ON the hunt for their first win of the season it was Collingwood that escaped with the win in what was a hard fought battle against the Firebirds (58-54). The lead ebbed and flowed throughout the match as the Firebirds once again burst out of the blocks but could not keep it up for the entire game as Collingwood dug deep.

A sloppy start to the game gifted the Magpies an early break as Shimona Nelson capitalised off Queensland’s centre pass and made it two goals in a row. Collingwood proved that they were happy to play possession in the attacking end but were too cautious in approach as the Firebirds defensive unit shut down every drive to win a holding the ball call. The increased intensity from the Firebirds filtered down the court as Romelda Aiken showed off her extreme athleticism to reel in the high balls despite being double teamed at the post. Queensland steadily skipped out to a three-goal lead as they forced the Magpies into errant passes which trickled over the sidelines.

As the quarter ticked down, the Magpies fought their way back into the contest to draw level with eight and a half minutes left. But once again, the Firebirds stamped their authority pushing back out to a two-goal lead. Youngster Tippah Dwan looked even more composed in attack, finding plenty of the ball and injecting herself into the game with her nifty footwork. Aiken came out with a real fire in the belly and proved her versatility taking the hard drive along the baseline to open up the space and keep Geva Mentor guessing. Thanks to her energy up in the goal circle, Aiken plied her trade in defence to snatch back ball and inflict further scoreboard pain on the Pies.

Aiken continued to showcase her array of talents constantly on the move and putting up a plethora of shots. It was neck and neck for most of the quarter before the Firebirds once again lifted in attack thanks to the speed and dynamic movement of Jemma Mi Mi. The wing attack seemed to have the ball on a string slicing through the Pies defence  showcasing her class to deliver the ball on a silver platter to Aiken. Queensland looked in complete control as Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe put in the hard yards in defence to quell the efforts of Nelson and Gabby Sinclair in attack.

The battle in the midcourt did not disappoint as Kelsey Browne struggled to combat the brute strength of Gabi Simpson around circle edge. A strong rebound from Hinchliffe sent the Firebirds into attack once again to re-establish a three-goal buffer with the centre pass to come. Mi Mi continued her merry way in the attacking third, receiving every second pass as Melissa Bragg failed to reduce her opponents impact around circle edge.

A tactical timeout from the Magpies did not seem to solve their kinks as Jenner flew through for an intercept before the Pies answered the call with Mentor winning the ball back under the post. The injection of Matilda Garrett gave the Firebirds something different to think about under the post, while the super shot paid dividends for the Pies as Sinclair proved to have a hot hand from distance to cull the margin to just two goals. But it was Jenner that brought the house down with back-to-back intercepts and her quick transition down court to hold a commanding lead at half-time.

It was more of the same in the third term as the Firebirds looked to capitalise on the opportunities that swung their way. They piled on the pressure, slotting four consecutive goals thanks to Aiken under the post and Mahalia Cassidy out the front to create a game-high seven-goal lead. But Collingwood fought back with four consecutive goals of their own to swing their momentum their way as the Firebirds called a timeout in hope to arrest the shift of play. After starring last week, Nyah Allen once again stepped up to the plate and proved her worth with the youngster willing to go to post and using her pace to dart around the court. Allen managed three goals straight as Mentor provided a wall in defence for the Pies to pick up a huge rebound and send her side into attack once again to claw back to within a goal.

Looking for a spark in attack, Ine-Mari Venter came onto the court for the Firebirds which allowed the goaler to take the heat off Aiken under the post. An offside call from Molly Jovic and missed shot from Allen proved to be the spark the Firebirds needed as they once again pushed the lead out to four goals in what was a seesawing affair. But Collingwood were not done yet, getting back to within two goals.

With a win on the line and tired bodies across the court, neither side let up on the physicality however the issue of turnovers started to come into play. Collingwood went on a goal scoring spree nailing four goals to one in the opening stages of the final term to steal a two-goal lead.

Jodi-Ann Ward came alive in the final quarter with the Jamaican international throwing herself at every single pass and causing a ruckus, while Jovic relished the court time using her speed to consistently hit circle edge. After cutting the margin to just one goal, the Pies once again pulled away and while the Firebirds made the defensive switch up of Jenner and Hinchliffe it did not seem to bother Collingwood as they notched up their first victory of the season.

Aiken was commanding as ever under the post sinking 37 goals from 42 attempts. Dwan was once again a strong option in the goal circle as the youngster downed one super shot to go with her 12 goals. For the Magpies, Nelson stood up under the pressure thanks to 42 goals from 45 attempts at 93 per cent, while Sinclair plied her trade both out the front and in the circle posting 13 goal assists and seven goals. The injection of Allen worked wonders for the black and white as the youngster sank four goals. Down back Mentor was key for Collingwood amassing three intercepts while the persistent Jenner starred with a dazzling five intercepts and three gains.

>>> FIREBIRDS TEAM PAGE

>>> MAGPIES TEAM PAGE

>>> FULL GAME STATS

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Queensland Firebirds 17 | 15 | 13 | 9 (54)
Collingwood Magpies 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 (58)

STARTING SEVEN:

Queensland Firebirds:

GS: Romelda Aiken
GA: Tippah Dwan
WA: Jemma Mi Mi
C: Mahalia Cassidy
WD: Gabi Simpson
GD: Kim Jenner
GK: Tara Hinchliffe

Collingwood Magpies:

GS: Shimona Nelson
GA: Gabby Sinclair
WA: Kelsey Browne
C: Madi Browne
WD: Molly Jovic
GD: Jodi-Ann Ward
GK: Geva Mentor