The NSW Swifts' Suncorp Super Netball Finals hopes took a big blow on Saturday night after they went down 62-60 to the Melbourne Mavericks in the sides' Round 8 clash at John Cain Arena.
Despite last week's huge Derby win over the Giants putting renewed hope into the Swifts' campaign, this loss leaves them two wins outside the playoff spots with six games remaining.
Unfortunately, this was a game the Swifts had well in their grasp but they let it slip with key mistakes in the final two minutes.
Over the course of the six meetings between the sides since the Mavericks were introduced three years ago, victory has always gone to the home side and that trend continued.
With the Swifts up by one goal, shooter Grace Nweke went for a big play to put them out of sight but when she went looking for Grace Whyte in the Super Shot zone she found no-one.
It was the turnover the Mavericks needed to get back on level terms and when former Swift Maddie Hay disrupted NSW’s path to goal off their next centre pass they were suddenly two goals down with no time on the clock.
The loss will be a painful one for Briony Akle’s side because it looked like they were finally hitting their rhythm in season 2026, despite a huge amount of injury disruption this year.
The Swifts started well by gaining possession off the Mavericks’ first centre pass but they couldn’t convert and when the hosts got a chance with their first possession gain, they made it stick.
Akle called a timeout midway through the first quarter when her side was three goals in arrears and finding it difficult slow the quick supply of ball to Shimona Nelson in the Mavericks’ attack end.
In contrast Jess Grenvold and Kim Brown were creating havoc for the normally smooth connection between Nweke and Whyte and the Mavericks led by one at the first break (15-14).
An intercept by the returning Sarah Klau gave the Swifts the opportunity to take the lead early in the second quarter. The game then started to get messy as both teams coughed up a mountain of turnover possession but couldn’t make it count.
Midway through the second, the Mavericks edged their noses in front again thanks primarily to powerful midcourt defence from former Giants pair Jamie-Lee Price and Amy Parmenter.
A Super Shot from Whyte had the Swifts back on level terms three minutes before the big break but Parmenter and Brown were quick to snuff out NSW’s hopes of going to halftime on level terms with back-to-back intercepts giving the Mavericks a five-goal lead before Whyte sank from range again to leave just three between them going to the sheds (32-29).
A four-goal run at the start of the second half got the Swifts back into the lead but they couldn’t shake their opponents with Parmenter and Grenvold both intercepting to stop NSW from breaking away when it looked like they may take the ascendency.
A telling stat of the game to that point was the Mavericks converting twice as many times off bonus possession than the Swifts, illustrating that NSW were squandering precious chances to seize control. Ultimately it would cost them the game.
They did, however, take the lead to the final break thanks in a big way to the heroics of Whyte who stepped up with another Super Shot to ensure the Swifts won the third quarter 18-14 to lead 47-46 at three-quarter time.
The teams traded goals for most of the last quarter before a contact call against Nweke got the hosts back on level terms.
With the game tied at 58 apiece and three minutes left on the clock the Mavericks called the final timeout of the game but it lead to a held call against Price off the next play.
However, they got their chance when the Swifts fluffed their lines and secured perhaps the most significant win of their short history to date.
