The NSW Swifts will have to play again if they are to reach a third Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final in five seasons after they were pipped 64-62 by Adelaide Thunderbirds in an extra-time thriller.
It was another bruising affair between the sides who went toe-to-toe for 65 relentless minutes but at the death Adelaide booked a direct path to their first Grand Final in a decade.
The Swifts live to fight another day and will have a second chance next Saturday night when they host the winners of tomorrow’s Minor Semi Final between the Melbourne Vixens and West Coast Fever in Perth.
In front of a raucous crowd at Qudos Bank Arena the Swifts looked to be seconds from advancing before Adelaide won a late turnover to force additional time.
England internationals Helen Housby and Eleanor Cardwell played huge parts in the spectacle as they traded Super Shots to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats up until the final whistle.
If there was an illustration of how the contest ebbed and flowed, the quarter scores were a proper indicator.
The Swifts came racing out of the blocks to win the first period 16-11 before Adelaide responded in the second (15-12) with NSW gaining ascendancy in the third before the South Australians got on track again in the fourth.
The visitors carried that momentum into the five minutes of additional time, winning it 6-4 and forcing the Swifts into next weekend’s Prelim Final.
“There were moments in that game when our decision making wasn’t the best,” Swifts Head Coach Briony Akle said afterwards.
"I thought we had some beautiful passages of play for three quarters. I think I we played some great netball, presented well, stuck to a game plan.
"I think the physicality got to us a little bit and we've got to work out a solution around that.
"We certainly forced balls that we shouldn't force."
Thunderbirds' coach Tania Obst acknowledged her side had been in a huge battle.
"What I thought we did really well was just hung in there," she said.
"We took most of our chances when they presented and I thought that we looked really calm and connected out on the court in the moments that mattered.
"Going into that last five minutes I was feeling pretty confident even though there's nothing to suggest you're going to get over line."
MATCH STATS
