The Swifts have lost the Carole Skyes Memorial Trophy for the first time since 2022, but only after one of the most thrilling games of the Suncorp Super Netball season.
Missing Sarah Klau, Grace Whyte, and long-term absentee Helen Housby, the injury-depleted Swifts fought back strongly after a poor opening quarter to lead by one at three-quarter time, before ultimately falling on the wrong side of a Super Shot shootout at the death.
The Giants won their first NSW Derby in four years, edging out the Swifts 66-65 and securing their first victory of the season in their final match.
For the Swifts, the result ends their 2026 campaign in fifth place overall, missing Finals for only the seventh time in their 30-year history.
For the Giants, who were already locked into the wooden spoon, the win helped them avoid a winless season, with a victory over their local rivals providing some consolation in an otherwise disappointing year.
Earlier in the season, the Giants came agonisingly close to wins against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens and West Coast Fever - all Finals-bound sides - and this time they were determined not to let the opportunity slip away.
In the final quarter, they showed greater urgency than the Swifts, with that extra intensity proving decisive in a pulsating finish.
Despite both teams being out of Finals contention and the match clashing with the Socceroos’ opening FIFA World Cup fixture, the occasion was not diminished, with a capacity crowd of 10,000 filling the Olympic Park venue.
The Giants had the better of the early exchanges, with Whitney Souness lively in the midcourt while match MVP Sophie Dwyer combined effectively with Matisse Letherbarrow in attack.
The Swifts’ defence created turnovers but struggled to convert them into consistent scoring opportunities. They were more efficient in the second quarter, which they won 18–14, as Nicola Barge - standing in for the injured Whyte - grew into the contest alongside Grace Nweke.
When the Swifts opened up a five-goal lead midway through the third quarter, it looked as though the Giants’ resistance might finally break, but they again found a way to stay in the contest.
Some officiating decisions drew frustration from both sets of supporters, but in truth both teams contributed to a match that swung back and forth throughout the evening.
The Giants appeared to have seized momentum heading into the final Power Five period, but Barge responded with three Super Shots to put the Swifts back in front.
However, when Dwyer answered from range to edge the Giants ahead, the Swifts opted for a late long-range attempt in the final 30 seconds. The shot from Barge missed, and the Giants held on through the final 20 seconds to secure victory by the narrowest of margins.
