A dominant four-quarter performance from the NSW Swifts against local rivals the Giants has put them back to winnings ways at a sold-out Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
The Round 6 Suncorp Super Netball clash was the first NSW Derby of the year and while the game ebbed and flowed in the first half, the Swifts displayed their best netty of the year in the second to record a 76-52 win.
Coming off back-to-back losses to the West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens, Briony Akle’s side now have three wins to their name in 2024 and sit inside the top four ahead of next weekend’s Grand Final rematch with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, which will also mark the halfway point of the regular season.
The Swifts won all four quarters by margins of three, five, five and 11 respectively to retain the Carole Sykes Trophy which is contested every time the sides play a competitive fixture.
Australian Diamond and Swifts co-captain Paige Hadley was a colossus all afternoon, leading from start to finish to take out the Game MVP award. Despite fellow co-captain Maddy Proud being ruled out due to a knee injury, Hadley formed a strong midcourt partnership with Lili Gorman Brown and Allie Smith linked well from the defensive end.
The Swifts' circle defence of Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner pestered and harried the Giants attack all day, and even though the visitors were well in the contest at times, the pressure told as the game reached its climax.
As expected, the first quarter was thrilling and brutal in equal measure. Giants midcourter Jamie-Lee Price spent time on the bench after a collision with Smith and while the Swifts looked to be the better team in terms of scoring and possession gains, the Giants stepped up the Super Shot period with five two-pointers from Sophie Dwyer and Jo Harten to keep them well in the hunt.
The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges in the second quarter to close the gap to two goals before Swifts head coach Briony Akle called her first timeout, however, an offensive contact call against Samantha Wallace-Joseph gave the Giants the momentum they needed to go ahead for the first time.
In the minutes before halftime the momentum swung again and the hosts made hay to setup open up a sizeable advantage. They didn’t relinquish their ascendancy again.
As the physicality levels lifted the Swifts were quicker to pounce on loose ball and in the second Super Shot period they went toe-to-toe with everything the Giants threw at them.
Despite missing a number of attempts, both Wallace-Joseph and Helen Housby ensured possession did not fall into the hands of Matilda McDonnell and Jodi-Ann Ward in the Giants defence and by halftime the Swifts led by eight (38-30).
The seven-time Premiers have struggled in the third quarter so far this season but today they held firm. While it felt like the Giants had been in the game, the cumulative effect of the scoreboard deficit was soon becoming a mountain for them to climb.
The needed every ball to bounce for them in the final period, but it didn’t come to pass. The Swifts were too good on the day and now it’s Adelaide who loom large on Saturday night.
