has stepped up a level this year. That was the most impressive thing: it didn’t matter who you were playing, every quarter was competitive and every quarter you had to make sure you were trying to execute your game plan,” she said. “Everyone is going out there with a do-or-die kind of attitude.” Upton pointed to the presence of the Suncorp Super Netball training partners, who played much of the DUANL season, as the driving force behind the increasingly elite standard. “The training partners get the crossover of the two competitions and the training environment. If you’ve got players in that (Suncorp Super Netball) environment and they’re bringing that down into your training, it lifts the bar and challenges everybody else. They play a big role in setting the intensity and the culture that filters down into DUANL.”

For Kate Upton, who coached the Collingwoodaligned Tasmanian Magpies to their first DUANL title this year, the quality of the talent coming through the DUANL competition has never been stronger.

JANE COOK - GS - TASMANIAN MAGPIES A 2017 Adelaide Thunderbirds signing, Cook returned to Victoria this year and was the clear number one tall shooter in the competition, scoring 534 goals in 14 games and leading Tasmania to the 2018 title. With few tall Australian goalers currently emerging, Cook may get another opportunity. RAHNI SAMASON – GS/GA - VICTORIAN FURY The Australian Netball League MVP for 2018, goal shooter Samason’s accuracy from any range will almost certainly appeal to Suncorp Super Netball clubs. With Mwai Kumwenda set to miss 12 months with an ACL injury, is Samason the readymade replacement?

WITNESS THE ENERGY. JOIN THE ACTION. Become part of one of WA’s fastest growing sports. Visit WESTCOASTFEVER.COM.AU For partnership opportunities, please email lacie.riseborough@netballwa.com.au or call 08 9380 3706

WE ALL FLY HIGHER ON

The Queensland Firebirds have been Queensland’s team SINCE 1997. We are club first. We are MORE THAN THE SEVEN PLAYERS ON COURT. At our HEART is grassroots and Saturday mornings, all the way from Tweed Heads to the Torres Strait.

Our Firebirds are more than just netballers, they’re ROLE MODELS. They are also human beings with HOPES, DREAMS & ASPIRATIONS just like you.

“Fire” embodies the spirit of Queensland – it symbolises PASSION, CONFIDENCE & DESIRE. Fuelling an inferno from the tiniest spark. The ability to muck in and stick by your team mates. Every game we BRING FIRE and at every final buzzer comes new growth.

Our “Wings” symbolise FREEDOM and the ability to RISE; be it above others in competition or more importantly, above oneself.

No matter who you are – from Firebird to junior netballer – this is our war cry.

WE ALL FLY HIGHER ON WINGS OF FIRE.

EVENT SCHEDULE 27 - 28 OCTOBER 2018

SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER Game

Match Start

Team 1

Team 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1:45pm 2:30pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:45pm

AUS RSA NZL AUS ENG NZL JAM ENG AUS

MAL JAM ENG JAM MAL RSA MAL RSA NZL

Team 1

Team 2

SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER Game 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Match Start

12:15pm MAL RSA 1:00pm AUS ENG 1:45pm NZL JAM 2:30pm AUS RSA 3:15pm NZL MAL 4:00pm JAM ENG 4:40pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:00pm ENTERTAINMENT 5:15pm Play-off for 5th/6th 6:05pm Play-off for 3rd/4th 6:55pm GRAND FINAL 7:40pm PRESENTATIONS

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SALE NOW 23

2018 CLUB REPORT CARDS GIANTS NETBALL A team with unfinished business after a disappointing Suncorp Super Netball grand final in 2017, at their best the GIANTS netball have been scintillating this season. A stable line-up from last year was bolstered by the return of Kim Green, who’s been nothing short of sensational, and coach Julie Fitzgerald continues to demonstrate her ability to get the absolute most out of each of her players. Their performances have been all the more impressive considering they’re the only team without a holding goal shooter in their starting seven, and they found their best form at just the right time, dismantling the Fever in Round 14 ahead of a semi-final rematch this weekend.

WEST COAST FEVER Fever roared into uncharted waters in 2018 and have undoubtedly been the story of the season. Having made the finals just once since 1997 – dating back to the team’s national league origins as the Perth Orioles, the West Australian team announced itself as a title contender in Round 1 and never looked back. They snared the recruit of the year in Jhaniele Fowler, but it’s the development of players such as Courtney Bruce, Jess Anstiss and Ingrid Colyer over the past two seasons that has also underpinned the team’s rise. A loss to the GIANTS in the final round robbed them of the minor premiership, but they remain an excellent chance of hoisting their first premiership trophy.

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS After missing finals for the first time in five years in 2017, there was little doubt the Firebirds would bounce back in a big way in 2017. And bounce back they did, with the return of defender and club legend Laura Geitz helping to steer the Queensland side back into finals contention. Goal attack Gretel Tippett returned to career-best form, dominating in tandem with Romelda Aiken, with the team’s campaign gathering momentum as the season went on, winning the last four matches heading into finals. Beating the Fever, the GIANTS and the Lightning in the home and away season provides a huge boost in confidence as they prepare to tackle those teams again.

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING If the loss of 2017 premiership lynchpin Laura Langman was supposed to kill off the Lightning’s chances this season, someone forgot to tell them. A season that started slowly with a self-confessed Commonwealth Games “hangover” - and three losses in the first three rounds - quickly gathered steam as the Sunshine Coast outfit found their groove. With Karla Pretorius taking her game to a new level and defensive partner Geva Mentor continuing to set the competition standard, the team also weathered the absence of coach Noeline Taurau for multiple games after the passing of her father, proving that adversity is no impediment to their success. 24

MELBOURNE VIXENS A season that promised so much ended in disappointment for 2017 minor premiers the Vixens, who missed the finals for just the fourth time in 11 years. A 14-goal win at home against the West Coast Fever in Round 7 gave a glimpse at what the team might be capable of, but they were also stung hardest by the new bonus point system. Despite winning eight out of 14 games, the team won less than half of its quarters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; limiting its bonus points - and when star goal shooter Mwai Kumwenda went down with a season-ending knee injury in Round 13, after already losing a pregnant Chloe Watson earlier in the season, their luck had run out.

NSW SWIFTS If any teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supporters have cause for the most optimism heading into 2019, it could be the NSW Swifts. The Swifts ran out of gas in the back half of the season as the experience of other franchises began to tell, but the young NSW outfit surprised many with its performances early in the year, knocking off the Firebirds in Round 1, the GIANTS in Round 3 and the Lightning in Round 7. Having already locked in young stars Maddy Proud, Sophie Garbin and Maddy Turner for next season, the Swifts look to be building towards something big.

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES It was a season that promised so much and yet never quite delivered for the Magpie army. After falling in the semi-finals last season many expected Collingwood, who recruited former Samsung Diamonds goal attack Erin Bell in the off-season, to be a major contender in 2018, but after winning just one of their first five games it was clear that this would not be their year. The constant pressure eventually told, with coach Kristy Keppich-Birrell announcing before the end of the season that she would not be returning, while the retirements of Bell, Shay Brown and Sharni Layton leave gaping holes that will need to be filled.

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS The Thunderbirds entered the 2018 as something of a mystery. With an almost entirely new team assembled from across the globe, it was a boom or bust scenario for a team that won only one game last season. An ACL injury to Cat Tuivaiti shortly after she inked her contract rocked the inexperienced team, which struggled to gel consistently and endured a winless season that saw coach Dan Ryan told his contract would not be renewed, with GIANTS coach Tania Obst to take over in 2019. Among the positives were the emergence of young goal attack Charlee Hodges, who grabbed her opportunity with both hands, while the team got the jump in recruiting for next season, with young Jamaican defender Shamera Sterling already putting pen to paper for next year. 25

MEET YOUR NETSETGO AMBASSADORS Kristiana Manu’a - GIANTS Netball Age: 22 Position: GK, GD, WD

When did you start playing netball? I started playing when I was 10. Why do you love netball? I love netball because I love the sport, how competitive it is and playing with my best mates.

Kaylia Stanton - West Coast Fever Age: 24 Position: GA, GS

Why do you love netball? I love the camaraderie and friendships that you make through netball. It’s such a competitive sport and I love the challenges that comes with that. It’s so much fun to play and you learn new skills all the time. What’s your favourite netball tip? Always make sure you are enjoying your sport, no matter what level you reach, always enjoy the game and have fun.

Gretel Tippett - Queensland Firebirds Age: 25 Position: GA

Why did you start playing netball? To regain my fitness after being sidelined for months with Glandular Fever during my WNBL basketball career. Why do you love netball? It’s a team game where you make friends for life.

Kelsey Browne - Sunshine Coast Lightning Age: 26 Position: WA C

What’s your favourite netball tip? I love doing any ball handling drills or cone work. You get to work really hard and test your touch on the ball when you’re tired. Who was your sporting hero when you were a child? My sporting hero has always been my sister. She showed me that it can be done and I always love watching her play and seeing her craft. 26

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Caitlin Bassett wears Gel Netburner Professional FF 30