Firebirds v Thunderbirds (59 – 71)

The Queensland Firebirds fell short to the Adelaide Thunderbirds in their final home game of the season.

In front of a full house at Queensland State Netball Centre, the Firebirds were seeking their first win of the year.

Yet, Adelaide took their game to the next level in this ‘Battle of the Birds,’ led by an inspired performance from Maria Folau.

It was a subdued result for Queensland’s Caitlyn Nevins and Laura Clemesha who were playing their final home game following the announcement of their retirement earlier last week.

Whilst the Firebirds briefly gained some momentum in the third quarter, thanks to some impressive play from Gretel Tippett, they failed to impact the scoreboard.

Both sides appeared shambolic at times, yet the Thunderbirds’ star power showed they have the potential to be a competitive side next season.

With the likes of Sasha Glasgow finding form as a shooter and Shamera Sterling holding fort down the defensive end, Tania Obst will be looking to ensure her side continues to gel this off-season.

“We put systems in place where we wanted to keep moving forward and set us up for next season by finishing off well,” Obst told AAP.

“Some of our play against the Firebirds was outstanding and we showed a lot of class in that last quarter, apart from a couple of silly mistakes early.”

The last two rounds will be opportunities for both sides to consolidate key themes they’ve been working on, in the hope of improving for the 2020 season.