The next chapter of some of the league’s most storied rivalries will be written this weekend when the 2014 ANZ Championship Finals Series kicks off with Semi-Finals in Sydney and Melbourne.
After 65 games and 14 weeks, the Melbourne Vixens, Mission Queensland Firebirds, NSW Swifts and Kia Magic will contest the post-season after finishing in the top four following the conclusion of the most exciting season in the ANZ Championship history.
The Swifts and Magic will renew a trans-Tasman rivalry, that dates back seven years to the inaugural ANZ Championship Grand Final, when the two sides meet at Allphones Arena in the do-or-die Minor Semi-Final on Sunday.
Led by former Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald, the Magic has qualified for a seventh consecutive Finals Series – the only team in the ANZ Championship to have appeared in every playoffs campaign.
"We love playing in front of a home crowd but we don’t really mind being on the road either," Fitzgerald said.
"And I think the girls are quite keen to have another crack at the Swifts."
The two sides have met in finals on three occasions with the Swifts beating the Magic in the only previous semi-final meeting. They lined up again two weeks later when the Swifts defeated the Magic 65-56 in the 2008 Grand Final.
The Magic returned serve two years later when they defeated the Swifts 54-49 in the 2010 Preliminary Final before they went down to the Thunderbirds in the decider.
The Swifts, who host a final in Sydney for the first time since 2008, have won three of the past four meetings between the two sides, including a 55-43 victory only two weeks ago to secure their finals berth.
It’s the Swifts first finals appearance since 2011 and first-year coach Rob Wright said the team hopes to keep their season going for at least another week.
“We set our goals as a team at the start of the year to be in the Finals so that’s one box we’ve ticked off,” Wright said.
“Look, most of that credit has to go to the players. They’ve done the hard work so full credit to the girls, but also full credit to the rest of the coaching and management team. We have a whole group of people, of experts who really help this team on a week-by-week basis so it’s a team effort.”
The host of the 2014 ANZ Championship Grand Final will be decided on Monday evening when the Melbourne Vixens host the Queensland Firebirds at Hisense Arena.
The Vixens claimed their third minor premiership and home semi-final the hard way after relying on favourable results in the last round of the regular season following a defeat to the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel.
The Firebirds, the only top four side heading into this year’s Finals Series with a victory last weekend, claimed an upset 50-46 victory over the Vixens twelve months ago in the Preliminary Final.
The Vixens will be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky after falling short in their last two Finals Series campaigns.
After going down to the Magic in the 2012 Grand Final, the Vixens bounced back the following year to finish the regular season in second before being bundled out in straight sets with defeats to the Thunderbirds and Firebirds.
“We earned that top spot because of our percentage and we earned that percentage because of our good play across the season,” Vixens coach Simone McKinnis said.
“We’ve lost a couple of games but we feel in a really good place heading into these finals.”
Firebirds coach Roselee Jencke said: “It’s exciting to get the opportunity to play against the form team in the competition being the Vixens.
“Vixens have been the most consistent team from the very start so we know they’ll be difficult to beat and we’ll have to bring our A-Game to beat them. But we’re confident that we’ve got the game and the players to be able to, if we put it together, to come out on top.”
Tickets for both the Major and Minor Semi-Finals are still available via www.ticketek.com.au.
Catch all the 2014 ANZ Championship Finals Series live on SKY Sports (New Zealand) and FOX SPORTS (Australia).
Minor Semi-Final: (3) NSW Swifts v (4) Kia Magic Date: Sunday 8 June 2014 Venue: Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia Time: 2.15pm (AEST) (Centre pass: 2.18pm; Doors Open: 1.00pm)
Major Semi-Final: (1) Melbourne Vixens v (2) Queensland Firebirds Date: Monday 9 June 2014 Venue: Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Australia Time: 5.45pm (AEST) (Centre pass: 5.48pm, Doors open: 4.45pm)
