Firebirds need to beat Steel

By JERRIE ANDREWS - The Southland Times | Friday, 04 July 2008

Queensland Firebirds coach Vicki Wilson isn't even thinking about ANZ Championship semi-finals, with her team's faint hopes of making the playoffs set to be determined after its game against Southern Steel on Sunday.

The Firebirds are an outside chance to make the top four.

They need to win on Sunday for that chance to become less remote, but they also need the Adelaide Thunderbirds to lose to the winless Central Pulse, or the Melbourne Vixens to lose to the Northern Mystics.

Even then they need to have a better points differential than whatever team loses.

So there is hope, but it's slim and it seems Wilson is eyeing Sunday's game against Steel as a way to finish the season with a win.

"I don't think you can allow yourself to think about (semi-final possibilities)," she said yesterday.

"If you start worrying about everyone else you don't focus on your game. It's important that we finish this season with a win, but both teams will be thinking like that." The Firebirds are coming off what Wilson calls their most "disappointing" game of the season — a 66-47 loss to the Thunderbirds.

"Up until halftime I thought we were in there for a chance, but the third quarter blew us out of the water. We just couldn't find that next gear ... we were just chasing our tails," Wilson said.

"But you move forward and start looking at what we are coming up against with the Steel. I think players like (Liana) Barrett-Chase were in terrific form (against Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic), as was Megan Hutton. We have to make sure we try and close up Barrett-Chase and get Megan trying to move around the circle, get our mobile game coming out." Firebirds shooter Romelda Aiken has been a tower of accuracy in the shooting circle this season.

The 19-year-old 1.96m shooter has shot the bulk of the team's goals this season and shutting her down will be key for Steel's defensive players.

But there's also Jo Morgan to contend with, a player who made her ANZ Championship debut just two weeks ago but proved she has plenty more talent than her spot on the Firebirds' bench suggested.

"I think it's important to have options all over the court and that's something we have," Wilson said.

"If something's not working we try something else, and I've been very pleased that whenever we make a change they (players) certainly do make an impact." The Firebirds' defensive end is also a strength for the team.

The duo of Laura Geitz and captain Peta Stephens should get credit for the excess of ball Aiken finds herself with, and that's an aspect unlikely to change come Sunday.

"They have been strong and we have had some terrific defensive games," Wilson said.

The Firebirds arrive in Dunedin tomorrow in preparation for Sunday's game at Dunedin's Lion Foundation Arena at 5.30pm.

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