In one of the best games of Suncorp Super Netball this season, the NSW Swifts pulled off a remarkable final quarter comeback against the Giants - and survived another - to end their year on a high.
In front of 10,000 fans at Ken Rosewall Arena, the local rivals went blow-for-blow for 60 pulsating minutes but it was the Swifts who finished stronger as the game reached its dramatic conclusion.
Tongan international Uneeq Palavi capped off a brilliant performance when she slotted the winning goal with six seconds on the clock to send the crowd into raptures.
It could have ended very differently when the Giants landed a flurry of Super Shots to tie the game with 20 seconds to go, however, NSW displayed cool heads to make their final play stick.
Despite playing in three of the last five Grand Finals - and winning two of them - the Swifts have found themselves in the unfamiliar position of missing out on the playoffs, but it only seemed to galvanize them as pendulum finally swung in their favour on Sunday.
Match MVP Helen Housby played her best Swifts game of the year and the team will now look to rebound after a season disrupted by off-court distractions beyond their control.
"This one meant a lot to us," an emotional Housby said post-match.
"We were fighting for bottom of the ladder but I think the pride of NSW is really special and really important.
"I don't think anybody from the outside world knows exactly what we've been through this season.
“I think once we get a good pre-season under our belt and get back to playing netball without shackles on, we’ll be back in the running in 2025.
"I'm just incredibly proud of the girls and proud to be a Swift."
In their 28-year history the Swifts have won seven Premierships and have never finished bottom of the ladder. The late surge meant that NSW condemned the Giants to that fate, while they also leapfrogged the Queensland Firebirds into sixth as a result of better goal percentage.
“Look, at the end of the day, despite the distractions we’d always back ourselves to finish higher than where we’ve eventually placed, but history and what you’ve done recently does not give you a right to play finals,” head coach Briony Akle said afterwards.
“This is the best netball league in the world and the teams above us have been better and deserve their spot in the business end this year, but we have a huge motivation to bounce back in 2025.
“Today was a really important win because it showed that this group of champion players can rise to a big occasion and they will again in the future.”
Both teams played some fantastic netball, especially in the first 10 minutes with the game getting more physical as it wore on.
The Swifts converted 82% of their centre passes into goals, and while the Giants had better conversions of possession gains, the sheer volume of shots put up by Palavi and Housby meant NSW were never out of the contest despite GWS looking more likely to take the spoils all afternoon.
The Giants led by seven at one stage but they were never able to pull away, meaning the Swifts were still in with a fighting chance.
The final quarter proved to be the decider, and while the Swifts will be annoyed they let a six-goal margin slip, Akle will no doubt be proud her troops showed composure when it was needed most.
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