Queensland Sapphires are an
Australian netball team that represents
Netball Queensland
Netball Queensland is the governing body for netball in Queensland. It is affiliated to Netball Australia. It is responsible for organizing and managing Queensland Firebirds who compete in Suncorp Super Netball. It is also responsible for organi ...
in the
Australian Netball Championships
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netb ...
. Between 2008 and 2019, as Queensland Fusion, they played in the
Australian Netball League
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netb ...
. Sapphires are effectively the
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
of
Queensland Firebirds
Queensland Firebirds are an Australian netball team based in Brisbane, Queensland. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship and between 1997 and 2007, they played in the C ...
and the representative team of the
HART Sapphire Series
The HART Sapphire Series is a state netball league featuring teams from Queensland. The league is organised by Netball Queensland. The current semi-professional league was first played for during the 2019 season. It replaced earlier state league ...
.
History
Queensland Fusion
Between 2008 and 2019, Queensland Fusion played in the
Australian Netball League
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netb ...
. They were founder members of the ANL. Their best performance in the ANL came in 2014 when they reached the grand final but lost 51–49 to
Victorian Fury
Victorian Fury are an netball in Australia, Australian netball team that represents Netball Victoria in the Australian Netball League. In 2008 they were both founder members and the inaugural champions of the league. They retained the title in 20 ...
.
;Regular season statistics
Queensland Sapphires
In 2021, Queensland Fusion were re-branded Queensland Sapphires after the
HART Sapphire Series
The HART Sapphire Series is a state netball league featuring teams from Queensland. The league is organised by Netball Queensland. The current semi-professional league was first played for during the 2019 season. It replaced earlier state league ...
. In September 2021, they were due to represent
Netball Queensland
Netball Queensland is the governing body for netball in Queensland. It is affiliated to Netball Australia. It is responsible for organizing and managing Queensland Firebirds who compete in Suncorp Super Netball. It is also responsible for organi ...
in the inaugural
Australian Netball Championships
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netb ...
tournament.
However, this tournament was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Sapphires subsequently played in a four team series, playing against
Sunshine Coast Lightning
Sunshine Coast Lightning are an netball in Australia, Australian netball team based at the University of the Sunshine Coast. The team was formed in 2016 in Australia, 2016 as a joint venture between the university and Melbourne Storm. Since 201 ...
's ANC team, the Queensland Suns
men's netball
On the club, national and international level, men's netball teams exist, but attract less attention than women's netball. Mixed teams are not uncommon in Australia and are very popular. Men's national teams do exist in Antigua & Barbuda, Austr ...
team and PacificAus Sports, a
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
select.
Grand finals
Home venue
During the 2019 ANL season, Queensland Fusion played their home matches at the
Queensland State Netball Centre
The Queensland State Netball Centre, also known commercially as Nissan Arena, is a multi-purpose facility located in the southern Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The centre features a 5,000 seat indoor arena that is the home court of Super Netball ...
.
Notable players
2021 squad
Internationals
;
*
Demelza Fellowes
Demelza McCloud ( née Fellowes; born 5 August 1980) is an Australian netball player. She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. McCloud was selected in the Australian national team in 2004 and 2005. Domestically, she has pl ...
*
Cara Koenen
Cara Koenen (born 27 February 1996) is an Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Koenan was a foundation player at the Lightning ahead of the club's inaugural season in 2017. She ...
*
Laura Scherian
Laura Scherian (born 26 June 1988) is an Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Scherian began her netball career in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy at the now-defunct AIS Canberra ...
*
Gretel Tippett
Gretel Bueta (née Tippett; born 3 July 1993) is an Australian netball player and former basketball player.
Basketball
Bueta played for the Australian Institute of Sport in the Women's National Basketball League during the 2010/2011 season. S ...
*
Stephanie Wood
Stephanie Wood (born 28 November 1991), also known as Steph Wood, is an Australia netball international. Wood was a member of the Australia teams that won the silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2019 Netball World Cup. Betw ...
;
*
Verity Simmons
Verity Anne Simmons; born 19 May 1991 in Grafton, New South Wales) is an Australian netball player. In 2012, Charles played her first season in the ANZ Championship with West Coast Fever. In 2014, she transferred to the Queensland Firebirds, an ...
;
*
Simone Nalatu
;
*
Ameliaranne Wells
Ameliaranne Ekenasio (née Wells; born 11 January 1991) is an Australian-born, New Zealand netball player.
She currently plays for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the ANZ Premiership. Ekenasio is known for her high work rate and smooth long-rang ...
;
*
Maleta Roberts
Maleta Roberts (born 25 April 1985) is a Papua New Guinean international netball player. Roberts was a member of the Papua New Guinea national team that played in the 2007 Arafura Games and the 2007 Netball World Championships, and subsequently ...
;
*
Lenora Misa
Lenora Misa (born 19 December 1997) is a Samoan netball player who represents Samoa internationally and plays in the positions of goal defense and goal keeper. She made her maiden World Cup appearance representing Samoa at the 2019 Netball World ...
Queensland Firebirds
Sunshine Coast Lightning
*
Cara Koenen
Cara Koenen (born 27 February 1996) is an Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Koenan was a foundation player at the Lightning ahead of the club's inaugural season in 2017. She ...
*
Madeline McAuliffe
*
Jacqui Russell
Jacqui Russell (born 1 August 1988) is an Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Russell began her netball career at the Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship, where she pl ...
*
Laura Scherian
Laura Scherian (born 26 June 1988) is an Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Scherian began her netball career in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy at the now-defunct AIS Canberra ...
*
Stephanie Wood
Stephanie Wood (born 28 November 1991), also known as Steph Wood, is an Australia netball international. Wood was a member of the Australia teams that won the silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2019 Netball World Cup. Betw ...
Head coaches
Premierships
*
Australian Netball League
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netb ...
**''Runners up'': 2014: 1
References
{{Queensland Sports Teams
Sapphires
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
Australian Netball Championship teams
Netball teams in Queensland
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
Sports clubs established in 2008
2008 establishments in Australia
Netball teams in Australia
Sporting clubs in Brisbane