Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How good are the Townsville Fire? When it comes to sport, it's pretty special to take victory in enemy territory. It's even better when it's a premiership-winning victory. That's what happened last Wednesday night in Melbourne, as the Townsville Fire took out the Women's National Basketball League for the fourth time in the local club's history. It was an absolutely emphatic win against the Southside Flyers after a dominant season on the court.

The match was the second victory in a row of the best of three games in the grand final series. Even more amazing, it was the Fires' 16th straight win of the season, with the side unbeaten for the 76 days leading up to the final match. The Fire were a point behind, 58 to 57, early in the fourth quarter, but quickly turned the game on its head to finish with a comfortable 82 to 69 win, with Steph Reid contributing a massive 28 points. So this afternoon I want to give massive congratulations to the Townsville Fire for an amazing season. We look forward to seeing them do this again next year.

They've had a period of rebuilding since they last brought home the silverware, in 2018, but they dug deep and absolutely deserve this hardfought accolade. It has been fantastic to see Townsville fire up and paint the town orange, as we proudly got behind our national basketball team.

Just before my time ends, I would also like to acknowledge the veterans who are here today. Thank you for joining us during question time.