A gutsy NSW Swifts have gone down to Giants Netball in their Suncorp Super Netball season opener, 57-55, at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The loss was compounded with an injury to goal shooter Sam Wallace late in the match. The injury blow occurred early in the fourth quarter with the Swifts trailing by three and mounting a comeback. Wallace had been in superb touch netting 33 goals from 37 attempts before being assisted from the court in front of a shellshocked home crowd.
Kelly Singleton was injected into the action at GA in place of Wallace with Helen Housby moving back to GS. Back-to-back super shots saw the Swifts draw to within two goals in the closing minutes but they were unable to close the margin with the Giants holding onto the ball for victory in the NSW derby.
Speaking after the match, NSW Swifts coach Briony Akle said: “I’m proud of them. It’s probably the toughest 10 minutes they’ve played in their life.
“Getting them to finish the game was probably the key. We didn't know what the diagnosis was but you can only stay there and in the moment and see what happens.
“That could have gone the other way and we’d lost by 12, but they got on with it and there’s nothing more you can ask of them.”
Giants delivered a decisive start to the game, scoring four unanswered goals before Wallace got the Swifts on the board after three minutes. Recovering from the early deficit, Wallace gave the Swifts a two-goal lead at the first break, 14-12, on the back on a super shot bringing the parochial crowd to their feet.
Once again, Giants had the early momentum in the second quarter, scoring seven of the first 10 goals. A change to the Swifts midcourt saw Proud and Hadley switch bibs during a timeout and the change reaped early rewards with the Swifts able to draw level at 22-all with five minutes until half-time. It was raining super shots at both ends of the court, but a shot on the verge of half-time by Giant Sophie Dwyer saw them take a three-goal lead into the main break.
Both teams made changes in defence to start the third quarter with the Swifts having the better of the quarter to outscore their opponents, 15-13. The injection of Tayla Fraser into WD early in the quarter brought fresh legs and plenty of energy to the contest. A Sam Wallace super shot in the dying seconds saw the Swifts enter the final break trailing by a single goal, 45-44, setting up a cracking final quarter.
Allie Smith, in her NSW Swifts debut, became the 100th player to represent the Club (Sydney/NSW Swifts) in a national league match.
The Swifts will now re-group ahead of their round two clash against the Melbourne Vixens on Saturday 2 April at Ken Rosewall Arena – tickets for the clash are available via Ticketek.
Quarter by Quarter Score:
NSW Swifts: 14 | 32 (15) | 44 (15) | 55 (11)
Giants Netball: 12 | 29 (20) | 45 (13) | 57 (12)
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