Noeline Taurua calls for dominance against Firebirds
NETBALL: Sunshine Coast Lightning coach Noeline Taurua plans for her side to assert its dominance over cross-town rivals the Queensland Firebirds at USC Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
While many professional outfits would shy away from talking about finals at the halfway point in the season, second-placed Lightning is determined to cement its spot early.
"We're all fighting for that top-four position and don't want to wait 'til the end of the competition to get into a situation where it's must-win,” she said.
"We really want to cement our dominance here and show to ourselves we're moving in the right direction and can put a dominant performance out against a really exciting team.”
Taurua said Firebirds would have threats all over the court, with maligned shooter Romelda Aiken set to return from injury.
"I also think they've been a wee-bit inconsistent over the course of the competition. They were (world) beaters in the (Trans-Tasman) Championship so they will really want to start to stamp their dominance,” Taurua said.
"For us it's just about keep on keeping on, get the ball in hand and keep it.”
Captain Geva Mentor said she expected a fired-up Firebirds, who will want to rectify its Round 1 draw with Lightning in Brisbane.
"But this is our home court and we're just as eager to put up a tough contest and keep improving week to week.”
