The NSW Swifts’ Minor Premiership hopes are out of their hands after losing to the Sunshine Coast Lightning 71-70 at Ken Rosewall Arena tonight.
Over 10,000 fans packed the sold-out venue for an epic Suncorp Super Netball Round 13 contest which ebbed and flowed from start to finish, but on the night it was the Lightning who proved just that little bit more desperate for the win.
The Queenslanders needed a victory to keep their Finals hopes alive and when push came to shove, they had just enough when former Swift Steph Fretwell (nee Wood) won the game with a Super Shot on the final buzzer.
It was a crazy end to a game that thrilled and entertained from start to finish but the Swifts will be bitterly disappointed they fell just short.
Already qualified for Finals, the Swifts now need to beat the Firebirds in Brisbane next weekend and hope the West Coast Fever lose their remaining two regular-season games if they are to retain hope of finishing top of the log and win hosting rights for the Major Semi Final.
If the Fever win tomorrow against the Giants they will take out the Minor Premiership. It means a win for the Swifts in Brisbane next week would see NSW travel to Perth to face the West Australians for a place in the Grand Final. Either way, the Swifts must win in Brisbane to guarantee themselves a top-two spot.
The Swifts started well with a number of possession gains to race out to a 5-1 lead before Lightning Coach Belinda Reynolds called the first timeout of the game.
A Tara Hinchcliffe rebound off a missed Grace Nweke attempt gave Sunshine Coast the window they needed to get back into the contest with returning Diamonds shooter Cara Koenen moving well despite intense pressure from Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner.
That pressure eventually paid off with NSW looking the much more comfortable side for most of the quarter, and despite confusion between Nweke and Helen Housby when trying to setup a Super Shot costing NSW possession, the Lightning weren’t able to take advantage.
Housby closed the first period with a two-pointer on the buzzer as the Swifts went to the break 19-13 ahead.
An offensive contact against the Swifts five minutes into Q2 allowed the Lightning close the gap but brilliant scrapping for the ball by Sharni Lambden gave Housby and Nweke chance to open up a six-goal gap moments later.
The Power Five would see a huge momentum swing, however. A missed Housby Super Shot attempt wasn’t recovered and good pressing from the Lightning midcourt led to confusion between Lambden and Verity Simmons. This time the Queenslanders took full advantage of their back-to-back gains – including a Super Shot from former Swift Steph Fretwell (nee Wood) – and as the teams headed to the sheds the Swifts only led by one (35-34).
Swifts head coach Briony Akle gave Paige Hadley a breather at the start of the second half and injected young Grace Whyte into the NSW attack.
The Queenslanders were double-teaming Housby so the Swifts had to be much more direct into Nweke in the goal circle and while the teams traded goals for the first minutes of Q3, a missed Housby shot wasn’t rebounded and the Lightning seized their chance to lead for the first time.
A Klau tip put the Swifts back in charge as the physicality of the game lifted a level and the Lightning called a timeout just before the third Power Five. In a frantic five minutes of play both sides had chances to take grip on the game but neither could fully do so.
Two Super Shots by Fretwell provided vital for the visitors keeping pace and the scores were even at the last break (53-all).
What as a standout on the night was the injection of Training Partner Freddie Schneideman for her elite debut, becoming Swift No.113 in the process. The Randwick junior was thrown into a cauldron but she didn’t look out of place at Wing Defence as she connected well with her teammates.
The Final quarter went goal for goal, intercept for intercept, penalty for penalty, and only a Super Shot could separate the sides.
