The ANZ Championship reaches its climax when the Queensland Firebirds and New South Wales Swifts meet in the decider tomorrow afternoon. Netball writer Robert van Royen takes a look at the fourth and most important match between the two Australian heavyweights this season.
Road to the final
Firebirds: The Brisbane-based side has surely forgotten what it feels like to lose. After all, the Firebirds have not lost since the first round of the competition way back in March, when they lost to the West Coast Fever 57-50 at home. Since then, the 2011 champion has won all of its games but one, a 47-47 draw with the Swifts in round three. After a week off, reward for finishing atop the Australian conference, the Firebirds beat the Swifts 55-44 in the their conference decider, before hammering the Northern Mystics 60-44 in their preliminary final last weekend.
Swifts: Finished second in the Australian conference at the end of the regular season with eight wins, three draws and a couple of losses. Comfortably beat the West Coast Fever 60-53 in the first round of the playoffs to setup a conference decider with the Firebirds. After going down 55-44 in Brisbane, the Swifts had to travel to Hamilton to play the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic for a spot in the final. The Sydney-siders won 60-52 to set up an all Australian final for the third straight year.
Fourth time lucky?
The two finalists have already met three times this season. The sides played out a 47-47 draw in round 3, before the Firebirds prevailed 51-47 in round five and 55-44 in the conference decider a couple of weeks ago. The Swifts have only beaten the Firebirds five times in 17 attempts since the competition's inception in 2008, but you would think coach Rob Wright has figured out some kind of plan for the final. It is not as if his team does not have a heap of experience playing the Firebirds to go by. If the Swifts win, it will be their first title since 2008.
The facts
• Tomorrow's final will be the third straight ANZ Championship final for the Firebirds, and the fourth in five years.
• The Swifts have never beaten the Firebirds in eight previous encounters in Brisbane.
• The final will be the Firebirds' 11th playoff match in the competition, the most of any Australian team.
• Firebirds shooter Romelda Aiken needs one more goal to reach 100 ANZ Championship grand final goals.
• The Swifts need to score 35 more goals to overtake the Firebirds' 2013 total of 944 goals as the highest-scoring season of any team in the eight-year history of the ANZ Championship.
• The Firebirds have won their past five matches by 10 goals or more for the first time in their history. Three players from the Firebirds 2011 title winning team will be involved in Sunday's Grand Final - captain Laura Geitz, Clare McMeniman and Aiken. Captain Kimberlee Green and Pettitt are the last remaining members of the Swifts 2008 championship team.
• If the Firebirds win, defender Rebecca Bulley will become the first player to win three premierships at three different teams. Her other titles have been with the Swifts (2008) and Thunderbirds (2013).
Van Royen's tip
It will be closer than their most recent meeting, but it has to be the Firebirds by four.
ANZ Championship final
Brisbane, tomorrow, 2.10pm
Head to head: Played 17, Firebirds 11, Swifts 5, drew 1
Greatest winning margins: Firebirds 15, Swifts 5
