Paige Hadley is a big-time player. The NSW Swifts co-captain is just 60 minutes from a fifth Grand Final with the team she grew up supporting, and there’s no bigger stage in Australia than Qudos Bank Arena.
The seven-time Aussie netball Premiers host the West Coast Fever in the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Preliminary Final on Saturday night, with the winner progressing to the decider against the Thunderbirds in Melbourne next week.
Two-time Premiership winner Hadley, who also has a World Cup title and Commonwealth Gold Medal in her trophy cabinet, has been around the block too many times to dwell on last week’s extra-time loss to Adelaide in the Major Semi.
“Obviously the emotion was high after that game but there’s a job to do, it’s business as usual and off we go,” she said.
“We’ve pulled up really well and we’re ready to go with a really good game plan for tomorrow.”
Finals netball is hard, niggly and super physical which makes it tough to keep discipline for every minute of the game. For Hadley, that will be one of the biggest challenges her team faces if they are to deliver a third title in five years.
“Our game is about keeping possession and there were moments in the third and fourth quarter (last week) that we went away from what we are great at.
“There will be contests for the ball and off the ball but that’s Finals, both teams want it just as bad as each other so it’s going to be on tomorrow.
“As long as the physicality doesn’t pull us away from what our job is, it is a privilege to have someone giving you extra attention: it means what you’re doing is working.”
Hadley is also loving the Swifts’ return to Qudos Bank Arena for the Finals Series.
“I love playing here, I have been at the Swifts for 12 years and we used to play a lot of games here,” she added.
“I thought the crowd last week as phenomenal and fanatic, some of the girls who haven’t played here before were amazed by how loud it was.”
Head coach Briony Akle was pretty frank in her assessment of what’s needed against the Fever.
“We just need to be the smarter team,” she said.
“The physicality is just a natural progression of the game; these are professional athletes who are in the gym everyday so the game is going to get faster and more physical.
“It’s all about being disciplined and staying in play… you’ve got to go for ball cleanly because if you don’t, you’re out of play.
“We’re expecting it to be physical but whatever comes we need to adjust to what we face.”
Match Notes
- When the teams last met in Round 9 the Swifts defeated the Fever 65-64 in Perth.
- Nine of the 15 previous Suncorp Super Netball meetings between the teams have been decided by six-goals or less since 2017, including four by 1-goal.
- The Swifts and Fever have met 34 times since 2008 and the Swifts have won 20 matches, the Fever 13 and there has been one draw.
- The Swifts broke a three-match losing run against the Fever in Round 9 when they won 65-64 in Perth.
- The Swifts are coming off a 62-64 loss to the Thunderbirds after Extra Time in the Major Semi Final.
- The Fever is coming off a 64-57 victory over the Vixens in Perth in the Minor Semi Final.
- The Swifts secured their place in 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series with their win over the Vixens in Round 11. They also claimed the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Minor Premiership when they defeated the Firebirds in Round 13.
- Ten of the Swifts’ 15 matches this season have been decided by 4-goals or less or drawn including three matches by one-goal.
- The Swifts have played in seven Super Netball Finals for a record of four wins and three losses including winning the 2019 and 2021 titles.
- The Swifts have played 11 Super Netball matches at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney for a record of eight wins and three losses.
- The Fever and Thunderbirds were the only teams that sat inside the Super Netball Top 4 after each round. The Swifts sat inside the Top 4 after 10 rounds from Round 5 onwards.
