Queensland Firebirds too good for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Super Netball

The Queensland Firebirds kept their Super Netball title defence on course with a clinical 49-39 victory over the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Titanium Security Arena on Saturday night.

It was an emphatic return to form for the reigning champions who, a week earlier, copped a 16-goal home hiding against the Melbourne Vixens.

The Firebirds started ferociously and held sway 16-5 at quarter-time, closing the stanza with 10 unanswered goals, and were never seriously threatened despite a late Adelaide rally.

Caitlyn Nevins was prolific and creative at wing attack while in attack Gretel Tippett bounced back nicely following a sub-par performance against the Vixens and Abigail Latu-Meafou proved a more than capable replacement for injured superstar Romelda Aiken.

Facing humiliation, Adelaide rang the changes in the second period, dragging defender Fiona Themann and shifting skipper Erin Bell to goal shooter to replace Karyn Bailey, but the visitors continued to dictate.

The Thunderbirds' plight would have been considerably worse if it wasn't for their shooting accuracy.

They nailed 95 per cent of their first-half attempts, compared to Queensland's modest 71 per cent, but the visitors had significantly more attempts (42-19).

Though not always on target, Latu-Meafou and Tippett's ability to repeatedly rebound their own misses and create second chances was pivotal in the 30-18 half-time scoreline.

The margin blew out to 20 late in the third quarter before Adelaide, inserting Gia Abernethy to the centre position and moving Renae Inglis to wing defence, dominated the final term with a 13-5 flurry to achieve some scoreboard respectability.

Adelaide coach Dan Ryan was at a loss to explain the Thunderbirds' horrific opening term.

"I have no idea where that first quarter came from," Ryan said.

"To only post five goals and be on the back foot when we should have been the ones taking charge of the game, that came from nowhere."

Queensland coach Roselee Jencke was disappointed that her team took its foot off the pedal after three-quarter-time when a landslide winning margin looked on the cards.

"We should have won by 20," Jencke said.

"We were not happy with the way we finished.

"We were disappointing in that last quarter and that's because our attack didn't keep the effort that's required at that level.

"If they'd done that, we would have won by 20."