The evolution of netball arrived with the Trans-Tasman ANZ Championship and with it saw the dawn of a new era for netball in New South Wales with the Sydney Swifts rebranding as the NSW Swifts
Written off at the start of the season, the Swifts stormed home in the 2008 ANZ Championship on the back of a nine game winning streak, culminating in a Grand Final victory over the star-studded Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in front of 12,099 fans at Acer Arena.
Prior to round 7, the Swifts were on shaky ground; recording three wins from their first six games. However, amongst those three wins was their first win over championship favourites, the Magic.
The Swifts' championship win was part of a three-peat for the club after the Sydney Swifts had won the 2006 and 2007 Commonwealth Bank Trophy.
Travelling nicely under the radar, the NSW Swifts went from strength to strength; building in confidence with every match they played.
Finishing the regular season in second place behind the Magic, only on percentage, the NSW Swifts travelled to Hamilton for the major semi-final.
In front of a parochial kiwi crowd, the NSW Swifts stunned onlookers with a gutsy one point victory to seal a home Grand Final.
A Magic victory in the preliminary final against the Adelaide Thunderbirds wrote the grand final script just as we all wanted – a trans-Tasman blockbuster.
Acer Arena was transformed from an ice extravaganza to a netball colosseum – with thousands of screaming fans and thunder sticks rocking the arena.
As the dust settles on the inaugural season of the ANZ Championship, the NSW Swifts will go down in history as the first team to be crowned the Champions.
The victory is best summed up by NSW Swifts coach, Julie Fitzgerald.
“I think it was just sensational”.
2008 Final Placings:
1 NSW Swifts
2 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic
3 Adelaide Thunderbirds
4 Melbourne Vixens
5 Queensland Firebirds
6 Southern Steel
7 Northern Mystics
8 Canterbury Tactix
9 West Coast Fever
10 Central Pulse
2008 NSW Swifts
Catherine Cox (Captain), Selina Gilsenan (Vice Captain), Erin Bell, Rebecca Bulley, Kimberlee Green, Adelaide Johnson, Emma Koster, Tiffany Lincoln, Susan Pratley, Kimberley Purcell, Leah Shoard, Vanessa Ware.
Julie Fitzgerald – Coach
Tracey Robinson – Assistant Coach
Jan Troy – Manager
Sean Mungovan – Physiotherapist
Bryce Cavanagh – Strength and Conditioning
