By Stephanie Smarrelli
The heat will be on in Round 3 when the Queensland Firebirds host the Adelaide Thunderbirds in what promises to be a blockbuster clash.
Queensland have refreshed their lineup in the off-season, boasting a wealth of international talent from second-year Firebird Mary Cholhok to recruit Kelly Jackson.
They’ll be tested from end-to-end by a Thunderbirds side equally stocked.
The TBirds have done their own recruiting work, adding Silver Ferns star Kate Heffernan to their midcourt and South African goaler Elmeré van der Berg. The duo joining Jamaica’s formidable Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling-Humphrey.
The clash will truly put the world’s best netballers head-to-head across the court.
Silver Ferns teammates Heffernan and Maddy Gordon will have all eyes on them in the midcourt.
The last time the duo went head-to-head it was Heffernan’s Southern Steel who came out on top by a single goal in the ANZ Premiership.
Heffernan spent half of the 2025 ANZ Premiership season on the sidelines due to a hyperextended knee injury but tallied 74 goal assists and 124 feeds with limited court time upon her return.
Heffernan will bolster the TBirds midcourt.But with a few international games under her belt in which she didn’t miss a beat, Heffernan will be raring to go for SSN.
Gordon dominated throughout 2025 with 292 feeds and 204 goal assists and was crucial to the Silver Ferns on the international stage as well.
The other key matchup to look out for will be Jackson vs Van der Berg. Their last meeting in September was a thriller, with Jackson’s Silver Ferns narrowly defeating Van der Berg’s Proteas.
Jackson starred with six gains, three intercepts and two rebounds, while Van der Berg was composed at the post, slotting 46 goals at 90 per cent accuracy.
With one SSN season under her belt expect Cholhok to come out firing for the Firebirds too. While she’s had a taste of life against the world’s best there’s one defender she’s yet to meet on an SSN court.
Sterling-Humphrey.
The Thunderbird will make her return to the court in 2026 after welcoming a baby boy last year.
The 30-year-old always puts on a show and with 109 deflections and 52 intercepts across the 2024 season she’ll no doubt have an impact.
Sterling-Humphrey is expected to make her return.Speaking of Jamaican talent, Wilson continued to thrive for the Thunderbirds throughout 2025 and will come up against former Silver Fern Te Paea Selby-Rickit.
Selby-Rickit’s craft and accuracy make her a constant threat, but she’ll be up against a defensive unit primed to disrupt connections with Wilson, Sterling-Humphrey and Matilda Garrett.
Another international ace up the sleeve for the Firebirds is Imogen Allison.
The midcourter made her SSN debut in 2025 and proved a ball-winner, finishing the year with 15 intercepts. She’s well-versed in countering Thunderbirds attackers, having faced Georgie Horjus, Tayla Williams, Kayla Graham and Heffernan throughout her career.
While the stars from overseas take the headline in this clash, the Aussies will be just as important in determining which team takes the win.
Origin Diamonds Horjus and Garrett continue to go from strength-to-strength and their connections to their premiership-winning teammates will be out in full force against the Firebirds.
Goaler Lauren Frew has cemented herself as a key player in the TBirds lineup while fellow young gun Sophie Casey was impressive throughout 2025 earning her spot.
For the Firebirds, Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Emily Moore, Lara Dunkley, Macy Gardner and Isabelle Shearer provide a stable foundation of Aussies for the team.
Three rounds in both sides will still be working out their best combinations against each other.
So while you should put it into your calendar don’t forget to also add their next clash in Round 8, the stakes will be higher with the second half of the season underway and the clock ticking for finals.
