The NSW Swifts have booked their place in the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series with a hard-fought 57-54 Round 13 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Cairns.
The victory means the Premiers can't be caught by their local rivals Giants when they meet next week in Brisbane for the second NSW derby of the year.
The defending champions had lost three in a row coming into the contest in Far North Queensland but showed mettle at the death to get over the line against a Thunderbirds side which left nothing in the tank.
Strong first and fourth quarters were enough to cancel out a horror middle section for Swifts, which saw their opponents come storming back into the game thanks to a huge effort in defence.
"That was an ugly win but when you've lost three on the bounce it will have an effect and the way we showed composure at the end pleased me," Head Coach Briony Akle said afterwards.
"Losing, as much as winning, can become a habit and it doesn't matter if you're the defending champions or not, sometimes getting a win can be a tall order and you just need one to get you on track.
"I'm really happy that we toughed it out to get some momentum. The fact that West Coast Fever beat the Giants earlier in the day meant we were already qualified for Finals no matter the result of today's game, but we needed that win for our own confidence.
"Going for back-to-back titles is a massive task but now we're in a place to have a shot at it."
A Maddy Turner deflection off a scramble from the Thunderbirds' opening centre pass created the first of a host of turnover possessions which the Swifts won in the opening five minutes of the game.
Paige Hadley and Sarah Klau were to the fore as the Premiers raced out to a 6-1 lead. The gap stayed at six for much of the quarter before a Klau intercept allowed Sam Wallace put the Swifts seven up at the first break.
NSW weren't as composed in the second quarter but Adelaide were unable to take advantage of the turnover possessions they created early on. The teams went goal-for-goal for much of the period before far better management of the Rebel Power Play brought the Thunderbirds right back into the game.
Two Suncorp Super Shots from Samantha Gooden punished the champions, who suddenly looked muddled in attack, and heading into the big break the Swifts' advantage had been slashed to two goals.
Two missed Wallace shots, who was being put under immense pressure by Shamera Sterling, and a stepping call gave Adelaide the impetus in the third quarter. At the start of the Power Play Adelaide led by two and Akle called a timeout to rally her team.
Adelaide's circle defence was causing the Swifts all kinds of problems as they tried to navigate a route to goal. Composure was lacking and only a Wallace Super Shot kept the gap at one going to the last break.
The game then flipped again as the Swifts, led by MVP Hadley, created a host turnover possessions to seize control of the game.
Housby and Sophie Garbin combined well in the shooting circle the the service from Hadley and Natalie Haythornthwaite was far smoother.
Adelaide did rally with three Super Shots from Georgie Horjus making Swifts fans nervous but the champions held possession cleverly for the last minute of the game with Garbin landing the killer blow to put the result beyond doubt.
Quarter by Quarter Scores
SWIFTS | Q1: 19, Q2: 30 (11), Q3: 42 (12), Q4: 57 (15)
T’BIRDS | Q1: 12, Q2: 28 (16), Q3: 43 (15), Q4: 54 (11)
Starting Teams
SWIFTS | GS Sam Wallace, GA Helen Housby, WA Natalie Haythornthwaite, C Paige Hadley, WD Lauren Moore, GD Maddy Turner, GK Sarah Klau
Reserves used: Sophie Garbin, Tayla Fraser, Sophie Craig
T’BIRDS | GS Lenize Potgieter, GA Samantha Gooden, WA Georgie Horjus, C Maisie Nankivell, WD Shadine van der Merwe, GD Layla Guscoth, GK Shamera Sterling
Match Stats: View full match stats here
