Skipper has no fear of top side
FIREBIRDS captain Gabi Simpson is a “glass- half- full” kind of person.
Some would be daunted by coming up against the undefeated West Coast at Boondall today and their scoring machine Jhaniele Fowler- Reid.
Some would also be frustrated by last week’s fourthquarter flop that cost Queensland victory over the GWS Giants.
But Simpson says the Firebirds are relishing the challenge of taking on the No. 1 team in the country and are encouraged that they were able to work their way into a winning position against last year’s grand finalists before two late errors allowed the Giants to pounce.
Wins over champions Sunshine Coast Lightning and 2017 minor premiers Melbourne Vixens showed the Firebirds were back as a force before throwing away the win against GWS when Queensland led by two goals and had possession with three minutes left.
Simpson says Fowler- Reid and the Fever would be another serious test and the Firebirds had plans in place to limit the impact of the Jamaican, who will match- up with Laura Geitz, who will be playing her first home game at Boondall following her return to netball.
“This will be a really good indicator of where we are at,’’ Simpson said.
“She ( Fowler- Reid) has been playing great netball, scoring most of their goals.
“For us, as most teams will say, it’s about stopping the ball early. We want to win the ball in the centre court but also Geitzy using her smarts back there.
“We’ve got a few strategies up our sleeves to see if we can change it up and win some ball.
“The key is other teams are winning ball as well, so when we get it we just have to convert it.’’
Simpson said the Firebirds’ game plan was holding up but execution under pressure was needed in tight games.
Apart from the loss to GWS, the Firebirds also blew a golden chance against the NSW Swifts in Round 1.
“It’s more encouraging. Last season we lost all of those games that were close and we have shown a lot of composure in two of those four games ( this season),’’ she said.
Sunshine Coast head coach Noeline Taurua will miss tomorrow’s match against Adelaide after her father’s passing in New Zealand on Thursday.
Taurua flew home to be with her family last week with assistant coach Kylee Byrne taking charge of the Lightning in their win over Collingwood.