The NSW Swifts will look to keep their place in the competition top-two when they host the Collingwood Magpies in Round 10 of Suncorp Super Netball at Ken Rosewall Arena on Sunday.
With speculation growing about the Collingwood’s participation in the competition after this season the Magpies have endured a torrid build-up to the clash, but Swifts head coach Briony Akle knows that only makes them more dangerous.
“They beat us all over the court in Round 1 and both Sophie Garbin and Shimona Nelson were on fire, so we’re under no illusions about what they’ll bring on Sunday,” Akle said.
“It is heartbreaking to hear about the off-court issues surrounding them at the moment, especially for the players, coaches and Club staff directly affected.
“We know many of them very well, especially the likes of Sophie Garbin and Kelly Singleton, and they are good people. Despite all of the issues, their netball ability doesn’t change – they have world-class options all over the court.
“Every team is still in the running for Finals and they will be playing to keep their campaign alive. Make no mistake, we need to be prepared for a storm coming our way.”
NSW will be celebrating their annual Heritage Match with the team donning the famous Yellow colour scheme worn when the Club was known as the Sydney Swifts from 1997 to 2007.
It is also a big day of milestones with Club champions Paige Hadley (150 Swifts games) and Sarah Klau (100 Swifts games) set to further cement their status in Swifts history.
“We love what those who went before us built, and what we've done in recent years (Premierships in 2019 & 2021) has created its own legacy and I believe we’ve written our own chapter in the rich history of the Swifts," Hadley says.
“The weird thing about success is that it only makes you hungrier for more. Running out at Ken Rosewall Arena and seeing the what the Swifts mean to everyone in NSW fuels that fire to another level.
“Heritage week is always a special time to reflect on where we’ve come from as Club, and where we want to go.”
Akle paid tribute to both players, who have become double champions under her guidance.
“Paige and Sarah are two of the finest athletes in Australian sport, and epitomise everything that is great about our game,” she said.
“To see both reach such significant milestones at our Heritage Match is a beautiful moment, and I really want us to put in a performance that befits the occasion for them.”
Allie Smith’s foot complaint has ruled her out for another week and she will be joined on the sidelines this week by fellow defender Teigan O’Shannassy, who has a calf complaint.
Both players’ Round 11 availability is to be assessed early next week and they will be replaced in Sunday’s match-day squad by Lili Gorman-Brown and Kelea Iongi.
Match Notes
- When the teams last met in Round 1 the Magpies defeated the Swifts 71-63 in Melbourne.
- In 13 previous meetings both teams have won six matches and there has been a draw.
- The Magpies have won three of the past four meetings between the teams.
- Round 10 will be the Swifts 100th Suncorp Super Netball match since the start of the competition in 2017.
- The Swifts have played a total 408 matches across three competitions since 1997: 178 in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (1997-2007), 131 in the ANZ Championship (2008-2016) and 99 in Suncorp Super Netball. They have won seven Premierships across the three eras.
- The Magpies and Swifts have met five previous times in Sydney and the Swifts have won four and the Magpies one. The Magpies won the first meeting in 2017 and the Swifts have won the past four.
- The Magpies are coming off a 56-69 loss to the Giants in Round 9 and they have a record of two wins and seven losses and sit at the bottom of the Super Netball ladder.
- The Swifts are coming off a 65-64 victory over the Fever in Perth and have a record of six wins, a draw and two losses to sit in second place on the ladder.
- The Swifts have now sat inside the Suncorp Super Netball Top 4 after every round since the end of Round 5. The Swifts current position of second is their highest placing this season.
- Swifts coach Briony Akle claimed her 49th Suncorp Super Netball win against the Fever in Round 9 and if the Swifts defeat the Magpies in Round 10 it will be her 50th win.
- Paige Hadley will become the 6th Swift to play 150 matches in either red or yellow or a combination of both after; Catherine Cox (192), Liz Ellis (173), Kimberlee Green (167), Susan Pettitt (161) and Alison Broadbent (152).
- Sarah Klau will play her 100th Suncorp Super Netball match in Round 10 against the Magpies. Klau is the only Swifts player to have played in all 100 matches since 2017.
- Klau will become the Swifts' 11th Centurion after Hadley, Cox, Ellis, Green, Pettitt, Broadbent, Vanessa Ware, Megan Anderson, Selina Gilsenan and Maddy Turner.
- Kelea Iongi made her debut for the Swifts against the Fever in Round 9 to become Swift #105.
