A Jo Harten super shot with just seconds remaining doused a fairytale First Nations Round finish for the Queensland Firebirds as the Giants staged a thrilling 73-72 Super netball win at Brisbane's Nissan Arena.
Firebird Donnell Wallam, sporting white face paint in recognition of her indigenous heritage, sank two final quarter super shots to give the home side a one-point lead inside the last minute.
Then up stepped Harten with a long bomb of her own to give her third-placed side a vital win that secured the Giants a spot in the finals.
In what had been a shootout between master goal attack Gretel Bueta and apprentice goaler Sophie Dwyer, the Firebirds, with a roaring capacity crowd behind them, looked on track for a comeback victory after trailing by as much as seven goals earlier in the game.
But it was Dwyer, with 27-from-29 shots and 17 feeds who helped the Giants steady.
"We're really proud," Giants centre Jamie-Lee Price said.
"The firebirds fought back really well and we did well to stay in it."
Defensive duo April Brandley and Matilda McDonell grabbed six gains between them to set a platform for the Giants early on.
Wallam also was outstanding with 45 points in a brilliant First Nations Round exhibition of clutch shooting.
The loss means the fourth-placed Firebirds must beat the NSW Swifts next weekend to have any chance of reaching the finals.
The Firebirds paid the price in the first quarter for a lack of respect for Giants defender Amy Parmenter, April Brandley and Matilda McDonell.
Pass placement must be centimetre perfect against a defence of that quality, and the Giants latched onto five gains, mostly from low percentage feeds.
The scoreboard pressure came from Giant Sophie Dwyer who shot a stunning 14-from-14, including two super shots, in the first half.
Curiously, it was an injury to Firebirds captain Kim Ravaillion that snapped her team its rusty start.
While Ravaillion was having treatment on her left ankle, defensive pressure from new Diamonds squad member Ruby Bakewell-Doran and her circle partner Eboni Usoro-Brown turned possession back in the home side's favour.
A quartet of super shots was the only difference as the Giants held a one-point lead at halftime.
Much of the action centred on Gretel Bueta in the third term. She gave away a penalty for knocking over Parmenter and a handful of her passes went astray but she pounced on an intercept as the Firebirds charged back into the contest.
