She attributes it to her side’s recruiting, which saw it pick up Adelaide Thunderbirds goaler Natalie Medhurst and Camperdown export Sarah Wall, previously of the Melbourne Vixens.

Wall’s inclusion in the side means the Firebirds will have a strong south-west flavour this year as Trompf is originally from Warrnambool.

“I moved to Queensland in 1992,” she said. “But my grandparents, aunties and uncles still live in Warrnambool so we go there for Christmas most years. “Sarah and I played against each other when I was playing for Queensland and she was playing for Victoria but we’ve never played together until now.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

While go-getter Wall is likely to put on the wing attack or centre bib, the soaring 183-centimetre Trompf is a wing defence.

She explained her pre-season had been her toughest since joining the Firebirds in 2005.

“We’ve been training since November but the internationals and recruits like Sarah started in January,” she said.

“We’ve been training twice a day, every day for a couple of months.” She said the sessions had been a combination of fitness, ball work and strategy.

“We’ve been working a lot more on shorter, sharper stuff and strength and power, rather than just doing a lot of long running.”

The sessions are at 6am and 4.30pm, with most players, including Trompf, squeezing work in between them.

“It’s a bit of a juggling act but quite a few girls have to do it because obviously netball is not a huge money-making sport,” she said.

The 24-year-old believed 2010 looked promising for Queensland, which has appointed Roselee Jencke to replace 2009 coach and Australian netball legend Vicki Wilson.

“On paper I think we’ve got one of the best teams but it all depends on how the team gels together on the court,” she said. “We’ve just had our goal-setting workshop.

“We’ve been working on our short-term goals and our long-term goal, which is to make the grand final but it’s all about the process of getting there.”

The Noosa resident hoped to have a prominent season individually.

She believed Jencke would help her improve, given her background as a former Australian defender.

Trompf encouraged south-west netball fans to make the trek to Melbourne on March 28 when the Vixens and Firebirds clash. Wall’s and Trompf’s families will both attend the match.