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The ruthless Queensland Firebirds have produced the biggest hiding in the history of the trans-Tasman netball league to put themselves on the cusp of a maiden finals campaign.
The fifth-placed Firebirds showed no mercy to the cellar-dwelling Canterbury Tactix by wiping them out 75-32 at Brisbane Convention Centre on Monday night for an important percentage-booster.
The dominant all-court display smashed the Melbourne Vixens’ previous record for the competition’s biggest victory margin of 41 against the Central Pulse last year.
Queensland (14 points) must now beat West Coast Fever in Sunday’s final-round encounter in Perth and hope one of the two New Zealand outfits – Southern Steel and Waikato-BOP Magic (both 16) – ahead of them on the table lose.
Both the Steel and Magic face tough challenges, against the NSW Swifts and Adelaide Thunderbirds respectively, and will start as underdogs.
The Firebirds’ 43-goal penultimate-round victory even puts them in position to steal a home semi-final if results go on current form next week.
It would be a sweet success for skipper Lauren Nourse and her side after missing the finals by one game and goal percentage in the first two seasons of the ANZ Championship.
Star goalers Romelda Aiken and Natalie Medhurst clinically made the most of some silver service for a 5-0 whitewash of Kiwi rivals this season.
The Firebirds were this week denied the opportunity to call English import Tamsin Greenway back into their squad following a season-ending knee injury to wing attack Sarah Wall.
Coach Roselee Jencke threw 21-year-old Laura Scherian in for her first start and she didn’t disappoint, striking a slick combination with centre Nourse.
The Firebirds showed their intent from the outset, jumping to an early 8-4 lead before clicking ominously into gear to net 10 of the next 11 goals.
The home side finished the first term – their most dominant opening quarter of the year – ahead 20-8 and the contest was effectively over.
With player of the match Medhurst shooting sweetly from all parts of the goal circle and Jamaican shooter Romelda Aiken bagging 21 first half goals, Queensland stretched the score to 37-15 at halftime.
Tactix coach Helen Mahon-Stroud made a host of changes in a bid to stem the flow of goals and the damage control worked to a degree before Queensland pushed a 29-goal lead at the last change well out with a 22-8 last term.