THE third matchup of Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) Round 6 was a huge battle between Sunshine Coast Lightning and Queensland Firebirds, with the Firebirds getting the chocolates in this one credit to a huge opening half of action, eventually claiming the 61-52 victory. Whilst the Lightning had their moments, the Firebirds came out hunting from the get-go and never looked like relinquishing their significant lead.

With both sides coming into this clash off the back of one-goal margins last round – the Lightning earning the win and the Firebirds falling – this match started off fairly even with the two sides rarely separated throughout the early stage of the first. While both sides grabbed glimpses of momentum, with Cara Koenen and Romelda Aiken firing at either end, it took a purple patch from the away side to seal the first term, seeing Aiken string five straight goals on as Gretel Bueta bookended with super shots to extend a two-goal lead to nine within three minutes on the clock. The Lightning appeared to be missing their signature composure in attack, with three failing super shot attempts in the final minutes of the first showcasing just how rattled Koenen and Steph Wood were, with the defensive effort from a flying Gabi Simpson, Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe not backing down. Simpson’s ability to impose herself on both the game and her opposition was evident from the get-go, limiting Laura Scherian‘s chances to hit circle edge and allowing Hinchliffe to nab three first quarter intercepts as the Firebirds took an 18-10 lead into the first break.

A huge second quarter saw the two sides go goal for goal throughout the first passage, before three straight from Koenen and Wood was reversed by three to the Firebirds, with both sides doing well to have small wins off the opposition centre. But where the Lightning appeared to be working fine on paper, on court the defensive wins were not coming, with Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni both struggling to inject themselves into the contests. Meanwhile, Kim Ravaillion was well and truly winning the midcourt battle against former Firebird Mahalia Cassidy, forcing the change as the Lightning made hefty rotations in their front-end. It was a better quarter in attack from Wood and Koenen, with better accuracy setting up a second half surge from the duo, although the combination of Aiken and Bueta showed no signs of stopping as the two goalers appeared to be back to their best. A 19-13 second quarter saw the Firebirds head into the main change with a 14-goal lead, with a couple of late Aiken super shots proving just how confident the Firebirds were throughout the contest.

The third term saw a change from the Lightning, with the side combining much better defensively and showing real intent for the ball out the front. The injection of Kate Shimmin in wing defence proved genius for the side as her long arms and tight marking made it harder for Jemma Mi Mi to dictate the space, and in turn allowed Maweni to pick up a couple handy intercepts. While Pretorius did not have a huge statistical impact, she put in the hard yards to get inside Bueta’s head and provide a real link in transition to attack, immersing herself better as she looked to force errors from the side. Meanwhile, a higher workrate from Wood in attack allowed Koenen to step up in the front-end, seeing the side rally with their renewed confidence, as Scherian got the jump over Simpson throughout the quarter, adjusting better. An 18-10 quarter – with no super shot attempts from either side – saw the Lightning set up an intriguing final term with just a six-goal margin (41-47) at the final change.

But the Firebirds had already been pipped at the post a couple of times this season, and would not let their fellow Queensland-based side get the jump on them, rallying until the bitter end and treasuring possession, making it hard for the Lightning to steal the momentum once more. Accuracy proved crucial in the Firebirds’ pursuit for a second win of the season, with Aiken and Bueta wasting no chances to post as Hinchliffe’s effort on Koenen were influential once more, switching up her intensity after the third to make it hard for the goal shooter to find the goals. While defensively the Lightning were better in the final term limiting access to post, the side just could not generate the scoring power to really challenge the Firebirds, as the away side won the Queensland derby by nine goals, 61-52.

Player of the match Ravaillion was a livewire throughout, collecting an intercept to go with her match-leading 20 goal assists, while Bueta was not far behind with 15 assists and 19 goals (17 goals from 18 attempts and two super shots from four) as Aiken piled on 37 goals (34 and three super shots). Hinchliffe’s first quarter effort set up the remainder of the match, finishing with four intercepts and two rebounds, as Jenner and Simpson picked up two intercepts apiece, with the latter’s impact far more influential than her stats suggest. For the Lightning, Koenen was rendered less accurate and clean than usual finishing with 36 goals from 42 attempts and six turnovers, as Wood (15 from 21, one of five super shots) showed glimpses of form. Wood’s 13 assists were mirrored by Scherian, although Scherian and Cassidy combined for 11 turnovers between them. Maweni had her moments to finish with three intercepts, while Pretorius struggled to impact consistently, registering just one gain throughout the match.

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 10 | 13 | 18 | 11 (52)
QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS 18 | 19 | 10 | 14 (61)

STARTING SEVEN:

Lightning

GS: Cara Koenen
GA: Steph Wood
WA: Laura Scherian
C: Mahalia Cassidy
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
GD: Karla Pretorius
GK: Phumza Maweni

Firebirds

GS: Romelda Aiken
GA: Gretel Bueta
WA: Jemma Mi Mi
C: Kim Ravaillion
WD: Gabi Simpson
GD: Kim Jenner
GK: Tara Hinchliffe

Picture credit: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images