Super Netball 2022: All the latest news out of Australia’s premier competition

Juggling starring roles with the Australian Diamonds and Queensland Firebirds has meant it’s taken more than a decade for her to achieve one of her off-court goals.

It has taken 11 years but Firebirds netballer Gabi Simpson has finally completed her bachelor of physiotherapy (honours) but she plans to steer clear of using her new skills in the sports industry.

Simpson, who will be named valedictorian by the University of Queensland at Friday’s graduation, said she hadn’t planned to drag the degree out for more than a decade but juggling elite netball commitments had made it a longer than expected journey.

“There was a period where I was travelling a lot with the Australian team and trying to get the balance right, so I haven’t been able to study full time,” Simpson said.

“The hard part was finding the balance and then finding time to do my placements where I needed seven week blocks free – but we chipped away at it.”

Simpson, who was grateful to UQ and their flexibility, said there were times when she thought she wouldn’t make it to the end because of the logistics, such as not being able to do placements in 2020 or 2021 due to netball imposed Covid-19 bubbles.

Firebirds captain Gabi Simpson is achieving on and off the court.

“When you can’t go outside the bubble it makes it difficult to get placements done,” Simpson said.

“It makes it more special given all those times I continued to give it a go even though I didn’t know if I was going to get the degree.”

Simpson’s dedication was part of the reason she was named valedictorian by UQ – an honour which left her shocked.

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“To speak to all of these amazing students who have toughed out four-year degrees is a really big honour and definitely a surprise,” she said.

The wing defender has just signed on for her 11th season with the Queensland Firebirds.

Simpson won’t be sitting around relaxing in her new found spare time, instead she hopes to land a second job – one that is a bit removed from the netball world.

“I would love to get into a physio job, I really enjoy neurological physio, so working with people with brain trauma injuries and spinal cord injuries,” she said.

“While I’m still playing I want to avoid the sport space. For me something that I’ve loved about being at uni and studying physio while playing was that I had something that was completely separate, it was like living two lives where they balance each other really well.

“So I’d love to keep that separate for the balance aspects.”

Bulley ball: New QLD coach ready to fire up ‘Birds

She might be a little bit late to the party and hasn’t been involved in the team selection process so far but Firebirds’ new coach Bec Bulley has full faith the Birdies can bounce back and challenge for the Super Netball title next season.

Bulley, 39, has held several full-time coaching jobs in the premier league and most recently worked as an assistant coach and defensive coach with the NSW Swifts, including during their 2021 championship campaign.

That coupled with her impressive record on the court, which includes 42 Tests for the Diamonds and premierships with three different clubs including the Firebirds in 2015, makes Bulley a sensible choice for a club looking to break back into the top four.

Firebirds finished sixth this season, with just five wins from their 14 games, prompting former coach Megan Anderson to step aside.

Rebecca Bulley has been unveiled as the new Queensland Firebirds head coach. Photo: Liam Kidston

With her focus on the Swifts, who missed out on playing finals due to a one goal difference, Bulley said she hadn’t paid too much attention to the Firebirds this year – unless they were due to play the Swifts.

After being offered the four-year deal Bulley has spent hours analysing every game.

“They had such a great start to the season, winning four out of seven games, which was really positive, then towards the back end of the season it really dropped off,” Bulley said.

“I’m not really sure why that inconsistency occurred so I’m keen to talk to the players and the staff and find out what their thoughts are on it.”

The 2023 team is not yet confirmed, with three spots still up for grabs. Bulley, who is yet to relocate from NSW, has had little involvement in the team selection process so far.

This includes the departure of her former teammate Romelda Aiken-George, Kim Jenner and Jemma Mi Mi.

Bulley said she had full faith in the team behind the selections.

Rookie stars Donnell Wallam and Ruby Bakewell-Doran, impressed in their breakout seasons, earning new contracts with the club.

Rebecca Bulley in action for the Diamonds.

“They both had outstanding seasons. Donnell certainly gave me a bit of a headache as a defensive coach at the Swifts, she is an unbelievable player and great shooter. Ruby had one of the highest number of intercepts in defence so I’m really, really excited to work with them.”

Bulley officially takes control on August 22 and said the first focus, before a tough pre-season, would be to instil confidence in the players and build a culture of trust and respect.

“Hopefully we can be more consistent next year and get a few more wins on the board,” Bulley said.

“My goal will certainly be to make the finals and then once you are in the finals anything can happen.”

It is a goal that won’t be easy to achieve especially with Swifts, Fever and Vixens taking mostly unchanged squads into the 2023 Super Netball season.

While cautious of “scaring” the player before she has officially met them Bulley said getting the Firebirds back in finals contention would take hard work.

“Everything that is worthwhile takes a lot of hard work,” Bulley said.

“So yes we are going to have to work hard in pre-season, there is no denying that. I honestly think the Firebirds have the talent, I wouldn’t take this job if I didn’t think this group had potential to make finals and go all the way.

“There are some things we can change and implement that will give the team that little bit of an extra boost.”