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Queensland Firebirds completed a regular-season sweep of the trans-Tasman netball league on Saturday but questions linger about their title credentials without skipper Lauren Nourse.
Despite icing their unbeaten record in Christchurch, the Firebirds were stretched by last-placed Canterbury Tactix before running away in the second half to win 69-52.
The last-round victory marks the Brisbane-based team as only the second in the four-year history of the ANZ Championship to go through the preliminary rounds undefeated.
But the Queenslanders are wary of repeating the deflating efforts of the NSW Swifts who last year enjoyed a perfect regular season before getting knocked in the finals in straight sets.
Vulnerable without centre Nourse, they were fortunate not to fall to the upset of the season against ninth-placed West Coast (56-54) on Monday night, and also started poorly against the Tactix who led for most of the first quarter at Canterbury Arena.
The absence of their captain, sidelined by a season-ending knee injury, was again highly noticeable as the Firebirds committed a litany of mid-court turnovers but were saved by inaccurate shooting by the Tactix goalers (75 per cent).
“In the first quarter we got eight or nine balls off them but we just couldn’t convert them at the other end,” lamented Tactix coach Helen Mahon-Stroud.
Coach Roselee Jencke experimented with Jacqui Russell at centre for the first term but replaced her with Elissa MacLeod with the scores deadlocked at 15-all and the former Vixen had more success.
Wing attack Chelsea Pitman endured a nervous start against her former team, giving up three early turnovers, before warming to the task as the Firebirds took a 33-27 halftime lead.
It was the class of star shooters Romelda Aiken, who finished with 50 goals at 96 per cent, and Natalie Medhurst (19 at 93), and the defence of stand-in skipper Laura Geitz which ultimately saw the competition leaders dominate the second half.
After finishing a heart-breaking fifth for the previous three seasons, Queensland can book a home grand final with victory in next weekend’s major semi-final.
“We’re absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t wish for any more,” said Geitz. “It’s amazing but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got some tough games coming up.”
The Firebirds will likely play New Zealand’s best side, the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, on the Gold Coast next Sunday or Monday.
AAP jsm/it/gjw