Another edition of Team Girls Cup (TGC) has been completed. Three days, four games and 160 minutes of netball for the GIANTS.
All eight Suncorp Super Netball sides gathered at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre for the official pre-season competition, with the league’s reigning premiers, the West Coast Fever, claiming the Team Girls Cup title.
The GIANTS opened their campaign on Friday afternoon, up against 2022 Preliminary Final rivals the Melbourne Vixens. The two sides met just a fortnight ago in Bendigo with the Vixens exerting their dominance.
In the second edition of the pre-season match up, the GIANTS came out strong, leading at the first and second break but a fourth quarter surge from the grand finalists saw them take the win by seven-goals.
Match two welcomed a new opponent for pre-season 2023, up against the Queensland Firebirds, under new coach and former GIANT Bec Bulley.
It was an even start before the GIANTS dominated the next 20 minutes outscoring the locals 31-16. With a line-up full of youth and next generation talent, the GIANTS finished off the game to take the win by 11.
In game three the GIANTS executed yet another strong start, taking an early lead against a new-look Adelaide Thunderbirds (who went on to make the TGC final).
However, the GIANTS struggled to maintain their form and lead and a three-goal third quarter proved costly, going down by eight goals at the final whistle.
For a second year in a row the GIANTS and the Swifts battled it out in the TGC finals play-offs. Both teams finished third in their respective pools and played off for 5th and 6th overall.
It was either teams game heading into the final quarter, but five unanswered goals to open the final quarter made it tough for the GIANTS to chase down, especially given the reduced quarter length of 10 minutes, as the Swifts came out on top by six goals.
Upon reflection on the weekend’s tournament, Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald noted consistency is the key.
“We had some really good patches of play and if we can continue to build on them and maintain them for longer periods we’ll be in a good spot,” she said.
“I was happy with our long court transition and our ability to let the ball go and move the ball quickly down the court.”
While Team Girls Cup offers a glimpse into the season ahead, there is plenty for the coaches to take into consideration when navigating through the four matches. As was evident through not only the GIANTS but majority of the teams, player availability and load management provided the next generation of SSN talent to be on display.
“I think it’s what makes Team Girls Cup so exciting,” Fitzgerald said.
“You see more young players or people that you haven’t seen too much before.
“And for our younger girls it was a really good opportunity to give them more time out on court at that level – or for the first time – and I was really impressed by how some of them took on the challenge.”
With three key GIANTS (Jo Harten, Amy Partmenter and April Brandley) on the sidelines during the weekend’s competition, Fitzgerald paid to credit to the way Jamie-Lee Price and Maddie Hay stepped up for the young GIANTS’ side.
Another notable GIANT was Matisse Letherbarrow.
“It was really exciting to see the way Matisse took advantage of her opportunities and her growth, development and potential was certainly evident at times and I look forward to hopefully seeing her carry that into the season.”
As the final weeks of pre-season approach, Fitzgerald is eager to see her full playing group reunite.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity for our younger girls to come in and fill those gaps and develop and grow at this level but I am certainly look forward to having the full squad back together in the coming weeks.”
The GIANTS begin their 2023 season on Sunday, March 19 taking on the Sunshine Coast Lightning at UniSc before returning home in round two for their first home game of the season against the West Coast Fever - secure your tickets today!
