Queensland Firebirds

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Queensland Firebirds
Founded1997
Based inBrisbane
RegionsQueensland
Home venueQueensland State Netball Centre
Head coachRebecca Bulley
CaptainKim Ravaillion
Vice-captainLara Dunkley
Premierships3 (2011, 2015, 2016)[1]
LeagueSuncorp Super Netball
ANZ Championship
Commonwealth Bank Trophy
2023 placing7th
Websitewww.firebirds.net.au

Queensland Firebirds are an Australian professional netball team based in Brisbane, Queensland. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship and between 1997 and 2007, they played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Firebirds were the most successful team during the ANZ Championship era, playing in five grand finals and winning three premierships, in 2011, 2015 and 2016. They were the only team to win back to back ANZ Championship titles.

History

[edit]

Commonwealth Bank Trophy

[edit]

Between 1997 and 2007, Queensland Firebirds represented Netball Queensland in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Together with Adelaide Ravens, Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Kestrels, Melbourne Phoenix, Perth Orioles, Sydney Sandpipers and Sydney Swifts, Firebirds were one of the founding members of the league.[8][9] Between 2005 and 2009, Vicki Wilson, a former Australia netball international, served as Firebirds head coach.[10][11][12][13][14] In 2006 Firebirds reached their first play-off series, losing 58–56 in the semi-finals to Melbourne Phoenix.[15]

Regular season statistics
Season Position Won Drawn Lost
1997[2] 1st 14 0 0
1998[2] 1st 14 0 0
1999[3] 1st 14 0 0
2000[3] 1st 14 0 0
2001[4] 1st 14 0 0
2002[4] 1st 14 0 0
2003[5] 1st 14 0 0
2004[5][16][17] 1st 14 0 0
2005[6][16][18] 1st 14 0 0
2006[6] 1st 14 0 0
2007[7] 1st 14 0 0

ANZ Championship

[edit]

Between 2008 and 2016, Firebirds played in the ANZ Championship.[19][20] In 2009, Roselee Jencke was appointed head coach.[13] In 2011 Firebirds finished the season undefeated. This marked the beginning of a golden age for the team. Between 2011 and 2016, Jencke guided Firebirds to five grand finals and three premierships. They were the most successful team during the ANZ Championship era and the only team to win back to back titles.[20][21][22][23][24] Romelda Aiken, Laura Geitz and Clare McMeniman formed the nucleus of the Firebirds squad and featured in all three Championship winning squads.[25][26][27][28][29]

Regular season statistics
Season Position Won Drawn Lost
2008[19][30] 1st 13 0 0
2009[31] 1st 13 0 0
2010[32] 1st 13 0 0
2011[33][34][35] 1st 13 0 0
2012[36] 1st 13 0 0
2013 1st 13 0 0
2014[37] 1st 13 0 0
2015[38] 1st 13 0 0
2016[20] 1st 13 0 0

  Premierships
  Runners Up

Suncorp Super Netball

[edit]

Since 2017, Firebirds have played in Suncorp Super Netball.[1] They have only participated in one year of finals, being knocked out in the minor semi-final of 2018.[39]

Regular season statistics
Season Position Won Drawn Lost
2017[40] 1st 14 0 0
2018[41] 1st 14 0 0
2019[42] 1st 14 0 0
2020 1st 14 0 0
2021 1st 14 0 0
2022[43] 1st 14 0 0

Grand finals

[edit]
ANZ Championship
Season Winners Score Runners Up Venue
2011[34][44][45] Queensland Firebirds 57–44 Northern Mystics Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
2013[46][47] Adelaide Thunderbirds 50–52 Queensland Firebirds Adelaide Entertainment Centre
2014[37][48] Melbourne Vixens 53–55 Queensland Firebirds Hisense Arena
2015[38][49][50] Queensland Firebirds 57–56 New South Wales Swifts Brisbane Entertainment Centre
2016[20][25][51] Queensland Firebirds 69–67 New South Wales Swifts Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Home venues

[edit]

Firebirds have played their home games at various venues throughout Brisbane and Queensland. In February 2019, they moved into a new permanent home, the Queensland State Netball Centre.[52][53]

Years
Chandler Arena[17][18][54] 1997–2008
Brisbane Entertainment Centre[55][56] 2008–2018
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre[18][36] 2005, 2008–2017
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre[36] 2008–2017
Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre[57] 2018
Queensland State Netball Centre[52][53] 2019–

Notable players

[edit]

2025 squad

[edit]
2025 Queensland Firebirds roster
Players Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height
Uganda Mary Cholhok Nuba GS 3 January 1997 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Australia Ruby Bakewell-Doran GD, WD, GK 21 January 1999 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Australia Lara Dunkley C, WA, WD 31 May 1995 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Australia Isabelle Shearer GK, GD
Australia Macy Gardner C, WA, WD 7 June 2000 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
England Imogen Allison C, WD, 24 April 1998 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Tonga Hulita Veve WD, C
Australia Tippah Dwan GA, WA, GS 30 October 1999 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Australia Ash Barnett GK, GD 16 November 2002
Australia Emily Moore GA, GS 7 March 1997 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Head coach
Assistant coach
  • Australia



Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  • Injured or on maternity leave – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website Last updated: 5 October 2024

Internationals

[edit]
 Australia
 Australia Fast5
 England
 Jamaica
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 Fiji
 Papua New Guinea

Captains

[edit]
Years
Carla Dziwoki[16] 2005
Melanie McKenzie[16] 2005
Peta Stephens[58][59] 2006–2009
Lauren Nourse[60][61] 2010–2012
Laura Geitz[61] 2012–2016
Gabi Simpson[62][63] 2017– 2021
Kim Ravaillion 2022–2024

Head coaches

[edit]
Coach Years
Patti Farrell 1997–1999
Sue Hawkins[64] 1999–2003
Brenda Scherian[10][11][16] 2004–2005
Vicki Wilson[10][11][12][13][14] 2005–2009
Roselee Jencke[13][14][21][22][23][24] 2009–2020
Megan Anderson[65][66][67] 2020–2022
Rebecca Bulley[68][69] 2022–2024

Main sponsors

[edit]
Sponsors Seasons
Firestone[9] c. 1997–1999
Mission Foods[36][38][70][71] 2010–2015
Lorna Jane[72][55] 2016–

Queensland Sapphires

[edit]

Queensland Sapphires are the reserve team of Queensland Firebirds.[73][74]

Premierships

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Queensland Firebirds". supernetball.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 1)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 2)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 3)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 4)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 5)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997-2007 (page 6)". netballscoop.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Adelaide Thunderbirds – ANZ Championship". anz-championship.com. 22 April 2003. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Home Ground Advantage in the Australian Netball League (Commonwealth Bank Trophy)" (PDF). researchbank.swinburne.edu.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "Netball: Wilson takes charge of battling firebirds". The New Zealand Herald. 27 September 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Wilson takes charge of Firebirds". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 September 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Firebirds coach Vicki Wilson tackles Netball Queensland". The Courier-Mail. News.com.au. 7 March 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "Firebirds name new coach". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "Queensland Firebirds dump Aussie netball legend". Herald Sun. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Swifts into final, Phoenix pip Firebirds". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 August 2006. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e "2005 Queensland Firebirds squad". netball.asn.au. 18 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 July 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Netball Australia – Annual Report 04" (PDF). Netball Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Netball Australia – Annual Report 05" (PDF). Netball Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  19. ^ a b "2008 Annual Report – Netball Australia" (PDF). netball.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d "2015–16 Netball Queensland Annual Report" (PDF). Netball Queensland. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Roselee Jencke". firebirds.net.au. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Jancke to lead the Firebirds for a decade". thewomensgame.com. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  23. ^ a b "'It's the right time': Roselee Jencke quits as Queensland Firebirds coach". The Guardian. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Jencke farewells Firebirds". firebirds.net.au. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Allora skipper leads Firebirds to record-breaking third win". themorningbulletin.com.au. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Queensland Firebirds's 2011 final rematch with Northern Mystics revives happy memories". The Courier-Mail. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Firebirds ace Clare McMeniman opens up on death of her parents and Laura Geitz friendship". The Courier-Mail. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Geitz 'missed being part of the Firebirds family'". news-mail.com.au. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  29. ^ "Queensland Netball Thriving at the Top Level". supernetball.com.au. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  30. ^ "Teams // Firebirds – ANZ Championship 2008". anz-championship.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  31. ^ "ANZ Championship – 2009 Season Ladder". anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Netball Australia Annual Report 2010" (PDF). Netball Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  33. ^ "2011 Annual Report – Netball Australia" (PDF). netball.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  34. ^ a b "2011 Netball Queensland Annual Report" (PDF). Netball Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Queensland Firebirds – 2011 Season Statistics". anz-championship.com. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  36. ^ a b c d "Netball Queensland – Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Netball Queensland. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  37. ^ a b "Netball Queensland – Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Netball Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  38. ^ a b c "2015 Netball Queensland Annual Report" (PDF). Netball Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  39. ^ "Super Netball: Lightning to face Giants in preliminary final as Fever win through". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  40. ^ "Suncorp Super Netball 2017 Ladder | Livesport.com". livesport.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Suncorp Super Netball 2018 Ladder | Livesport.com". livesport.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Suncorp Super Netball 2019 Ladder | Livesport.com". livesport.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  43. ^ "Suncorp Super Netball 2022 Ladder | Livesport.com". livesport.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  44. ^ "Queensland Firebirds crowned ANZ Champions". theroar.com.au. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  45. ^ "Queensland Firebirds burn Northern Mystics". The Press. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via PressReader.
  46. ^ "Adelaide Thunderbirds win second ANZ Championship title after downing Queensland Firebirds". foxsports.com.au. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  47. ^ "Diamonds should call on T'bird Bell". theroar.com.au. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  48. ^ "Queensland Firebirds lose final bout in ANZ Championship grand final". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  49. ^ "Queensland Firebirds crowned ANZ Champions in a last minute thriller". theroar.com.au. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  50. ^ "Netball: Firebirds win thrilling grand final". The New Zealand Herald. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  51. ^ "Queensland Firebirds' grand final win over NSW Swifts raises the bar for Australian netball". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  52. ^ a b "Netball Queensland Game On 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). qld.netball.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  53. ^ a b "Premier fires first pass at Queensland's new $44 million Netball Centre". Brisbane Times. 24 February 2019.
  54. ^ "Firebirds up against it at Chandler". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  55. ^ a b "Netball Queensland Game On 2018 Annual Report" (PDF). qld.netball.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  56. ^ "Netball grand final replay to return to Brisbane Entertainment Centre". The Guardian. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  57. ^ "Vixens win a one-point thriller over Firebirds". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 July 2018.
  58. ^ "CBT launches into tenth season...!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 May 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  59. ^ "Tactix grab Australian defender". Stuff. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  60. ^ "Lauren Nourse". diamonds.netball.com.au. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  61. ^ a b "Laura Geitz crowned Firebirds captain". frasercoastchronicle.com.au. 11 December 2012.
  62. ^ "Simpson to captain Firebirds". supernetball.com.au. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
  63. ^ "Gabi Simpson named Laura Geitz's successor as Firebirds captain". The Courier-Mail. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  64. ^ "Sue Hawkins". The Press. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via PressReader.
  65. ^ "Anderson to lead Firebirds in 2021". supernetball.com.au. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  66. ^ "The Firebirds overlook former national coach Lisa Alexander for her former assistant". The Australian. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  67. ^ "Best mates to enemies: Premiership winners go head-to-head in Super Netball opener". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  68. ^ "Queensland Firebirds announce new Head Coach". firebirds.net.au. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  69. ^ "Bulley to lead Firebirds". supernetball.com.au. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  70. ^ "Mission Foods take Firebirds' naming rights". sportspromedia.com. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  71. ^ "Mission Foods continues as Firebirds' title sponsor". sportspromedia.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  72. ^ "Queensland Firebirds net new principal partner". sportbusiness.com. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  73. ^ "Queensland Sapphires to be introduced to netball world at Championships in September". qld.netball.com.au. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  74. ^ "ANC & Qld Sapphire". qld.netball.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
[edit]