It was a case of the walking wounded as Sunshine Coast Lightning narrowly defeated Queensland Firebirds by one point in the Battle of the Bruce.
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With both sides missing players due to injury, several needing respite on the bench midgame, and Firebird Kelly Jackson pouring blood after a whack to the nose, it was survival of the fittest as Lightning took out the 63-62 win.
Some razzle dazzle under the post by MVP Donnell Wallam helped Lightning to their eighth consecutive Super Netball win over their state rivals, as they came from behind in a physical match. It was a far more polished outing by the Wallam/Cara Koenen connection, in contrast to the Firebirds who squandered a six point lead and were shockingly inaccurate under the post.
The main offender was goal shooter Mary Cholhok, who despite a huge height advantage shot at just 70% percent, finishing with 48 from 68. Cholhok’s task was made all the more difficult by Diamonds goal keeper, Courtney Bruce who applied intense, on-the-body pressure for the full sixty minutes despite heavy strapping on her left calf.
In contrast Lightning’s Wallam, in her 50th national league match, was full of confidence, as she dug into her bag of tricks to sink layups, fade aways and super shots. She ended the game on 48 from 63 including two from five supershots.
Her opponent Kelly Jackson picked off five gains but her task was made harder by the superior ball supply Wallam received from shooting partner Koenen who drew the defensive pressure while also slotting a handy 12/14.
Both teams were without their full-strength squads: Lightning continuing to miss two point specialist Gabby Sinclair with a calf complaint, while outstanding Firebirds midcourter Maddy Gordon is likely to miss several rounds due to a hamstring injury sustained in training.
Without her Firebirds were forced to revert to their 2025 midcourt combination of Lara Dunkley at wing attack and Macy Gardner at centre. The duo slipped seamlessly back into their roles with Gardner also doing a wealth of defensive work through the court to claim four pickups, one intercept and four deflections for the match.
Firebirds got out to an early six point lead, but the gap narrowed to two at the main break after Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds gave her defenders a ‘licence to fly’. Her side then came out firing in the third to claw back the deficit and push out to a three point margin.
As the scores narrowed again, Jackson copped a stray elbow to the nose while scrapping for a rebound, forcing her to leave the court for treatment. Despite her loss, the Firebirds levelled the scores before a Wallam supershot won the game.
Speaking post match, Wallam said of the match winning moment, “I just knew I had to sink the shot. We have been training for those scenarios. I just had to back myself and take it.”
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FAILING TO FIRE
The Queensland Firebirds have a goal-scoring problem. In a league where the best shooters in the world ply their trade, most teams are sitting above an accuracy rate of 80 percent. In Round 1, the Firebirds were woefully below that at 69 percent. Some could argue that much of the damage came from two-point range, but even removing their 5/14 at 35 percent, they are still floundering at the bottom of the competition at 79 percent in one-point time. In 2025, they were the only team to not hit the overall 80% benchmark, finishing the season with a 77 percent accuracy rate. If history repeats itself, it could be a tough year to be a Firebirds fan.
WILL DONNELL DOMINATE?
By her own admission, Donnell Wallam has a point to prove this season. After spending 2025 playing in the New Zealand ANZ Premiership, Wallam has taken to her sophomore Super Netball season with renewed vigor and an eye on a Diamonds call up. So far, she’s shot almost 100 goals at 77% in just the two matches. If she maintains this throughout the season while growing her partnerships with fellow Diamonds Cara Koenen and captain, Liz Watson, she will have a good case for a ticket to Glasgow.
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