A scorching second half has propelled the Adelaide Thunderbirds to a convincing 59-44 Tremendous Netball win over the Queensland Firebirds at Nissan Area.
Tipped as one of many competitors’s doubtless improvers after ending second-last in 2022, the Thunderbirds endured patches of indifference all through the primary half on Sunday earlier than belting the Firebirds 32-16 after halftime.
Shamera Sterling (11 deflections, 5 intercepts, 4 rebounds) confirmed why she is thought to be the world’s greatest defender, producing an excellent four-quarter efficiency to have the higher of star Queensland shooter Donnell Wallam.
“As a bunch all of us needed to remind ourselves that now we have a construction and we will not play to the Firebirds’ construction,” Sterling mentioned of the beautiful second-half turnaround.
“It feels so, so good to only come out right here and win our first recreation.
“That was the mindset – that we needed to come out and dominate.”
The Tbirds leapt forward 10-7 earlier than Firebirds coach Bec Bulley known as a time-out which modified the complexion of the primary half.
The house facet, rocked on the season’s eve with the shock exit of assistant coach Sarah Francis-Bayman amid hypothesis of a conflict with Bulley, regarded something however a divided group as they rattled off the subsequent seven targets in 4 minutes and led 17-15 at quarter-time.
Their benefit blew out to 23-15 as Adelaide endured one other scoreless spell, this one lasting nearly 5 minutes.
Objective assault Tippah Dwan was subbed in and had an affect, serving to the Thunderbirds trim the deficit to at least one purpose at halftime.
The Firebirds snared 11 of the primary 12 rebounds and would have customary an even bigger lead had it not been for Sterling’s brilliance.
The Jamaican goalkeeper racked up six deflections in a dominated third stanza , throughout which the Thunderbirds outscored the hosts 13-9.
Adelaide’s prized English recruit Eleanor Cardwell’s radar was off all through that time period and she or he spent the three-quarter-time break practising her taking pictures.
It paid off as she buried 14 with no miss within the ultimate interval, whereas on the different finish Wallam missed a few simple photographs and usually could not deal with Sterling because the Tbirds despatched a warning to their rivals with a commanding 19-7 fourth-quarter demolition.
