By Alexander Dabb
If double digit wins in the first two rounds wasn’t scary enough, the Adelaide Thunderbirds’ Round 3 performance against the Queensland Firebirds should be.
In a dominant showing from first whistle to final buzzer, all 10 players took to the court as the Thunderbirds made it three wins on the trot with their biggest ever margin of victory in Suncorp Super Netball, prevailing by 27 goals in a devastating 73 to 46 victory at Nissan Arena in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
There was plenty of noise from the home crowd as the Firebirds ran out onto the court, but by quarter-time you could hear a pin drop, with the Thunderbirds putting together a stunning 21 to 9 opening term off the back of a brilliant team effort.
Elmerè van der Berg was a strong presence inside the circle immediately, firing home 14 of 16 attempts, and was well supported by Lauren Frew in goal attack, who went at 100 per cent with her seven goals in the first term to notch 39.5 net points, as the Thunderbirds raced out to the early 12-goal advantage.
The Thunderbirds’ co-captains were in the thick of it, too, as Shamera Sterling-Humphrey was electric in defence, recording a mammoth 50.5 net points in the first quarter alone following a six-gain effort, while Georgie Horjus was dominant through the midcourt, racking up 32.5 net points and eight goal assists.
Kiri Wills implored her Firebirds to tighten up defensively as they entered the huddle at the first break, and that they did in the second, going goal for goal early, however it didn’t take long for the Thunderbirds to widen the gap further, opening up a 16-goal lead midway through the second term.
Lauren Frew was brilliant for the Thunderbirds.
The Firebirds showed some fight heading into the main break, though, with Elsa Sif Sandholt competing hard to sink nine goals from nine attempts, two of which were Suncorp Super Shots, after replacing Mary Cholhok inside the circle, while Lara Dunkley was tidy in wing attack to be the highest-rated player for the home side in the second term with 25.5 net points.
It didn’t stop the Thunderbirds from extending their quarter-time lead, though, with the visitors heading into the rooms with a 37 to 23 advantage, having won the term by two goals.
The lead was widened further again in the third quarter as the Firebirds seemingly had no answers to the depth of the Thunderbirds, with each and every player stepping up at some stage to ensure the visitors never lost control of the contest.
Internationals Latanya Wilson and Kate Heffernan were central to the third quarter showing for the Thunderbirds, notching 25 and 46 net points, respectively, as Heffernan was able to find time and space seemingly at will to provide van der Berg and Frew with quality looks under the net, while Wilson did at wing defence and goal defence, earning four gains in a supreme effort.
The lead touched 20 at one stage in the third term as van der Berg sunk her first Suncorp Super Shot, although Sif Sandholt was equally, if not more, prolific at the other end, sinking her third and fourth from range to help the Firebirds reduce the margin to 34-52 at the final change of ends.
The Thunderbirds had it all their own way in the final term, though, as the lead hit a season-high 30 goals midway through the quarter, and while the Firebirds managed to draw it back late, they were unable to avoid a slice of unwanted history.
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey was named MVP after a supreme display.
In winning the final quarter 21-12, the Thunderbirds won by an eventual 27 goals, recording their biggest ever Suncorp Super Netball victory to eclipse their 26-goal defeat of the Mavericks in 2024.
Thunderbirds co-captain Sterling-Humphrey was named MVP in the win, and it was no surprise given her 104 net points and 13 gains, leading all-comers in each of those statistics, although van der Berg wasn’t far behind, racking up 105 net points and shooting 52 points at just over 81 per cent.
Wilson, Heffernan and Horjus rounded out the top five net points placings, with 93, 90 and 86.5, respectively, highlighting the total court dominance enjoyed by the Thunderbirds.
Dunkley and Kelly Jackson were valiant in defeat for the Firebirds, with Jackson earning a team-high four gains against a formidable Thunderbirds shooting lineup, while Sif Sandholt provided an exciting option in attack, firing home 30 of her side’s 46 points, shooting at 92.3 per cent.
The Thunderbirds will look to make it four straight victories to start the season when they take on the Melbourne Mavericks this Saturday night at John Cain Arena, while the Firebirds will travel to take on the GIANTS in search of their first win for the year, taking to the court at Ken Rosewall Arena at 5pm, also on Saturday.
