One of the fiercest rivalries in netball hits Brisbane on Friday night (7.30 am TT time), with the Queensland Firebirds led by standout Jamaica Romelda Aiken hosting the T&T’s Samantha Wallace and the New South Wales Swifts to start Round 4’s Suncorp Super Netball action at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The last time these two teams met in the Sunshine State, it was the Queensland Firebirds who held up the Trans-Tasman netball trophy, following a thrilling Grand Final settled in extended extra time.
Firebirds tall-timberAiken sealed the win with the final goal of the game, but the last time these two teams met is not at the front of her mind leading into their next clash.
A World Championship and Commonwealth Games bronze netball medal winner with Jamaica, the 28-year-old Aiken said their long-standing rivalry goes beyond their last few encounters, including twice on the Grand Final stage, stemming from the long-standing New South Wales and Queensland rivalry.
“We go out hard at each other and it’s just that New South Wales and Queensland rivalry from Origin,” Aiken said.
“Everyone wants to make a statement where that is concerned, state versus state.”
The shooter said the team’s focus would be on continuing to build on their first Suncorp Super Netball win in Round Three, 60-47 over West Coast Fever.
“Playing against the Swifts this weekend, we are trying to solidify our position in the competition,” she said.
“Knowing that they are coming off a draw, they are going to be really firing but I think for us it’s just to stay in control of what we can control on court.”
She said she is looking forward to witness how they match up, particularly new match-ups and also warned her team-mates about the threat of fellow Caribbean import 23-year-old Wallace.
“With Sam Wallace on that Swifts attack end, it gives them more of a stable goal shooting option, and she has been playing really well with (Helen) Housby.
“Having their change-up in their front-end and our change-up in our back end, it should be really interesting.”
Last weekend, Wallace showed nerves of steel to drain the match-saving shot as the Swifts salvaged a 59-59 draw with the Melbourne Vixens at Hisense Arena, Melbourne.
Individually, Wallace, who is playing in her first season in Australia and earning the “Sky Sports Player of the Year” on debut in the Vitality Netball Super League in England last year with Hertfordshire Mavericks, is fourth among the “Most Goals” with 112 from 133 attempts to trail Australian and Sunshine Coast Lightning standout Caitlin Bassett (141/150), Jamaica and Firebirds Romelda Aiken (125/157) and Magpies Netball’s Caitlin Thwaites (121/134)
The T&T starlet, who was the second most goals getter in England and a top four scorer at the 2015 Netball World Cup in Sydney Australia is also fourth in the “Most Offensive Rebounds” category with eight, ten adrift of Aiken.
Over in England, in the ten-team Vitality Netball Super League, T&T’s Afeisha Noel and her newly formed Severn Stars, fresh of their first win in three matches, 53-46 over fellow national shooter, Kalifa Mc Collin and her Celtic Dragons (0-3) will return to action tomorrow.