A horror final quarter for the NSW Swifts was the difference between them and the Melbourne Vixens with the Premiers’ Suncorp Super Netball winning streak ended at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.
The 59-53 score-line did little to reflect how close the Swifts had run their long-time rivals for most of the contest, but the five-minute period at the start of the last quarter will haunt NSW who were in search of their fourth win on the bounce and well in the hunt till that point.
The champions are still very much Finals picture, and may stay in the playoff places at the end of Round 11 if other results go their way, but next week’s trip back to Melbourne to face Collingwood looms as a huge game in the context of their title defence.
The result also meant the Swifts had to hand over the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup after winning it back from the Melburnians en route to their Premiership success last season.
A good defensive rebound by Sarah Klau gave the Swifts the platform to take an early 3-1 lead but when Paige Hadley fumbled on attack the Vixens were quick to even the ledger through Kiera Austin and Mwai Kumwenda.
A wild Austin pass gave the Swifts another opportunity to gain the early impetus and when Klau picked up a rebound off Kumwenda, Helen Housby and Kelly Singleton were on call to put the Swifts four up.
Klau was to the fore again when she picked off a fine deflection by her defensive partner Maddy Turner but the Vixens showed resolve to keep the gap at four entering the first Power Five.
The Premiers had opportunities to put some real daylight between themselves and the Victorians heading to the break but an intercept by Hannah Mundy, and a Super Shot by Austin, meant there were only five goals between the sides at quarter-time (17-12).
The hosts introduced former Swifts Premiership winner Kate Eddy (WD) and Emily Mannix (GK) for the second quarter and the changes paid dividends with the NSW’s route to goal noticeably more laboured.
A miss-timed Hadley bounce pass and an intercept by Jo Weston put the Vixens right back into the contest midway through the period and it forced Swifts head coach Briony Akle to call her first timeout of the game.
However, if the Swifts looked composed in the opening quarter it was the Vixens’ turn to do so in the second. There was far more intensity to their defence and the ladder-leaders did enough to get back on level terms by halftime (28-28).
An offensive contact call against the Swifts and a missed Housby attempt, rebounded by Weston, enabled the Vixens to take the lead for the first time early in the third quarter and before long they the led by four.
But if the Vixens thought the Swifts’ challenge was fading, they were mistaken. Former Vixen turned Swift Allie Smith picked up two loose balls which allowed Housby and replacement Sophie Fawns stay on their opponents’ tails.
The Premiers had plenty of turnover possession and could have led at the final break had they been more composed, but instead it was the Victorians who led by one at the three-quarter time (42-41).
Then came the turning point. Back-to-back turnovers off the centre pass and another offensive contact call against NSW allowed the hosts move into a commanding eight-goal lead, which was huge given the tight nature of the contest the that point. In essence, the whole game flipped in the space of five minutes.
The Swifts didn’t lie down, and Housby’s success from Super Shot range may yet come in very handy with goal percentage likely to decide some Finals spots, but unfortunately on the night they lapsed at just the wrong time and the Vixens made them pay.
FULL MATCH STATS
