The GIANTS welcome the Firebirds to town for a huge Saturday showdown at KRA.
When and Where: Saturday, April 4 at 5pm at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Tickets: Don’t miss out on the action this Easter. Join us at KRA, tickets available from $34. Click here to purchase.
Where to Watch: For fans residing in Australia, you can watch Saturday’s game via Foxtel, Kayo Freebies or Binge. Meanwhile, international viewers can watch the game via Netball pass. For more information click here.
Last Time they Met: The last time the sides met was round 12 last season where the GIANTS claimed a thrilling 68-63 win at Nissan Arena thanks to some last-quarter brilliance from Matisse Letherbarrow. After trailing all game, the Firebirds hit the lead in the fourth term before a tactical timeout saw Letherbarrow injected into the game. The impact shooter certainly made her impact felt, with Letherbarrow calmly draining a super shot to cut the lead to one before sinking another soon after to give the GIANTS the lead. From there the Firebirds faltered under pressure as a costly turnover saw the GIANTS power home to a gritty five-goal win on the road. Jo Harten was also at her vintage best in the win as she celebrated her 200th national league game.
What it Means for the GIANTS: With both sides searching for their first win of the season, the GIANTS will be hoping they can break the hoodoo first and give their fans something to cheer about in their first home game at Ken Rosewall Arena for the season. While the GIANTS are fresh off a disappointing 69-50 loss to the Fever last week, they’ll be hoping to carry over their strong fourth-quarter showing in which they outscored the Fever 17-14. While it was too little too late, the GIANTS showed that when firing on all cylinders that their best is more than enough to match it with the league’s top sides. There were plenty of other positives to come out of the game despite the result, with newcomer Casey Adamson having a breakthrough game in her best performance in orange yet, while Jane Watson continued her stellar season and star defender Jodi-Ann Ward made a successful return from her ACL injury. While yet to piece it all together over four quarters, the GIANTS will be aiming to change that on Saturday as they look to sing the song for the first time this season.
What it Means for the Opposition: Also looking for their first victory of the season, the Firebirds will be after a much-improved performance in round four following last week’s tough 73-46 loss to the Thunderbirds. Despite playing at home, the Firebirds were jumped at Nissan Arena where they fell 21-9 at the end of the first quarter before the Thunderbirds continued to fire en route to their biggest ever win – a 27-goal margin. The Firebirds will now travel to Sydney aiming to put last week’s performance behind them and slay the GIANTS on the road.
The Name: Jodi-Ann Ward – Saturday’s clash will be Ward’s first home game in front of GIANTS fans in close to 10 months after her 2025 season was cut short by a season-ending ACL injury. Now fully fit and back in action, Ward will get her chance to play in front of the Orange Army after making a successful return to the court in last week’s meeting with the Fever. One of the best defenders in the league when at the peak of her powers, Ward will be hoping to take another GIANT step towards returning to her brilliant best in Saturday’s encounter with the Firebirds.
The Narrative: The inaugural Pulse Cup. While both sides are searching for their maiden win of the season, Saturday has an extra storyline, with both sides featuring two New Zealand natives following an influx of New Zealand talent into the competition this season. While the GIANTS added Jane Watson from the Tactix and Whitney Souness from the Pulse in the summer, the Firebirds added two Pulse players to their roster this season, Kelly Jackson and Maddy Gordon, as well as Te Paea Selby-Rickit also from the premiership winning Tactix side. Dubbed the Pulse Cup, Saturday’s clash will feature a host of Kiwis and former Pulse teammates looking for bragging rights in their new colours.
The Notes: “We know we can match it with any team and across the first three rounds we’ve shown that we can match it for a little bit, it’s just the consistency that we’re lacking. We’ve got the plan and when we stick to it and we execute it, we can match it with anyone, so hopefully we can do it for 60 minutes this week. This competition is so close and tight that anyone can win any given game, so it's about who plays well on the day and makes those critical moments count.” - Amy Sligar.
