Steel 36
The Southern Steel found championship leaders Queensland too classy as they lost 51-36 in a trans-Tasman netball championship match at Brisbane tonight.
The win saw the Firebirds notch their fourth win in as many games while the Steel's record is now one win and three losses.
The Steel, starting with their best run-on side with the exception of former Australian midcourter Natasha Chokljat who is still recovering from a calf strain, matched the Firebirds in the first quarter but were unable to maitain their intensity as they gradually fell off the pace as the game progressed.
The recovered from two goals down to lead the Firebirds 11-8 midway through the quarter but gave the lead up after their opponents went on a 5-0 run to finish the quarter 13-1 ahead.
Firebirds shooters Romelda Aitken and Natalie Medhurst, well fed by midcourters Lauren Nourse and Chelsea Pitman, found their range in the second quarter to push their side to an eight-goal lead, 26-18 at halftime.
The Steel at the other end found Firebirds defenders Amy Steel and Laura Geitz a tough pair to break down and shooters Daneka Wipiiti 22 from 27 and Paula Griffin, 14 from 21, looked unsettled throughout.
The Steel with Erika Burgess coming on for Sheryl Scanlan at wing defence looked a better side in the third quarter to score as many goals as their opponents, 11-11.
But any thoughts of a famous comeback win were buried in the final quarter as the Firebirds upped their pace to leave the Steel struggling to keep up.
Aitken closed the game out on the very last second with a long range shot that gave her side the emphatic win by a 15-goal margin.
Her 29 goals today took the Jamaican international past 1600 goals in her trans-Tasman championship career.
"I just think we are soft. We come over here and we know the umpiring is a little bit different but I just think we need to toughen up," defender Leana de Bruin said.
Today's win was a bit of revenge for the Firebirds who the Steel pipped on at the post last season on one percentage point to progress through to the finals series after both finished the regular season level on 16 points.
Queensland Firebirds 51 (Romelda Aitken 29/35, Natalie Medhurst 22/25) Southern Steel 36 (Daneka Wipiiti 22/27, Paula Griffin 14/21). Halftime:26-18.
- NZPA
