With a dominant 14-goal win over the Lightning on Saturday, the Swifts found their feet in a victory that puts them back in the running for the Suncorp Super Netball Top Four.
The Swifts kept a 55% possession rate throughout the match, finishing with 422 NetPoints and an 80% gain to goal rate.
Briony Akle was more than pleased with the teams’ performance on Saturday.
“We had a big week at training and to come out and get 29 gains, we stuck to our game plan and got the result. I am very proud of them”, she said.
Paige Hadley also returning hitting the court just 74 days after giving birth. While her time in play was short, the impact was large.
“The effort for her to get back, and the determination she has just as an athlete, she did an amazing job, and the switches we made were seamless”, Akle said.
Grace Nweke and Grace Whyte’s partnership was humming once again. Not only was Whyte awarded MVP, she had 41 feeds into the circle with Nweke’s shooting accuracy at 94%.
“Whyte was making really smart choices. She had 41 feeds, but when Nweke is under the pump, she has recognised what balls Nweke can take. She is learning every game, she is a 21-year-old with big shoes to fill, but she is getting there every game”, Akle said.
Swifts Captain Maddy Turner says the team wants to bring that same flair into their Round 10 match against the Fever.
“We played with so much flair, and we want to bring that confidence again this week. There is so much you can learn from other teams too and we want to put what we did tonight on the road as well”, she said.
There has been a lot of focus in the defensive circle, with a number of switches too. Sharni Lamben and Turner have been switching from GD to WD which Akle says is something they have looked at in training.
“There has been a focus on it. We focus on bringing that energy with the defensive switches too and getting into those positions to see the ball as well”, the coach said.
The Swifts finally managed to gain and convert the ball, which was evident throughout their match on Saturday.
Similarly, Turner described what being in the defensive circle was like, bringing over 11 gains to the team.
“We worked hard to stay off the body and not draw too many whistles and put the other team under pressure”, she said.
The Swifts take on the West Coast Fever on Sunday at 2pm at RAC Arena.
