The Lightning's Caitlin Bassett starred in the grand final against the Giants. Credit:Getty Images Fitzgerald took Brice off early in the third quarter and threw Susan Pettitt into goal shooter and Sarah Wall to wing attack, but it was to no avail. Credit must still go to Fitzgerald's Giants, who lost two of their three initial signings to season-ending injuries over the course of this year. Fitzgerald's first three signings last year when building this new club were Jo Harten, Kim Green and Kristiana Manu'a. Green suffered a torn ACL in round five, while Manu'a tore her Achilles tendon before the season even began. That they still managed to make the grand final suggests this club very much has the makings of a future championship-winning team.

Sunshine Coast's Stephanie Wood looks to pass the ball. Credit:Getty Images "That old saying you've got to play one to win one," Fitzgerald said. "I'm excited for what the future holds for this club. We definitely will keep the majority of the team together. "We will have learned a lot from that game tonight. When we were under pressure; we really went away from the things we've been doing particularly well in the last couple of weeks. The Giants' Jamie-Lee Price is pressured by the defence of Laura Langman. Credit:Getty Images "Having Kimmy and Krissy coming back into it just makes us stronger. We had the team to win it this year we just didn't perform on the night."

Even with Green and Manu'a coming back in they'll still need to improve, because Noeline Taurua has built a formidable roster of her own on the Sunshine Coast, which will prove very difficult to wrest this title from next season. "When I look at the numbers, there's still a lot of work that we can do to actually be better," Taurua said. "At times I thought we played outstanding, but it wasn't until the changes happened. Once they made the change, not necessarily it went into our hands but it was very positive for us. "To be grand finalists, this is what it was all about. To get to where we are and to have the trophy in front of us is awesome." Taurua's side started slowly and the Giants raced to an early five-point lead before Mentor picked off a Pettitt pass meant for Brice, and kick-started her side in the process.

Both teams made errors in the opening quarter as so often happens in a grand final, but the Lightning resumed the more composed after the first break and started squeezing their opponents through the middle of the court. The supply to Brice dried up while captain Harten was restricted to shooting from distance. Most of those went in, but Bassett was doing significant damage at the other end of the court. She had 22 from 23 to half-time and the Giants simply couldn't find a way to restrict her opportunities. At the other end of the court, Mentor and Mostert did a superb job on Brice and Harten and that's where the game was won.