Queensland have vowed to bring equal measures of subtlety and strength to remain a Super Netball force after announcing on Wednesday that Gabi Simpson had retained the captaincy.
Diamonds regular Simpson will take the reins for a third season after easily winning a player vote, while Caitlyn Nevins, Romelda Aiken and Mahalia Cassidy will support her as part of the official leadership group.
Coach Rosalee Jenke said the team thrived under Simpson's "warm and passionate" persona but that they'd need to keep opponents guessing given their relatively unchanged squad for 2019.
"Every year we're looking at tweaking it a little bit," she said.
"We've got one of the most stable teams; that can be a strength but also a weakness in that you can be predictable."
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The Firebirds were bounced from last year's Super Netball finals by eventual champions Sunshine Coast.
"It hurt because we had the potential to win it, but there was something missing and I guess we just weren't ready yet to get that next level in our game," Simpson said.
"Each season you learn something and that game was a very important lesson for us."
The Brisbane-based side will host all eight teams in a pre-season tournament from Friday, where they hope to make an immediate statement in their new purpose-built stadium.
"We stand on thousands of shoulders here and now that it's here it's our turn to make our own story," Aiken said in a tribute to those who helped the 5000-seat facility become a reality.
"When we step out on court we're a force to be reckoned with ... we won't shy down from anything, we'll go hard and when we get knocked down we'll get up and go harder again."
