The Adelaide Thunderbirds will play the Melbourne Vixens in next Sunday’s trans-Tasman netball league semi-final after overcoming the Queensland Firebirds 54-52 at Netball SA Stadium.
The win was a fitting completion to the Thunderbirds’ regular season, which ended with 12 wins and one loss.
The match was an arm wrestle for much of the first half, and proved to be a battle between the two sides’ Jamaican talls – Thunderbirds’ goal shooter Carla Borrego and Firebirds’ goalie Romelda Aiken.
Borrego shot with 100 per cent accuracy in the first term, scoring all 12 attempts at goal and Aiken only missed one of her 14 attempts.
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An intercept from Adelaide’s goal defence Sharni Layton in Queensland’s goal circle and a long pass to Borrego who scored on the buzzer, locked scores at 16-all at quarter time.
Firebirds’ defensive pressure was at a high, physically and mentally pushing the minor premiers and despite the hard running of captain Nat von Bertouch through the mid-court, the Thunderbirds found it difficult to break Queensland’s tight hold.
The match relied on turn overs and the Thunderbirds were pressured into errors with their decision making and inaccurate passing, allowing the Firebirds to capitalise at the other end.
Despite trailing 41-39 at the final change the Thunderbirds showed the same composure they had all season and prevailed by two points.
