The Queensland Firebirds have stolen a stunning victory in the trans-Tasman netball grand final, rallying to defeat the NSW Swifts 57-56 in a thriller.
In a scarcely-believable comeback, the Firebirds spent almost the entire match trailing but took the lead for the first time with 15 seconds to go, when goal attack Gretel Tippett scored the decisive goal.
That triggered an almighty roar from the sellout crowd as the Firebirds held on for victory at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
It is Queensland's first title since 2011 and comes after defeats in each of the last two grand finals.
Given next to no chance of spoiling the Firebirds' unblemished run to the ANZ Championship decider, the Swifts looked good value to do just that but stumbled late, allowing Queensland to score the last five goals of the game.
The result continues NSW's poor record in Queensland, with the franchise yet to win a game in Brisbane, while it was the Firebirds' 13th win on the bounce.
The Firebirds' league MVP Romelda Aiken was at her prolific best, scoring 47 out of 51 attempts, and while her partner Tippett (10/17) was comparatively shaky, she came good when it counted.
Injury-dogged NSW captain Kimberlee Green played a full game and was at the heart of everything the Swifts did, while grand final MVP Sharni Layton and Julie Corletto barely gave Queensland an inch in defence.
In scenes reminiscent of the Australian conference final two weeks ago at the same venue, NSW started the must stronger side and took a 22-17 lead into quarter-time.Their dominance continued into the third term as the Swifts opened up a game-high six-point advantage.
- AAP
