2015 Australian Conference Final Preview

2015 Australian Conference Final Preview

Australian Conference Final:

Mission Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
Sunday 7 June, 12.18pm
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
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Finals Series:

Australian Conference Elimination Final:
NSW Swifts 60 def West Coast Fever 53

New Zealand Conference Elimination Final:
Kia Magic v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
Saturday 6 June, 3.10pm
Claudelands Arena, Hamilton

Australian Conference Final:
Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
Sunday 7 June 2015, 12.18pm
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

New Zealand Conference Final:
(1) SKYCITY Mystics v (Winner of NZ Elimination Final)
Monday 8 June, 7.40pm
The Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealand

ANZ Championship Semi-Final:
(Winner of AUS Conference Final) v (Loser of NZ Conference Final)

ANZ Championship Semi-Final:
(Winner of NZ Conference Final) v (Loser of AUS Conference Final)

ANZ Championship Grand Final:
(Winner of Semi-Final) v (Winner of Semi-Final)
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Finals Series Statistics:

Finals Series Records:

Finals Series Records (Home):

AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE FINAL

Mission Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
Sunday 7 June, 12.18pm
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

Media Contacts:
Firebirds - Toni Caldwell
M: +61 439 779 069
E: toni.caldwell@netballq.org.au
Swifts - Rebecca Trbojevich
M: +61 448 160 778
E: rtbojevich@netballnsw.com
Swifts - Victoria Bain
M: +61 449 903 405
E: vbain@netballnsw.com

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 4 (AUS); ONE (AUS - DELAY); SKY SPORT 1 (NZ)

Umpires: Helen George & Michelle Phippard
Reserve: Josh Bowring

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: Rd 5, 2015: Firebirds 51 def Swifts 47, Brisbane
• Either the Mission Queensland Firebirds or NSW Swifts will be crowned the inaugural Australian Conference champions. The Firebirds secured hosting rights courtesy of finishing the regular season on top of the Australian Conference ladder while the Swifts advanced after winning Friday night’s Australian Conference Elimination Final 60-53 against Fever in Sydney.
• Regardless of the result, the Firebirds and Swifts will advance to next weekend's ANZ Championship Semi-Finals. The Australian Conference winner will host the New Zealand Conference runners up while the Australian Conference runners up travel to New Zealand to face its Conference winner.
• The Brisbane Entertainment Centre – known as Boondall – will host its first ever ANZ Championship match on Sunday. The venue has previously hosted international Test matches between Australia and New Zealand in 2006 and 2008.
• This will be the first finals meeting between the Firebirds and Swifts in eight seasons of the ANZ Championship.
• The Firebirds have never been beaten in a home final. Their three previous wins have been against the Kia Magic (50-39, 2011 Major Semi-Final), SKYCITY Mystics (57-44, 2011 Grand Final) and the Magic (54-50, 2014 Preliminary Final).
• The Swifts seven-goal win over Fever was their first finals victory in five matches since their 2008 Grand Final win.
• The Firebirds have the second best winning percentage in finals of the ANZ Championship teams, having won five of their eight finals matches played for a 63 per cent strike rate. The Adelaide Thunderbirds have the best record, winning 70 per cent of finals.
• Firebirds mentor Roselee Jencke is now the most successful coach in the history of the ANZ Championship having won 71 per cent of the matches she’s been in charge of. Jencke is the third coach to record 60 wins in the competition’s history with only Jane Woodlands-Thompson (70) and Noeline Taurua (64) ahead of her.
• The Firebirds head into the Conference Final having won their past 10 matches, making them the second team in the competition’s history to have achieved that feat twice. Their longest winning streak is 15 matches which they achieved between Round 1, 2011 and the Grand Final that season.
• The Swifts have won their past six matches stretching back to Round 8. It’s the fourth time in their history they have achieved that feat. Their best overall winning streaks are: 13 (Round 1-14, incl bye, 2010); 10 (Round 7 2008-Round 1 2009, incl bye); 6 (Round 3-9 2012, incl bye).
• The Firebirds and Swifts played the first draw in the ANZ Championship back in Round 3 this season when they tied 47-all in Sydney.
• The Swifts have never beaten the Firebirds in seven previous encounters in Brisbane. Their sole victory in Queensland came in the inaugural match at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre in the opening round of 2010 when they triumphed 50-47.
• The Firebirds have an average winning margin of 6.6 goals against the Swifts in Brisbane. The only two 10-goal results between the two sides have come in Brisbane- Round 6, 2008 (Firebirds won 66-52) and Round 8, 2014 (Firebirds won 55-40).
• Firebirds shooter Romelda Aiken was named the inaugural winner of the Australian Conference Most Valuable Player award. It is the third time that Aiken has won the competition’s MVP accolade, the most of any player in the history of the ANZ Championship. She was joint winner in 2008 (with Pulse’s Sonia Mkoloma) and sole winner in 2009.
• Aiken has recorded more than 100 rebounds for the second season in a row. Her tally of 113 set a new competition record, eclipsing her mark of 106 in 2014.
• Gretel Tippett has enjoyed a solid debut season at the Firebirds, averaging just under 13 goals a match and is also ranked inside the top 10 in the competition for goal assists with 120, equal with teammate Kim Ravaillion.
• Swift shooter Susan Pettitt needs 26 goals to achieve her career-best season in the ANZ Championship. Her previous highest tally was 374 goals in 2010 at 82 per cent accuracy. Pettitt is shooting at 87 per cent accuracy in 2015.
• The Swifts also need 43 goals to eclipse their previous highest-scoring season in the ANZ Championship of 848 goals, set back in 2008.
• Sharni Layton enhanced her reputation as the No.1 defender in the competition in 2015 with an equal game-high six deflections in Friday night’s Elimination Final victory over Fever. She’s registered 89 for the season. The most in a season is 108, recorded by Melbourne Vixens defender Geva Mentor in 2012.
• Swifts pair Paige Hadley and Stephanie Wood made their finals debut in Friday night’s result, Hadley recording an equal game-high 14 goal assists. The Firebirds have four players in their squad that have not taken the court in a finals match – Tippett, Laura Clemesha, Beryl Friday and Caitlin Nevins.
• The Firebirds had the most shots at goal of any team in the competition during the regular season with 927 attempts. However their 76 per cent shooting accuracy is the lowest of any side.
• The Swifts have been the most accurate team in the competition this season, scoring 806 goals at 87.4 per cent accuracy, just ahead of Fever (87.1 per cent)
• The Firebirds had three players ranked inside the competition’s top 10 for pick-ups in Ravaillion (29), Caitlin Nevins (27) and Gabi Simpson (23).
• Simpson was also one of two midcourt players ranked inside the top 10 in the competition for intercepts with 21.
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Birthdays:

5 June 1995 - Samantha Sinclair (Magic)
7 June 1989 - Erin Hoare (Swifts)
18 June 1986 - Anna Thompson (Tactix)

Upcoming milestones:

100 Games (ANZ Championship):
Julie Corletto (Swifts) - 98

3000 Goals (ANZ Championship):
Cathrine Latu (Mystics) - 2841

2500 Goals (ANZ Championship):
Maria Tutaia (Mystics) - 2394

1500 Goals (ANZ Championship):
Paula Griffin (Mystics) - 1474

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