Twenty five years after they first met, the Swifts and Firebirds are set to reignite their long-standing rivalry when they clash in Round 1 of Suncorp Super Netball in Brisbane on Sunday.
After spending the entire 2020 campaign in Queensland, the Swifts are returning to the Sunshine State for one of their toughest assignments of the year.
The Firebirds, who won back-to-back Grand Finals against the Swifts in 2015 and 2016, had a strong second-half of the 2020 season and look a side rejuvenated under the tutelage of Swifts centurion Megan Anderson.
Between them the clubs have nine Premierships (6 Swifts, 3 Firebirds), and Swifts head coach Briony Akle says there is no bigger game on the calendar for her team.
"I love the history and legacy of both clubs since the National League started back in 1997, and now we are seeing the game come full circle with players from back then at the helm of the clubs today," she said.
"While the Swifts dominated the early days in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy it swung towards the Firebirds in the ANZ Championship and now I think it's nicely poised again.
"When NSW and Queensland are strong it's good for netball, and you only have to go back four or five years to remember a time when it was Swifts and Firebirds jostling for top spot."
Adding spice to the clash is the fact that Akle and Anderson are former Swifts team-mates who won Premierships together in 2001 and 2004.
"Megan has a wonderful history with the Swifts, not just as a player but also as a coach in those Grand Final appearances in 2015 and 2016. However in professional sport you park history and look towards the future and I know she'll have the Firebirds humming on Sunday.
"I know from our pre-season clashes that the Firebirds are back, and this is the challenge you want."
The Firebirds may have missed out on Finals for the past two seasons but they showed their rebuild was well on track when they stunned the defending champion Swifts 77-64 in Round 10 last year.
They left their Finals run a little late in 2020 but Swifts attacker Helen Housby knows with players like Gretel Bueta, Gabi Simpson, Romelda Aiken, Kim Jenner and Tippah Dwan, not to mention the returning Kim Ravaillion, the Queenslanders have "weapons" everywhere.
"They are very physical and you have to match them and bring your A-game," she said.
"To be honest you have to stop the ball before it gets into the circle because they have huge targets and it's pretty difficult for our circle defence to stop it once it gets in there.
"I know as an attacker I'll have to be a defender too."
The Firebirds and Swifts meet at Brisbane's Nissan Arena at 1pm on Sunday. The game will be broadcast live on Channel Nine and Telstra's Netball Live App.
Match Notes
- When the teams last met in Round 10 last season the Firebirds won 77-64 in Brisbane.
- Since 2017 the teams have met eight times in Suncorp Super Netball for four wins each.
- The teams have previously met three times at Nissan Arena in Brisbane, with Swifts leading that head-to-head 2-1.
- Since 1997 the Swifts and Firebirds have met 52 times across the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, ANZ Championship and Suncorp Super Netball with the Swifts winning 32 matches, the Firebirds 19 and there has been one draw.
- The Swifts and Firebirds met for the first time on 11 April 1997 with the Swifts winning 62-49.
- Maddy Proud will play her 50th Swifts and Suncorp Super Netball match in Round 1. Proud has played 93 matches across the ANZ Championship, when she played for Adelaide Thunderbirds, and Super Netball.
