Playing in front of a home crowd at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena, the Gems finished fifth at the three-day event picking up three wins in the process.
Off the court there were just as many memories being made, with a particular highlight being the addition of Tasmania to the competition which was celebrated with a welcome breakfast where participants clapped and cheered as the Emeralds entered the room.
Gems Head Coach Merrin McCulloch said there was plenty of takeaways for her team from the competition.
“We put up a good fight against the top four teams and recorded strong wins against the lower three teams,” McCulloch said.
“Our two debutantes learnt so much and really improved their game over the weekend. Charlee (Kibble) grabbed many intercepts in defence while Emily (Kennedy) in the game against Tassie shot the lights out before entertaining everyone with her celebration dances after each goal.
“The team ended up fifth but really showed how much they had improved, with many compliments coming from rival coaches and supporters.”
NSW won the competition, emerging with a tight 18-13 win over Victoria in Sunday’s grand final while South Australia took bronze ahead of Western Australia.
For more information on the Queensland Gems, click here.
