With a top-two finish already secured, the Swifts were pushed to the brink before winning an unexpectedly thrilling dead rubber 64-63 against the bottom-placed Firebirds.

Despite having recorded just a solitary win for the season the Firebirds, led by inspirational wing attack Caitlyn Nevins, were surprisingly resilient against the Swifts and even led by six goals early in third term at Qudos Arena on Saturday.

Ultimately a more composed second half by the Swifts saw them finish the regular season successfully ahead of next Saturday's clash with reigning champion Sunshine Coast for, where the winner gains direct passage to the September 15 grand final.

Nevins did her best to set the scene for an upset with 27 goal assists but her efforts were in vain as Trinidad and Tobago international shooter Sam Wallace goaled 43 of her 45 attempts.

After building a four-goal lead at the first break, the Swifts, regressed as the Queenslanders enjoyed a three-goal buffer at the main break.

Fortunately for Swifts coach Briony Akle, her players steadied to produce a narrow victory that she thought would galvanise them for the task ahead.

"I think if we lost that we would have been heartbroken," she said.

"It means we can grind it out no matter what combination is out there.

"We went into a bit of a slump, but we had to give credit to the Firebirds for playing really damn well ... that's the most outstanding I've seen them play all year.

"I'm super proud they came through with it - to score 64 goals against the Firebirds is no mean feat so I'm happy with their effort."

Australian Associated Press