Struggling Thunderbirds to focus on youth

Adelaide coach Dan Ryan plans to throw his young pups to the wolves in a bid to resurrect the Thunderbirds' ailing Super Netball season.

Reputations and past deeds will no longer sway Ryan at the selection table after Adelaide slumped to its fifth consecutive defeat with Saturday's 49-39 loss to the Queensland Firebirds.

"Names mean nothing," Ryan said.

"It's about the ability to get out there and execute and those young kids are doing that for us."

The Thunderbirds started horribly and trailed by as many as 20 goals late in the third quarter against the reigning champions before mounting a fourth-quarter fightback.

Adelaide outscored the Firebirds 13-5 after three-quarter-time to reduce some of the earlier damage, with teenage goal shooter and inexperienced midcourter Gia Abernethy - not for the first time this season - pivotal in helping the home side avoid a complete humiliation.

The pair look like being mainstays in Ryan's set-up for the foreseeable future.

"I'm not taking Sasha off the court unless she's dying or having an absolute shocker," Ryan said.

"She's our most reliable shooter at the moment.

"We'll keep rewarding that and keep giving her the opportunity to grow.

"Full credit to Gia too. She didn't get the start but she got her chance in the fourth quarter and nailed it."

Despite the pluck shown by his youthful contingent, Ryan wasn't too excited about his side's late rally, which arrived too late to change the result.

"Yes, it (fourth quarter) flowed and yes, we won it 13-5 but the game was done," he said.

"The sting had certainly come out of the Firebirds' tails.

"It's a similar situation to the Collingwood game (64-45 loss, two weeks ago) - we were useless for three quarters and then came good in the last quarter.

"It's extremely frustrating and we're all feeling it.

"We're not pointing fingers at anyone.

"We're living and breathing this together."