The Queensland Firebirds have turned to a former premiership-winning player as their new head coach, appointing Rebecca Bulley to replace the departed Megan Anderson.
Bulley, a member of the Firebirds' 2015 premiership team, has taken over after Anderson stepped down in June having failed to reach the Super Netball finals in her two seasons at the helm.
An assistant coach for the NSW Swifts' Super Netball championship in 2021, Bulley said the opportunity to lead the Firebirds back to the competition's summit was a challenge she couldn't overlook.
"The Firebirds is a great club," she said.
"There's some great players, great talent, great experience.
"I've played with the club before and was a premiership player with the club. It just felt right ... an amazing opportunity."
The ex-Australian Diamonds representative has signed a four-year deal which she believes will allow her to develop the Firebirds into a leading outfit.
"The support and the confidence to know that I've got time to really implement what I would like to do with the team, I feel like I have the backing of the board and Netball Queensland which is great," she said.
"A premiership would definitely be something that I will be striving towards.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work, to be honest."
Bulley's appointment comes days after the Firebirds had to defend the decision to not offer a new contract to star shooter Romelda Aiken-George.
The pregnant 33-year-old Jamaican, a member of three premiership-winning sides and an ex-teammate of Bulley's, claimed on social media her contract hadn't been renewed because the Firebirds deemed it "too risky" for her to return next season.
The Firebirds denied the decision was made because of Aiken-George's pregnancy and said it was made for "high-performance" reasons.
Bulley's first task at the helm will be completing the Firebirds' playing list for the 2023 Super Netball campaign with three contract spots still to be confirmed as well as training partners.
