The defending champion NSW Swifts might be second on the Suncorp Super Netball ladder with four rounds of the regular season to play, but captain Maddy Proud says the Premiers are yet to live up to their billing - and that needs rectifying quickly.
The Swifts suffered a heavy loss to the Queensland Firebirds on Saturday meaning they lost ground on the ladder-leading Melbourne Vixens, while the Sunshine Coast Lightning were able to move level with them on points.
NSW play the Vixens on Tuesday night in a second top-of-the-table clash in the space of two weeks, but the loss to Queensland has led to some hard conversations at the Swifts' Sunshine Coast base.
"While you have to give credit to a team that were simply better on the day, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do some serious soul searching in the short turnaround between games," Proud says of the Firebirds loss.
"Believe me, we’ve done a lot of it since Saturday.
"Honesty is key to success and the fact is we are still looking for consistent, cohesive performances where all parts of our attack and defence fire-in sync for a full 60 minutes.
"We came close against the Sunshine Coast Lightning a few weeks ago but we’re the Premiers and we haven’t lived up to that title so far this year.
"Pressure is privilege, being the hunted is an honour every team wants but our actions haven't matched our words."
Some might think winning in any way, even if it's playing badly, is the sign of a good team. However, Proud feels that's only a stop-gap solution. You can only win like that for so long. For Proud, it's time for the Swifts to reset and start again.
"We’re still second on the ladder and in a strong position to make Finals - even the top-two - so our destiny remains in our own hands," she says.
"But now we know that winning ugly won’t suffice any more. As the regular season starts to reach the business end every team is fighting for their lives, and there are three sides outside the top four still in with a good shot of making the playoffs.
"I want the Firebirds game to be a watershed moment for this team in 2020. Just plodding along and relying on smarts won’t cut it. Put simply, we’ve got to be better.
"Last year’s success showed we’re good enough, but ‘good enough’ won’t suffice later this season because no-one stands still in this game."
The NSW Swifts' clash with the Vixens takes place tomorrow at University of Sunshine Coast Stadium at Sippy Downs at 5pm. It will be broadcast live on Telstra TV and Telstra's Netball Live App.
The game is classified as a home fixture for the NSW Swifts.
