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At the 13th time of asking, Queensland Firebirds have recorded their first victory of the Super Netball season by beating the West Coast Fever 68-62.
Reward for effort was the order of the day for Queensland Firebirds on Sunday as they scored their first Super Netball win for 2019 at the expense of West Coast Fever.
Firebirds came to RAC Arena with just the two draws to show for their efforts so far this season, but it all came together in their best showing of the campaign winning 68-62.
It was a strong performance all over the court, starting in attack with Gretel Tippett (30 goals from 30 attempts) and Lenize Potgieter (19 from 21) with Romelda Aiken then going 19 from 22 following a stint defending Jhaniele Fowler.
Fowler produced another 58 goals for the Fever but they dearly missed captain Courtney Bruce defensively while Caitlyn Nevins, Jemma Mi Mi and Gabi Simpson were impressive in the mid-court as the Firebirds scored a first win of 2019.
Coach Roselee Jencke couldn't be happier to see her team rewarded for effort with the win in Perth.
"To be able to come across here and get a win, and travel back home on the plane with a smile on our faces is really nice," Jencke said.
"I thought they delivered really well tonight and it was probably the most consistent effort we've put out there all season. We had some continuity with our line-up which is really good because Kimmy (Jenner) and Tara (Hinchliffe) have both been injured really.
"They were both only allowed to play three quarters, but I said dammit, leave them out there. Lenize came on and she hasn't had a lot of time out there and I thought she did a really good job, and brought something different.
"I thought that Caity Nevins played her best game of the season tonight and I thought she was well supported by Jemma. Gabi led really well and came through for some good ball for us."
Despite the result against the previously winless Firebirds, Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich wasn't too disappointed.
"We've had a couple of injuries throughout the season and Courtney wasn't out on the court tonight obviously so a few things out of our control haven't fallen our way," Marinkovich said.
"Defensively with what they had in the circle and the experience they had in their line-up, I thought we were able to confuse them a bit but we still have to figure out a way to get more ball to apply more pressure on the opposition."
Both teams now close their season on Saturday at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena with the Firebirds up against NSW Swifts and Fever playing the Giants. A win for Queensland could see them avoid the wooden spoon.
