The NSW Swifts have mounted a stunning final-quarter comeback to snatch a dramatic 66–64 Round 8 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Ken Rosewall Arena to stay unbeaten in Suncorp Super Netball 2025.
It was a fiery opening contest in front of a sea of red-clad fans, as Grace Nweke got the Swifts off to a flying start, scoring the first two goals and leading the home side to an early 4–1 lead. However, the visitors clawed back to level the score at 6–6, as Latanya Wilson began to unsettle Nweke with tight defensive pressure.
Swifts defender Maddy Turner made a stunning intercept, though the ball quickly changed hands as Adelaide Hannah’s Petty made one of her own before Sarah Klau capped off a frantic exchange.
A slick passage from Nweke, Paige Hadley, and Helen Housby resulted in the first super shot of the match and wasn’t Housby happy about it.
At the end of a tightly contested quarter, the Swifts held a narrow 19–17 lead.
The Thunderbirds came out firing in the second quarter, drawing first blood and quickly establishing dominance with a 9–3 start. Both teams threw themselves into a frantic defensive battle, but it was the Tbirds who gained the upper hand, thanks to relentless pressure from Wilson, who continued to disrupt Nweke.
Lauren Frew worked tirelessly on the outside, while former Swift Romelda Aiken-George drew double defenders and still managed to convert. Petty was instrumental for Adelaide, leading the feeds and driving the attack.
The Swifts began to unravel in the second quarter as their usual smooth connections faltered under intense pressure. Coach Briony Akle called a tactical timeout, urging her side to "do some hard work."
Defensive changes followed, with Teigan O’Shannassy replacing Klau and Grace Whyte brought on at goal attack in place of Housby in a bid to change the tempo.
Despite the adjustments, the Thunderbirds were clinical, boasting a 100% gain-to-goal conversion rate for the quarter and Aiken-George becoming just the second player to surpass 9,000 national league goals. The visitors stormed to a commanding 19–9 quarter, heading into halftime with a 36–28 lead, marking the first time this season the Swifts have been held to single digits in a period.
With a mountain to climb, the Swifts came out of halftime determined to stay in the contest, opening the third quarter with a 4–1 run. But just as momentum began to swing their way, the Tbirds regrouped and the quarter settled into a tense battle.
Housby was being kept quiet by the relentless Garrett, who maintained her stranglehold in defense. Despite the Swifts’ fast start, the Thunderbirds pulled ahead midway through the quarter to extend their lead to 10 as Tayla Williams was injected into the game for Hannah Petty, offering fresh legs through the midcourt.
However, the Swifts’ defensive intensity began to lift, sparking a late surge and Housby found found her rhythm, nailing several super shots to breathe life into her side.
The Swifts edged the quarter 19–14, clawing back valuable ground, but it was the visitors who remained in control, holding a 50–47 lead heading into the final term.
A game-changing intercept from Maddy Turner early in the term ignited the crowd and sparked the Swifts into action, as they surged to a 6–1 start and reclaimed the lead for the first time since the opening quarter. The atmosphere was electric as the home side wrestled back control in a frenetic and scrappy quarter from both teams.
After a stepping call against the Swifts and a five-goal run from the Thunderbirds that saw them edge back in front as the Power Five began, the Swifts held their nerve.
A crucial tip from Helen Housby led to a Swifts goal, and her later super shot pushed the home side ahead by two.
Although a penalty by Sarah Klau briefly allowed the Thunderbirds to level the scores, she quickly redeemed herself with a vital turnover. In the final minutes, the Swifts calmly worked the ball around to drain the clock and seal the win.
Overcoming a 10-goal deficit and surviving several momentum swings, the Swifts capped off a gritty and resilient performance, emerging on top.
