Where and When: Tuesday, April 12 at 8:00pm at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Where to Watch: Foxtel + Kayo Freebies (Australia), Spark Sport (New Zealand) or NetballAustralia.Tv (International)
Tickets: Join us for the first home game of the season! Tickets are available via Ticketek, starting from $25 and on Tuesday, juniors are FREE.
Last Time They Met: The last time the two sides met was in round nine of the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball Season at John Cain Arena in Melbourne. It was the first game after all teams went into the 2021 Super Netball hub and the GIANTS spent the days leading into the match in isolation. Their disjointed preparation was obvious, with the GIANTS on the back foot from the get-go, eventually going down by 11 goals.
What it means for the GIANTS: After a strong opening-round performance, the GIANTS have struggled with form in the past two games, with the effects of COVID disruptions seeming to take their toll on the team. With a short turnaround coming off their 12-goal loss to the Vixens in round three, the GIANTS will have just one light training session ahead of Tuesday’s game.
Where’s the opposition at: The Firebirds have taken the competition by surprise this season, with their new-look goal circle proving hard to stop. The Firebirds fell just short of the Vixens in their opening round clash, before scoring a league-high score of 82 goals against the Sunshine Coast Lightning in round two. Last round they battled it out in a shoot-out with the West Coast Fever and despite leading by two goals at one stage, went down by eight at the final whistle.
The Name: Donnell Wallam – the 28-year-old permanent replacement player steps into Suncorp Super Netball for her first season to replace Romelda George (nee Aiken). A strong holding shooter, who also backs herself in the Power five, has similar impact to the Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler.
The Number: 296 – is the number of the days since the GIANTS last played a home game at Ken Rosewall Arena. The last time the GIANTS hosted a game at KRA was in round eight of season 2021. They then spent the next nine games on the road, including a three-game finals series.
The News: This will be the first time this season the GIANTS are expected to go into the game with the same squad of 10 as the previous week after COVID impacted both rounds one and two.
