Firebirds too hot for Tactix in the ANZ Netball Championships
Round 12, 2011
Queensland Firebirds head home to host the Major Semi Final after sweeping past the Mercury Energy Tactix with a clinical 69-52 win in Christchurch today.
In the last match of the regular season for the pair, Firebirds retained their unbeaten record ahead of the Finals Series while in a largely forgettable season Tactix could not present their outgoing coach of the last four years, Helen Mahon-Stroud, with a winning farewell.
With just the one win under their belts, Tactix ended their campaign as they have spent most of the season, struggling. It was a tough day out for the bottom-placed Tactix against the table-topping Firebirds, who now head home full of confidence ahead of the Finals Series.
Tactix opted to tweak their attacking line with Silver Ferns shooting hopeful Anna Thompson lining up at wing attack, Donna Wilkins at goal attack and Ellen Halpenny at goal shooter. For the Firebirds, the little-used Jacqui Russell found herself at centre with a view to testing combinations ahead of the Finals Series.
Both defensive lines made strong starts with the ball being turned over repeatedly but it was Tactix who settled the quickest to nose ahead early on. Defender Laura Geitz and shooter Romelda Aiken were prominent figures at either end of the court as Firebirds got the game back on level terms, the teams going goal-for-goal for the remainder of the quarter.
Wilkins and her Firebirds opposite Natalie Medhurst played crucial roles in guiding their attacking lines and providing accuracy under the hoop as the teams went to the first break with the scores locked at 15-all.
Elissa Macleod took over from Russell on the resumption, coinciding with a lift in the efficiency of the visitors’ play. Executing the basics perfectly, Firebirds' transition through court was slick and seemingly achieved with minimal effort. Showing few chinks, the visitors gradually built a lead, 1.96m Jamaican import Aiken proving unstoppable in collecting the bomb and converting.
The feeding of Medhurst, on the back of a terrific season, was pivotal while the high-flying Geitz shone at the other end. The rangy defender proved a constant thorn as Halpenny, in particular, struggled against her long reach and athleticism.
Sharing a similar amount of ball, it was Firebirds’ higher level of shooting accuracy (89 percent compared to Tactix 75 percent) that propelled them to a 33-27 halftime lead. In a regular move by the Firebirds, Clare McMeniman replaced Keirra Trompf at wing defence for the second half as the visitors seamlessly resumed their relentless onslaught.
Bolting out to a 13-goal advantage, Medhurst continued to orchestrate the Firebirds' attacking prowess, roaming free as defenders Charlotte Kight and Anna Galvan struggled with the unenviable task of containing the lofty Aiken with limited success. Tactix were forced to live off scraps, every possession hard-earned as the clinically proficient Firebirds took a healthy 52-42 lead into the last break.
Firebirds tweaked their defensive line for the run home, again with a view towards the Finals Series, but doing little to unhinge the visitors’ momentum as the score continued to climb.
