IN the final match before the Netball World Cup break the Collingwood Magpies dominated the Queensland Firebirds by 13 goals, keeping the side winless from nine rounds. We attended the game and took notes on one player from each side, analysing their impact on the match.

MAGPIES: KELSEY BROWNE

Kelsey Browne put out one of her more solid performances for the season so far, putting in the hard yards all game for a relatively consistent match. Her second half was phenomenal, switching into another gear as she took control in attack and did a wealth of work out the front to help spur her side to victory.

Early on Browne was quiet, collecting only seven assists in the first half well kept by Gabi Simpson in wing defence. With Nat Medhurst putting in a strong effort throughout attack Browne had a rough time finding space, often leading a fraction too early or stopping a strong drive in a bid to lose Simpson on her tail at every ball. Though finding issues early, Browne cleaned up her act while Kimiora Poi took on some of the load through the midcourt, giving Browne the space to put her stellar footwork to the test and use the circle to her advantage.

The second half saw the Magpies as a whole improve with Browne following suit. Her feeds became a lot more valuable as the Firebirds reduced the margin, but Browne’s composure shone through with six of her eight feeds for the quarter assisting in a goal. Browne’s pinpoint accuracy was key, with both Medhurst and Shimona Nelson benefiting off her ability to find the circle edge. Browne hunted the ball better in the second half, chasing down the loose ball and putting her body on the line to contest and fight hard to win the ball in every occasion. Browne finished out the game with 18 goal assists from 29 feeds, 16 centre pass receives and three pickups to her name.

FIREBIRDS: GABI SIMPSON

Despite the speed and skill of her opposition, Gabi Simpson went toe to toe with Browne for the entire match, with the pair cancelling the other out as they caused a ruckus across the court. While Browne found her form in the second half, the Firebirds captain was impressive for a large portion on the game, using her game smarts to limit Browne’s influence around the goal circle. Simpson covered Browne’s every move, cutting off her drives and forcing different angles on the drive to cause turnovers through the midcourt.

Simpson showcased her cleanliness in this matchup, nullifying Browne’s clever ball use and speed on the drive by tagging her out of the game and reducing her regular penalty count. Simpson finished with zero turnovers and only six penalties for the match, proving her ability to be a dominant force regardless of the speed of her opposition, putting her body on the line but keeping away from the umpire’s whistle.

Simpson’s hands over pressure was solid, coming off the body to apply pressure downcourt and deny Browne space and easy access to the goal third. Simpson’s three intercepts all came at pivotal moments, reading the play perfectly and timing her run at the ball to ensure a clean possession. Her great vision and determination to get to the ball for a steal was second to none, only matched on intercepts by Magpies defender, Geva Mentor. While her defensive pressure was immense her ability to drive through the middle of the court and provide attacking momentum was pivotal to the Firebirds who struggled in transition down the court.