Netball: How the Firebirds can be beaten

Firebirds goal shoot Romelda Aiken (L). Photo / Martin Sykes

After an unbeaten run through the regular season, the 2011 ANZ Championship trophy is considered the Queensland Firebirds' to lose.

Written off as an inconsistent and ill-disciplined side after three indifferent seasons in the transtasman league, the Firebirds' dominance this season has been most unexpected.

But Firebirds coach Roselee Jencke has clearly done a lot of work with her team in the off-season, turning a side that consistently fell just short of a play-offs spot into an unbeatable force.

To be able to go through the season unbeaten, beating the Swifts and the Vixens - two of the most stacked teams in the league - twice, shows they are a very good side.

However that hasn't stopped doubts from arising as to whether the Firebirds can maintain their red-hot form through the play-offs.

So why are people tipping the Firebirds to come unstuck?

Finals pressure - finishing top of the table after an unbeaten run through the season means the Firebirds have a massive target on their back in the finals.

That's a lot of pressure when you consider the Firebirds have never previously made the finals. There are concerns that lack of big game experience may be exposed in the finals.

Star goal attack Natalie Medhurst is the only player in the Firebirds line-up to have experienced play-offs netball, having turned out for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the first two years of the competition, and she will be heavily relied upon to provide on-court leadership.

Inexperienced midcourt - the midcourt is considered the area where the Firebirds are most vulnerable following the loss of their captain Lauren Nourse, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last month. Nourse was the Firebirds' main ball distributor and had a strong connection with star shooter Romelda Aiken.

The Queensland side will be relying on a very green midcourt pairing of Elissa Macleod and Chelsea Pitman to carry them through the finals. Opposition teams will look to exploit the pair's inexperience by pressuring their ball delivery into Aiken.

Romelda Aiken - there is no doubt that Aiken's game has improved immeasurably this season. Renowned for her strong holding game, Aiken has added an impressive range of movement to her skillset this season to keep defenders guessing.

The biggest change in Aiken however seems to be attitudinal. This year she is a more robust player, and is no longer easily bullied in the goal circle.

But Aiken still has her fragile moments when she allows defenders to get inside her head - the Magic's Casey Williams and Sonia Mkoloma of the Swifts are both particularly good at exploiting this.

Aiken's unwillingness to shoot outside of the red-zone underneath the goal can also cost the Firebirds in turnover ball.