Super Netball 2020: Firebirds captain confident her team can finish in the top four despite poor start
The Queensland Firebirds are at the bottom of the Super Netball ladder but captain Gabi Simpson believes a finals berth is still achievable.
Netball
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THE Queensland Firebirds are adamant they are good enough to reach the Super Netball semi-finals despite having won just one of their past 19 matches.
Having finished with the wooden spoon last season, the Firebirds are again at the bottom of the ladder four rounds into the 2020 campaign.
They came agonisingly close on Saturday to their first win since August last year, but had to settle for a 61-61 draw with the Giants.
The Firebirds have little time to dwell on what might have been as they are back in action on Tuesday night at Nissan Arena against defending premiers, the NSW Swifts.
“It’s been great moving from one game to the next, and the growth that we can have in a couple of days,” Firebirds captain Gabi Simpson said.
“Not winning a game, you want to get out there as quick as possible and try to rectify that.”
Simpson said Saturday’s draw left a bittersweet feeling in the Firebirds camp.
“All of us said we were so close and how frustrating it was but the beauty about this group is that it switches so quickly to how there is so much potential for what can come,” the Diamonds representative said.
“We know we’re on the edge of something that’s going to be great, and we just need to tick it over and everyone’s really eager to make that happen.”
Similar optimism has Simpson confident that the Firebirds can still finish the season in the top four.
“Four rounds in a 14-round season is not a huge amount of games, so there’s a lot of netball to be played, and the fact that we are continuing to improve every week means that by the end of the season we should be playing some absolutely brilliant netball,” she said.
“That for me is exciting and the top four is still right there for us.”
Simpson is expecting the Swifts to be breathing fire on Tuesday night as they seek redemption for their first defeat of the season, a 65-58 weekend loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
“There’s no question that they’ll come extremely strong but we love those challenges,” she said.
“If we want to be the best in this competition then we need to face the best.
“It’ll be another great challenge for us to see if we can put what we’ve learnt since the start of the season into play under a whole lot of pressure.”
Originally published as Super Netball 2020: Firebirds captain confident her team can finish in the top four despite poor start