Queensland Firebirds
The Queensland Firebirds are an Australian netball team based in Brisbane which compete in the Suncorp Super Netball league. The team previously competed in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Firebirds were formed as one of the foundation teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (CBT), previously the premier netball league in Australia, which was contested from 1997–2007. After the retirement of the CBT and ANZ Championship, the Firebirds were one of five Australian franchises to transfer to the Super Netball league.
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| Founded | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|
| Based in | Brisbane | |
| Regions | Queensland | |
| Home venue | Nissan Arena (5,000) | |
| Head coach | Roselee Jencke | |
| Asst coach | Jenny Brazel | |
| Captain | Gabi Simpson | |
| Premierships | 3 (2011, 2015, 2016) | |
| League | Suncorp Super Netball | |
| 2019 placing | 8th | |
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The Firebirds are currently coached by Roselee Jencke, who was appointed in 2010 replacing Vicki Wilson, and are captained by wing defender Gabi Simpson. The Firebirds current home court is the 5,000 seat arena at the Queensland State Netball Centre (commercially known as Nissan Arena) and which the club moved to in 2019.
History
The Queensland Firebirds are one of the founding teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, which they played their first season in 1997. The league ran from 1997–2007. In their first nine years of the league, Queensland finished no higher than sixth place. For the 2006 season, former Firebirds player Vicki Wilson was appointed as head coach for the team. Her appointment saw a sudden improvement in the team's standing in the league, with the Firebirds finishing 4th during Wilson's inaugural coaching year, and 5th in 2007.[1]
After 2007, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy was retired and replaced by a new trans-Tasman netball league, the ANZ Championship. The Firebirds were one of five Australian franchises to join the new league. For the new competition, the Firebirds changed their strip from maroon to purple and orange. They also secured the signing of rising Jamaican shooting star Romelda Aiken.[2] In their first three years competing in the ANZ Championship, the Firebirds finished fifth, narrowly missing out on the finals on each occasion. Wilson was replaced after the 2009 season by Roselee Jencke.[3]
During the 2011 ANZ Championship Season, the Queensland Firebirds went through the regular season undefeated, with 13 wins. Winning their Major Semi Final against the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, the Firebirds became the first team to win 14 games straight. Having won this game, the Firebirds went straight through to the 2011 ANZ Championship Grand Final to play the Northern Mystics. The Queensland Firebirds again prevailed, becoming the first ANZ Championship side to not drop a game in the course of the regular season and the finals series.
The Firebirds would go onto to enjoy a golden period in the ANZ Championship, winning two further premierships in heart-stopping fashion over their rivals the New South Wales Swifts, in 2015 and 2016. They then returned to the finals series in the new Super Netball league in 2018, though were eliminated by their rivals the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Laura Geitz announced her retirement from international netball in July 2018. She has played only for the Firebirds in her 10 year career, and in August 2018 she announced her retirement from domestic netball.
Players
| 2020 Queensland Firebirds roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaching staff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Player profiles: Team website | Last updated: 15/10/2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Notable former players
- Karen Clarke
- Belinda Dever
- Carla Dziwoki
- Tamsin Greenway
- Melanie Groves
- Michelle Hess
- Janelle Lawson
- Kelly-ann Mackenzie
- Demelza McCloud
- Natalie Medhurst
- Joanne Morgan
- Chelsea Pitman
- Peta Stephens
- Vicki Wilson
- Sarah Wall
- Karyn Bailey
- Laura Geitz
- Amirul Rosli
- Clare Ferguson
- Rebecca Bulley
- Amorette Wild
Captains
Former Australian representative Laura Geitz was appointed captain of the Firebirds ahead of the 2013 season, taking over from Lauren Nourse.[4] Since 2017 Gabi Simpson has been the team captain.[5]
Competitive record
Commonwealth Bank Trophy
| Season | Standings | Regular season | Finals | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | D | L | ||||
| Queensland Firebirds | ||||||
| 1997 | 7th | 4 | 0 | 10 | Did not qualify | Patti Farrell |
| 1998 | 7th | 2 | 0 | 12 | Did not qualify | Patti Farrell |
| 1999 | 8th | 2 | 0 | 12 | Did not qualify | Patti Farrell |
| 2000 | 7th | 2 | 1 | 11 | Did not qualify | Sue Hawkins |
| 2001 | 8th | 1 | 1 | 12 | Did not qualify | Sue Hawkins |
| 2002 | 6th | 4 | 0 | 10 | Did not qualify | Sue Hawkins |
| 2003 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 11 | Did not qualify | Sue Hawkins |
| 2004 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 11 | Did not qualify | Brenda Scherian |
| 2005 | 8th | 0 | 0 | 14 | Did not qualify | Brenda Scherian |
| 2006 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 7 | Lost Semi Final (Melbourne, 56–58) | Vicki Wilson |
| 2007 | 5th | 8 | 0 | 6 | Did not qualify | Vicki Wilson |
| Regular season | 36 | 2 | 116 | 0 Minor Premierships | ||
| Finals | 0 | – | 1 | 0 Commonwealth Bank Trophies | ||
ANZ Championship
| Season | Standings | Regular season | Finals | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | D | L | ||||
| Queensland Firebirds | ||||||
| 2008 | 5th | 7 | 0 | 6 | Did not qualify | Vicki Wilson |
| 2009 | 5th | 8 | 0 | 5 | Did not qualify | Vicki Wilson |
| 2010 | 5th | 7 | 0 | 6 | Did not qualify | Roselee Jencke |
| 2011 | 1st | 13 | 0 | 0 | Won Semi Final (Waikato, 50–39) Won Grand Final (Northern, 57–44) |
Roselee Jencke |
| 2012 | 6th | 7 | 0 | 6 | Did not qualify | Roselee Jencke |
| 2013 | 4th | 9 | 0 | 4 | Won Semi Final (Waikato, 53–50) Won Preliminary Final (Melbourne, 50–46) Lost Grand Final (Adelaide, 48–50) |
Roselee Jencke |
| 2014 | 2nd | 9 | 0 | 4 | Lost Semi Final (Melbourne, 47–52) Won Preliminary Final (Waikato, 54–50) Lost Grand Final (Melbourne, 42–53) |
Roselee Jencke |
| 2015 | 1st | 11 | 1 | 1 | Won Conference Final (New South Wales, 55–44) Won Semi Final (Northern, 60–44) Won Grand Final (New South Wales, 57–56) |
Roselee Jencke |
| 2016 | 2nd | 11 | 0 | 2 | Won Conference Final (New South Wales, 63–52) Won Semi Final (Southern, 67–64) Won Grand Final (New South Wales, 69–67) |
Roselee Jencke |
| Regular season | 82 | 1 | 34 | 2 Minor Premierships | ||
| Finals | 11 | – | 3 | 3 ANZ Championship titles | ||
Suncorp Super Netball
| Season | Standings | Regular season | Finals | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | D | L | ||||
| Queensland Firebirds | ||||||
| 2017 | 5th | 7 | 1 | 6 | DNQ | Roselee Jencke |
| 2018 | 3rd | 9 | 0 | 5 | Lost Elimination Final (Lightning, 56–57) | Roselee Jencke |
| 2019 | 8th | 1 | 2 | 11 | DNQ | Roselee Jencke |
| Regular season | 17 | 3 | 22 | 0 Minor Premierships | ||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 Super Netball titles | ||
Venues
The Queensland Firebirds play home matches and train at the Queensland State Netball Centre, known commercially as Nissan Arena. The club moved into the 5,000 seat facility in February 2019.[6] Past venues for home matches include Chandler Arena (1997–2008), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (2008–18), Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (2008–17), Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (2008–17) and Coomera Sport and Leisure Centre (2018). The Entertainment Centre can be utilised in the event of a large crowd expected.
Queensland Fusion
The Queensland Fusion is the feeder team in the Australian Netball League in a direct alignment with the Firebirds, having been in this position since 2016.[7] Players such as Tippah Dwan have played for the Fusion and later been elevated into the Firebirds' permanent squad. The Fusion squad is composed of a mixture of Firebirds training partners and some of Queensland’s most promising young and emerging players.[8][9]
See also
References
- "Mission Queensland Firebirds history". Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- Stannard, Damien (26 January 2008). "Jamaican fills tall order". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- Morton, Jim (7 August 2009). "Netball legend Wilson axed by Firebirds". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- "Laura Geitz crowned Firebirds captain". Fraser Coast Chronichle. 11 December 2012.
- "Gabi Simpson named Laura Geitz's successor as Firebirds captain". Courier Mail. 11 January 2017.
- "Premier fires first pass at Queensland's new $44 million Netball Centre". Brisbane Times. 24 February 2019.
- "New look ANL season gets underway". Netball Australia. 20 April 2016.
- "Gomes in 2018 Queensland Fusion squad". Netball Queensland. 20 February 2018.
- "Queensland Fusion". Netball Queensland.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Adelaide Thunderbirds |
ANZ Championship Winners 2011 |
Succeeded by Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |