When many think of the Firebirds, almost always the first player to come to mind is Gabi Simpson. Ever since joining the club back in 2013, Simpson has perfectly captured the pride and passion that the club looks to show every week.
Whether it be during the highs of winning back-to-back premierships or the lows of 2019 where the team only recorded a single win, or today where the club is looking for its first win of the season. Simpson leaves it all out on the court and makes the players around her better, which is exactly what you'd ask for as a coach or teammate.
Speaking to ESPN, Simpson reflected on her career, from premierships, to captaincy and the team's finals drought ahead of her 150th game this weekend.
Moving from Sydney to Queensland in 2013, the start of Simpson's time at the Firebirds would be just as good as a young player would hope for with the club making four consecutive Grand Finals, including back-to-back premierships, in her first seasons with the team.
"What a privilege, I didn't realise at the time," Simpson said. "I moved up in 2013 and we played four Grand Finals back-to-back and then won the last two of those. It was just a whirlwind.
"I remember that first year just being on the court against your idols that you've only seen on TV, I remember playing against Madi Browne and every game just thinking, 'oh well, let's see how this goes'. Just no idea if you're gonna be able to get on top of them or not.
"That was such a great time and you know, with the likes of Geitzy [Laura Geitz], Clare [Ferguson] and Nat Medhurst,(and) Chelsea Pittman. Just being surrounded by some phenomenal, well-established players at the time was dreamy, dreamy stuff."
Just four years after joining, Simpson would take over the captaincy from Firebirds legend Geitz, after the goalkeeper took the season off to have her first child. Welcoming in a new crop of talent and with such a rich club history, Simpson understood the weight and importance of the role.
"That year we had quite a few new young players coming into the team so it was a real honour to be able to induct them into the Firebirds and show them what the Firebirds is all about and then also help them to bring their own flair to what and where the Firebirds were going from there.
"I just remember walking out being very nervous but also extremely proud because of that rich history of the club, stepping into the role after the amazing Laura Geitz, Lauren Nourse, Peta Stevens all just amazing people that have had a huge impact on the sport and on the club and being given that honour was very special."
It was yet another whirlwind season for Simpson with off-court issues taking their toll, but she continued to impress on the court, eventually finishing the year with both the Liz Ellis Diamond and the Queensland Firebirds best and fairest award.
"I reflect on that year as being extremely special and also extremely challenging. There were quite a few things off the court that were happening, I know I was in a Players' Association strike and leading the team for the first time.
"There were quite a few moments where I thought to myself, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get through this year from an energy perspective and in terms of the challenges. I'm very proud of being able to produce some great netball across those times because it resulted in some pretty amazing titles. So I reflect on that year as a year of really strong resilience and a year of great learnings and building the person that I am today."
It was a challenging period on the court for the club, with the Firebirds only making the finals once in Simpson's reign as captain, which they lost by a goal to the eventual premiers the Sunshine Coast Lightning. Although Simpson said in those hard times as a club, it was important to focus on what players bring away from the court.
"I think one of the biggest things for me is making sure that this environment is one that people feel like they belong and they can be who they are and they're valued for not just what they bring on the court but what they bring off the court and through probably those more challenging times, when we're not necessarily getting the wins, it's about judging people for what they're bringing that's outside of netball as well.
"I think as a group we stayed very strong and we're proud to play for this club. That's probably one of my proudest things about leading this club and allowing people to be their freest version of themselves."
A true leader and believer of putting her words into actions, Simpson regularly took time out to welcome new players to the team with the captain and former teammate Romelda Aiken-George meeting Lara Dunkley late at night at the airport when she first joined the club.
She would eventually step down as captain though at the start of 2022 after she began to fall out of love with the game.
"Yeah, it was definitely one that I had to do a lot of thinking about," Simpson explained. "At the end of the 2021 season, I probably wasn't enjoying netball as much as I have in the past but I had to really do some self-reflecting on why that is.
"A lot of that came down to how I was judging myself and I was using things that were out of my control like judging myself on winning and titles and awards and those types of things and then moved away from what truly made me enjoy the sport.
"So what I've kind of eventually got to is the impact that I can have on my teammates and on the amazing kiddies that I get to meet every day simply by smiling at them, you've made their day. What an honour and privilege that is and also just continuing to grow as a person.
"In order to really hone in on that happiness side of what I'm doing, I decided it was best to step away from the title and give myself the space I needed to be able to explore those things. It's been really cool to be able to I guess lead from a different perspective.
"With that little bit removed from being in amongst all of the conversations, you're able to influence players through your friendships and through your connections, and also support and mentor Ravy [Kim Ravaillion] in that role, she's doing a great job."
While the Firebirds weren't able to make finals last season, 2022 was one of Simpson's favourites. Without the pressure attached with being the captain, she was able to be the best version of herself.
"Last year was one of my favourite netball years, I felt quite free when I was out on court and felt that real heart and love for the game and for the club and for my teammates and that was really special because that's why I play this sport.
"I mean, we're so lucky to do it for a job and high performance sport can get so serious, but at the end of the day, we're playing a game and we're doing it with our mates and that's something that's really special and that's something that I'll make sure that I always tap into to be able to play my best netball and to be able to be the best player that I can be for the Firebirds."
In 2023 Simpson re-joined the leadership group, working with captain Kim Ravaillon and vice captain Dunkley, in close to a full circle moment ten years after Simpson and Ravaillion first came into the team.
"We have quite a few moments where we look at each other and we think 'oh my gosh, remember when we moved out here, remember when that happened, remember when this happened'. So we moved up together, we lived together in that first year as 19 and 20 year olds, we learnt how to live out of a home together.
"Just so many amazing fresh memories from back then and now to think that we are the adults of the team, we are the ones that are leading it, we're the ones that are guiding the ship.
"I guess that cool sense of responsibility that when we do eventually leave, we leave it in a place where there's just as much love and care for each other as a group and also continue to build that successful culture that we stepped into back in 2013."
When reflecting on what legacy she wants to leave at the Firebirds and the competition as a whole when she eventually hangs up the dress, it's that netball is a place where anyone can come in and be themselves.
"I think for me that sense of belonging," Simpson told ESPN. "Netball is a place for everyone and that when you step into a netball environment specifically into the Firebirds you are valued for who you are and that's what makes the best out of the team, bringing your uniqueness.
"I think that's definitely a big one and then also just the heart and passion when you are playing netball. It's to bring joy, it's to be your freest version of yourself.
"I hope that the legacy that I can leave is to ensure that other people know that it's supposed to be a great expression of happiness, as opposed to a very serious high-performance environment."
Winless so far this season, there's a belief within the side that a win is just around the corner as the side continues to improve under new coach Bec Bulley.
"Essentially, we've got to fall in love with improving and eventually that win will come. We have a lot of belief that (the win) is coming and it's going to come very soon.
"So it's looking at how we are attacking, the percentage of how many centre passes we're getting, through the percentage of how many balls we're winning and how many centre passes we're stopping getting through.
"Those are definitely improving every week, which is giving us a lot of confidence and I guess belief that the win is around the corner. That's all you can ask for those little improvements every week and this team is working extremely hard to get those so I'm very proud to be a part of this group, I'm very proud of what we're going to continue to bring across this season.
The Firebirds will be celebrating Simpson's achievement in Brisbane this weekend, with the club handing out 1000 yellow ribbons, which has become a Simpson trademark across her 150 games.
"I'm so grateful that this game has aligned with a home game because the Firebirds fans and the community have been just as much a part of these 150 games as the teammates that I've played with, as the coaches that I've had.
"I look in the crowd and there's faces that I've known for 11 years, and their loyal support of the team is something that's so special and it means a lot to me personally it means a lot to the Firebirds.
"It's a real honour to be able to step out in front of them and celebrate with them and celebrate their support of us for those 11 years. I'm really grateful that we're playing at home so we can celebrate that all together."