Losses unleash a fiery passion
QUEENSLAND Firebirds netball captain Gabi Simpson is on a mission to turn doublebarrelled pain into some serious gain.
Simpson was part of the Australian side that lost the gold medal match to England at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast this month.
And she was also part of the 2017 Firebirds squad that played no role in the Suncorp Super Netball finals series where rivals Sunshine Coast Lightning eventually triumphed.
The athletic wing defence played in four straight grand finals with the Firebirds in her first four seasons of elite-level netball. So heaven help anyone getting in her way this season.
The Firebirds start their quest for redemption against archrival NSW Swifts at Homebush on Sunday when the Lightning will also take on GWS in a grand final rematch.
“To sit and watch the Sunshine Coast in our home stadium (Boondall), playing a grand final and winning it, it hurt a lot,’’ Simpson said.
“The gut was churning. That has been a huge driver for our off-season and pre-season and it’s something that will stay in the back of our minds.
“We want to make sure we hit the ground running in this first game and we are the dominant club in Queensland this season.’’
And the heartbreaking, lastsecond loss to England is still raw for the Diamonds vicecaptain who joked she will exact revenge on Roses matchwinner and Swifts goal attack Helen Housby this weekend.
“You learn a lot from your failures and in particular, the hurt you feel in those tough times,’’ she said.
“For me personally, I never want to feel that again and I need to make sure I grow as a player and as a leader so I can make sure my teams are in the best position possible.
“It will definitely drive me over the next 12 months.’’
Entering her second season as Firebirds skipper, Simpson said the season-ending knee injury to centre Mahalia Cassidy hurt the three-time transTasman champions last year.
Simpson says she can also grow as a leader.
“We played a bit out of the fear of losing and that caused us to get a bit tight and play too much within ourselves,’’ Simpson said.