The NSW Swifts have have been without their frontline stars, but they put in a fine effort against the current ANZ Premiership champions, the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse, in Invercargill today.
In an incredibly fast and physical first quarter the Swifts fell behind early, but were able bring it back to even at the end of the term.
Southern Steel training partner Kate Hartley was a zippy addition to the already fast-moving attacking end of the Swifts with Sophie Fawns at GS, QBE Swifts Academy athlete Kiara Bloor at GA and Swift #102 Lili Gorman-Brown at WA.
The Swifts took the lead at the start of the second quarter, and controlled it for the full period, getting ahead by seven at the long break. Fawns, the tour captain for the Series in NZ, sunk a buzzer beater at the end of the term which received a rousing applause for the local netball fans.
As the pressure mounted in the third quarter, the Pulse were relentless in defence and they created great opportunities for themselves. It meant the Swifts turned over some ball and allowed the Pulse to get a 16-11 score line for the 15 mins.
The Premiership Pulse team never took a breath in the last term, and both teams showed fierce skills and intensity for the full 60 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw the Pulse take a number of scoring runs, building into an 11-19 quarter and eventually taking out the match with a five-goal margin.
“The practice match had the feeling of a true battle between the Clubs from the trans-Tasman era," Kath Tetley, Executive General Manager of the Swifts, said.
"Neither side backed off and the pace seemed to intensify at each of the breaks – a real thrill for the local netball fans indeed.
“The Steel are excellent hosts – and really put on a great game stage for us today for the two ‘away’ sides” – they are very generous.”
“We really want to thank the Southern Steel Club, their members and fans – everyone has made us feel incredibly welcome and we can’t wait to see the relationship between the Clubs develop even further in the coming seasons.”
“The netball fans and members of Invercargill really know netball…they are a clever netball crowd and appreciate the skills on show and their support for our style of game and players has been fantastic”.
“The fans clearly loved the rich history of the battles of the Swifts with Steel and this weekend has shown what great collaborations can bring for the sport. We have loved every minute of visiting Invercargill.”
Team List v Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse
- Sophie Fawns – Swift #101 & Captain
- Lili Gorman-Brown – Swifts #103, Swifts Training Partner & Vice Captain
- Kiara Bloor – QBE Swifts Academy
- Ivari Christie – Southern Steel
- Losa Fifita – Southern Blast
- Kate Hartley – Southern Steel Training Partner
- Kelea Iongi – Swifts Training Partner
- Charlotte Smith – QBE Swifts Academy
- Dakota Thomas – Swifts Training Partner
- Lauren Woods – QBE Swifts Academy
Natalie Avellino – Coach
Mele Tiauli – Manager
Kandice Goodwin - Physio
Quarter Scores
Q1| 10 - 11
Q2 | 17 – 8 (27 – 19)
Q3 | 11 – 16 (38 – 35)
Q4 | 11 – 19 (49 - 54)
