The NSW Swifts have made a winning start to their Team Girls Cup campaign, holding out a fast-finishing West Coast Fever 41-37 on the Gold Coast today.
The pre-season competition, which involves all eight Suncorp Super Netball teams, is taking place in Queensland ahead of the 2023 season which kicks off next month.
Dominant second and third quarters were the keys to Swifts’ win, but the team will be especially pleased with the performances of young guns Sophie Fawns, Kelea Iongi and Dakota Thomas against the current pacesetters in Australian netball.
The first quarter had plenty of slick attack from both teams, however, the Diamond-studded defensive ends of Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner (Swifts) and Courtney Bruce and Sunday Aryang (Fever) showed why both pairings are so highly rated.
A Sasha Glasgow Super Shot was the main difference between the teams as Fever took a two-goal lead to the first break.
While the defenders had the better of things in the first quarter, the attackers responded in kind in the second with both units finding a smooth route to goal.
The Swifts hit the front midway through the period thanks good scrapping on the defensive circle edge and a missed Nat Butler (nee Medhurst) shot. It would provide the impetus they needed to go on a run with Helen Housby and Romelda Aiken-George converting well.
At halftime the Swifts led 23-17 with the defensive work of Turner, Klau and Allie Smith to the fore.
To make the most of the pre-season opportunity to try out new combinations, head coach Briony Akle made a raft of changes for the second half.
Young shooter Fawns came on at goal attack with Maddy Proud replacing Paige Hadley and young NSW junior Iongi swapping out for Turner at Goal Keeper to face the league MVP Jhaniele Fowler. There was also a chance for another young NSW product, Thomas, to make her mark.
Despite the change-ups NSW continued their strong run of form with Fawns connecting well with Aiken-George to increase her side’s advantage to 10 goals midway through the third quarter.
The Fever are the reigning Super Netball Champions and good defensive pressure in the midcourt forced Proud into a pass that Fawns couldn’t handle and the West Australians were quick to get back within striking distance.
However the young Swifts side held firm and a Fawns Super Shot meant they headed to the final break with a 33-23 advantage.
If NSW thought they were going to ease to a win in the fourth quarter those ideas were quickly extinguished as West Coast came firing out of the traps to get back within three.
For many parts of the last period it looked like the Fever were going steamroll their opponents late in the piece (and they even got as close as one goal) but the new-look Swifts played smart netty in the closing minutes.
Housby was reinjected into the game to see it out, while Proud and Tayla Fraser, who played the second half at centre, controlled proceedings to see the game out.
NSW SWIFTS (Players Used)
Starting 7 | GS Romelda Aiken-George, GA Helen Housby, WA Tayla Fraser, C Paige Hadley, WD Allie Smith, GD Maddy Turner, GK Sarah Klau
Second half 7 | GS Romelda Aiken George, GA Sophie Fawns/Helen Housby, WA Maddy Proud, C Tayla Fraser, WD Dakota Thomas, GD Sarah Klau, GK Kelea Iongi.
Q1 | Swifts 8 Fever 10
Q2 | Swifts 23 Fever 17 (15-7)
Q3 | Swifts 33 Fever 23 (10-6)
Q4 | Swifts 41 Fever 37 (8-14)
