This NSW Swifts enjoyed their first proper hit-outs of the year last weekend when they travelled to regional Victoria to take part in the Ballarat Blitz.
The four-team pre-season showcase also involved the Melbourne Vixens, Adelaide Thunderbirds and the West Coast Fever with the Swifts doing battle with the latter two.
The Swifts came away with two narrow losses, going down 64-59 to the Thunderbirds and 64-61 to the Fever, but having chopped and changed her line-up throughout each game Briony Akle was generally happy with what she saw.
"It was great to get away and take on some quality opposition in a beautiful part of regional Victoria,” the Swifts head coach said.
"Pre-season is about testing combinations and playing little games within games, and there was some stuff I am very pleased with.
"You want to try a lot of things out, but you also don't want to show too much ahead of the season proper.
"There are obviously things I want us to do better at, but what was really valuable was match-play against the best and we got that in Ballarat.
"For us the focus is now looking ahead to our pre-season clash with the Giants in Sydney on March 5 and then it's full steam ahead for Adelaide in Round 1."
The Swifts’ Suncorp Super Netball campaign starts with a Round 1 clash in South Australia against the Thunderbirds on Saturday 14 March.
The team’s first home game is in Round 2 against the Mavericks as part of a Suncorp Super Netball double header at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday 22 March.
You can secure tickets to all 2026 Swifts home games HERE.
