Paige Hadley was just a young girl in the stands when Swifts legend Liz Ellis lifted a Premiership trophy for the last time in 2007.
The former Australian Diamonds captain brought down the curtain on a decorated Club career on the highest of highs as the Sydney Swifts recorded back-to-back Commonwealth Bank Trophy (CBT) titles before the rebranded, Cath Cox-led NSW Swifts claimed the first trans-Tasman ANZ Championship one year later.
It was, and remains, the only three-peat in Australian National Netball League history.
A few teams have come close, most notably the Melbourne Phoenix in the early days of the League and – more recently – the Sunshine Coast Lightning, but none have replicated the achievement of Julie Fitzgerald’s Swifts of 2006, 2007 and 2008.
“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 (KRA) 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.”
The double Swifts champion will play her 150th game for the Club this week as NSW look to stay hot on the heels of the Adelaide Thunderbirds at the top the Suncorp Super Netball Ladder.
Hadley is set to join Ellis, Cox, Ali Broadbent, Kim Green and Susan Pettitt in the Swifts’ 150-game club, while her good friend and long-time teammate Sarah Klau will become the Club’s 11th Centurion on the same day.
The Magpies head to Sydney desperate for a victory to keep their Finals chances alive and, as proven in Round 1, they can upset the odds.
More than anything, Hadley wants a win from the Swifts’ Round 10 clash, but she also recognises the significance of the milestones which will be celebrated.
“We know when Collingwood click they can be unstoppable, so our focus going into this week is our own processes and ensuring we are executing our game plan for the whole 60 minutes,” she added.
“But to be celebrating 150 games, and to see Sez (Klau) become a Swifts Centurion on the same day is pretty special.
“When we changed from the ANZ Championship to Suncorp Super Netball, we were the rookie team of the League with lots of new faces, and now we’re probably one of the most experienced.
“What makes me really proud is how we’ve grown together, won together and still have so much that we want to achieve together.
One hundred and fifty games in, the thrill is still the same for the World Cup winner.
“I am still playing with the same smile I had the first time I took the court for the Swifts, and that’s a testament to everyone in our environment," Hadley says.
“I can’t wait to don the Yellow on Sunday.”
- For more Swifts History please CLICK HERE
- For tickets to the Swifts' Heritage Round game against Collingwood please CLICK HERE
