ADELAIDE Thunderbirds have claimed a huge upset win over NSW Swifts, securing their second victory for the season 58-53. The Thunderbirds won every quarter and subsequently led at every break with their full court defensive pressure proving to be the real tipping point for the Swifts.

It was an uncharacteristically sloppy start by NSW Swifts with the Adelaide Thunderbirds capitalising on their opportunities under the post. Both Shamera Sterling and Matilda Garrett were making life incredibly hard for Sam Wallace and Helen Housby as the two got hands to ball and continued to niggle away at the Swifts goalers. The shooting combination of Lenize Potgieter and Georgie Horjus was working wonders as the two used their speed and change of direction to pile on the scoreboard pressure sneaking out to a handy three-goal lead.

A much-needed timeout helped the Swifts arrest momentum and peg their way back into the contest. Housby started to find her rhythm inside the goal circle as the Swifts levelled the scores with an increased defensive presence as Paige Hadley showcased her dare and speed to transition the ball down the court in a heartbeat. Sterling starred with her lean over the shot with a huge rejection on the shot. With the super shot in play Horjus nailed a huge long range goal to send the Adelaide ahead, handing the Swifts their first opening quarter loss of the season. it was an incredibly defensive opening 15 minutes with seven intercepts collected throughout the term.

The Swifts pulled the trigger at quarter time with Tayla Fraser replacing Maddy Proud in centre and using her drive to open up the attacking third. The Thunderbirds seemed to have an answer for everything the Swifts threw at them with the defensive pressure high, clogging the players together and allowing both Garrett and Sterling to go hunting. Nat Haythornthwaite showcased some fancy footwork in the pocket to reel in the high ball and offload it quickly into Wallace as the Swifts looked to eat back into the margin. The Thunderbirds tried to replicate the same Haythornthwaite theatrics but it was to no avail as the Swifts forged ahead once again to reduce the deficit to a goal.

Looking for an extra spark in defence the Thunderbirds tinkered with the defensive circle as Latanya Wilson pulled on the goal defence bib. She combined well with Jamaican teammate Sterling as the back unit won ball back time and time again. Maisie Nankivell dished off a beautiful pinpoint pass to split both Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner in the circle as the Thunderbirds put the foot down. Sterling continued to dominate while Shadine van der Merwe upped the ante with her impressive court coverage and hunt coming to the fore as she regained possession for Adelaide.

The lead pushed out to four goals for the Thunderbirds as the momentum well and truly swung their way. Sophie Garbin entered the game down in at goal attack and the Swifts started to find their feet sinking consecutive goals. But Adelaide refused to give up, sticking to their structures and riding the wave to keep their noses in front. Bad hands from both sides were costing them chances to capitalise as the ball ping-ponged up and down the court. Sterling continued to wow with her athleticism nullifying Wallace under the post as she gobbled up intercept after intercept.

Unhappy with their opening half the Swifts made even more changes with Housby swinging into goal shooter. Through the midcourt Hadley pushed into centre as Lauren Moore pulled on the goal keeper bib to give the side a huge shakeup. There were turnovers aplenty to start the term but one thing that remained the same was Sterling’s presence down back picking up consecutive rebounds. The extra height in the circle from Klau and Moore was causing trouble for the Thunderbirds but van der Merwe was up to the task winning ball back. There was a huge shift in the way the ball was flowing through the court for the Swifts as they weaved their magic to toil away and reduce the buffer to a mere goal with just under 10 minutes to play.

Three consecutive goals from the Tbirds gave them some much needed breathing space before Sterling set fans into overdrive with a huge intercept. That sent Adelaide on an even bigger shooting spree as they extended the lead to six goals with the Thunderbirds playing with a wealth of confidence. There was nothing the Thunderbirds could not do as Sterling starred down one end and Potgieter impressing down the other end with her silky movement and strong holds under the post. Elle McDonald was injected into the game, replacing Hannah Petty who was doing a solid job through the centre as the Thunderbirds steadily added to their lead.

Holding the lead at three quarter time it was up to the Thunderbirds to hold in that final term and that is exactly what the home side did. They found a way to dig deep nailing the first three goals of the quarter to create some extra breathing space and really take the game away from the Swifts who were struggling as the rotations came thick and fast once again.

It was a dominant performance from Potgieter with the South African goaler leading the way under the post with 40 goals from 41 attempts while Horjus slotted 17 goals at 81 per cent. Nankivell had the hot hand on the feed for the T’birds with 22 goal assists while Proud did the heavy lifting for the Swifts with 17. Sterling had an absolute day out down in defence racking up a whopping six intercepts and eight gains as both Garrett and van der Merwe plied their trade with a combined seven intercepts and seven gains between them. The same could not be said for the Swifts defence with Turner leading the way with two intercepts and Klau struggling to have her usual impact with deflections. Shooting wise, Wallace was rendered less effective finishing with 14 goals as Housby was forced to up the ante with 26 while Garbin was accurate with eight goals straight.

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 (58)
NSW SWIFTS 11 | 14 | 13 | 15 (53)

STARTING SEVEN:

Thunderbirds:

GS: Lenize Potgieter
GA: Georgie Horjus
WA: Maisie Nankivell
C: Hannah Petty
WD: Shadine van der Merwe
GD: Matilda Garrett
GK: Shamera Sterling

Swifts:

GS: Sam Wallace
GA: Helen Housby
WA: Nat Haythornthwaite
C: Maddy Proud
WD: Paige Hadley
GD: Maddy Turner
GK: Sarah Klau

Photo credit: Sarah Reed