From rookie to double champion to Club Centurion, it's been a pretty epic journey for Maddy Proud since she made the move to the NSW Swifts from her native Adelaide in 2017.
When Suncorp Super Netball replaced the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship the midcourter, who had played 44 games for the Thunderbirds, decided it was time for a change. However, she never envisaged the move would work out quite as well as it has.
On Sunday, Proud is set to join an elite group of Swifts Centurions, becoming just the 13th player to do so in the 28-year history of the Club.
Some of the biggest names that have ever played the game are in that group, and Proud knows how much effort it takes to join them.
“To join the Swifts Centurion Club means more than I can possibly put into words,” she said.
“I’ve had so many amazing days in a Swifts dress and this Club has also helped pick me up from some pretty dark ones too when injury has struck.
“Growing up and playing netball in South Australia, the Swifts were always one of those teams that everyone knew and respected, especially when they came to play the Thunderbirds.
“I’ve been fortunate to play for both teams, but I’ve been in Sydney so long now that the Swifts really are my home.
In team sport, it's not just about individual achievements, but those you get to share milestones with.
Proud has been part of a captaincy group that's led the Swifts to three Grand Finals and two Premierships so far in her time at the Club. However, joining current teammates in the exclusive Centurion Club is hard to script.
“Getting to join a group that includes the likes of Liz Ellis, Cath Cox, Kim Green and Susan Pettitt is pretty cool, but what really makes this milestone extra special is to achieve it alongside my teammates who are Swifts Centurions themselves.
“Paige Hadley, Sarah Klau, Maddy Tuner and Helen Housby have played a huge role in my journey and joining and I can’t wait to play many more games with them.”
The Swifts are without a win since the Round 6 Derby success against the Giants and the Club this week parted ways with Samantha Wallace-Joseph. Despite this, the Swifts only sit one win outside the Finals places with five rounds remaining.
“It’s been a tough few weeks but now we're in a position where we can move forward, and a trip to play Fever in Perth is the type of challenge we relish," she added.
“They will be really pumped up after last week’s loss and will have a point to prove, but so do we.
“The Swifts and the Fever are two of the teams that have always been contending in recent years and they’ve been exceptional at times this season.
“But we’ve come up trumps over there in the past so we know what it takes. It’s a brilliant arena to play your 100th game in a Swifts dress and I can’t wait.”
MATCH NOTES
- When the teams last met in Round 4 the Fever defeated the Swifts 75-59 in Sydney.
- The Fever lead head-to-head with 10 wins and the Swifts seven in 17 previous Suncorp Super Netball matches.
- 10 of the 17 previous Suncorp Super Netball meetings between the teams have been decided by six goals or less since 2017, including five by one goal.
- The Swifts and Fever have met 36 times since 2008 and the Swifts have won 21 matches, the Fever 14 and there has been one draw.
- The Swifts and Fever have met six previous times in Perth in Super Netball with the Fever winning four and the Swifts two. The Swifts won the most recent meeting in Perth 65-64 in Round 9 last season.
- The Swifts are coming off a 64-66 loss to the Lightning in round nine and sit in fifth place on the ladder.
- The Fever is coming off a 50-68 loss to the Thunderbirds in Adelaide in round nine and have a record of seven wins and two losses and sit in second place on the ladder. Allie Smith played her 50th Super Netball matches in round nine against the Lightning.
- Maddy Proud will play her 100th match for the Swifts in Round 10. Proud has played 143 National League matches since making her debut for the Thunderbirds in 2011 and playing 44 matches in pink.
