The 2013 ANZ Championship season saw the sport soar to new heights, with records tumbling across the board. Record scorelines, record crowds, and record memberships, all reflect the growing popularity of the world’s premier domestic netball competition, ANZ Championship.
While the NSW Swifts did not feature in the Finals this year, the team won many admirers throughout the competition for their never-say-die attitude, contesting a number of close matches down to the wire.
In years to come, 2013 will be fondly remembered for a series of extraordinary feats. As a roster, there were ten player milestones celebrated, a debut for NSW netballing “Tallent”, and players rewarded with selection in Australian representative squads. NSW Swifts’ athletes were named the game MVP on six occasions, and the Club retained the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup for a fourth straight season with a stirring nine-goal away victory over the Melbourne Vixens.
The NSW Swifts also enjoyed record Membership in 2013, and the Club’s Round 11 game against the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Allphones Arena saw a new NSW Swifts’ regular season home crowd record of 8,021.
2013 will also be remembered as the season the Club celebrated the career and contribution of Vanessa Ware, who after 107 games as a Swift decided to hang up the netball shoes at season’s end. Mo’onia Gerrard also announced she was taking a break from playing elite netball during the 2014 ANZ Championship to pursue her Olympic Rugby Sevens dream, but will remain part of the Club with a role in the restructured Swifts’ coaching panel next season.
2013 NSW Swifts Season Highlights:
The Club celebrated numerous milestones throughout the 2013 ANZ Championship, from ANZ Championship debuts to 150 elite games…
Milestones:
– Mel Tallent: ANZ Championship debut (Round 5 v West Coast Fever, Perth)
– Carla Dziwoki: 25 ANZ Championship cap (Round 11 v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Allphones Arena, Sydney)
– Lisa Beehag: 25 ANZ Championship games (Round 13 v QLD Firebirds, Brisbane)
– Sam May: 25 ANZ Championship caps (Round 2 v WBOP Magic, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre)
– Amorette Wild: 25 ANZ Championship caps (Round 10 v Northern Mystics, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre)
– Rob Wright: 50 ANZ Championship games (Round 9 v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Adelaide)
– Vanessa Ware: 60 ANZ Championship caps, 100 elite netball caps (Round 7 v Southern Steel, Invercargill)
– Kimberlee Green: 75 ANZ Championship caps (Round 7 v Southern Steel, Invercargill)
– Mo’onia Gerrard: 75 ANZ Championship caps (Round 3 v Central Pulse, Wellington) and 175 elite netball caps (Round 4 v QLD Firebirds, Brisbane)
– Sonia Mkoloma: 75 ANZ Championship caps (Round 8 v Melbourne Vixens, Melbourne) and 50 NSW Swifts caps (Round 9 v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Adelaide)
– Susan Pratley: 75 ANZ Championship caps (Round 5 v West Coast Fever, Perth) and 150 elite netball caps (Round 13 v QLD Firebirds, Brisbane)
Final Placings:
1 Adelaide Thunderbirds
2 Queensland Firebirds
3 Melbourne Vixens
4 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic
5 Central Pulse
6 Southern Steel
7 West Coast Fever
8 NSW Swifts
9 Canterbury Tactix
10 Northern Mystics
2013 NSW Swifts:
Mo’onia Gerrard (Co-Captain), Kimberlee Green (Co-Captain), Susan Pratley (Vice-Captain), Carla Dziwoki, Paige Hadley, April Letton, Samantha May, Sonia Mkoloma, Melissa Tallent, Vanessa Ware, Ashlee Weir, Amorette Wild.
Head Coach – Lisa Beehag
Assistant Coach – Rob Wright
Manager – Toni Kidwell
Physiotherapist – Brett Doring
Physiotherapist – Paula Peralta
Physiotherapist – Daniel Vukovic
Strength & Conditioning Coach – Damien Austin
Doctor – Dr Grace Bryant
