THE New South Wales (NSW) Swifts once again showed why they are at the top of the table with their slick ball movement, control of the ball and ability to pick teams apart claiming a huge 22-goal win over the Queensland Firebirds in Round 7 of the Suncorp Super Netball competition. But it is not all rosy for the Swifts, with captain Maddy Proud going down with a suspected ACL.

The Queensland Firebirds had a dominant start pushing out to an early four goal lead capitalising on their opportunities under the post. The Firebirds applied immense defensive pressure causing uncharacteristic errors from the Swifts with four turnovers in the first term alone before the Swifts tidied things up and regained control of the game to reel it back in with some strong defensive pressure. The connection between goalers Gretel Tippett and Abigail Latu-Meafou was improving throughout the quarter with the two finding each other with more ease in the goal circle. Latu-Meafou proved that she was not afraid to back herself going to post and showcasing her range to convert from anywhere in the circle while Tippett made her presence felt on the court with five goals. The Swifts had a new look defence with Maddy Turner in goal keeper and Sarah Klau out in goal defence making for an exciting match up. Turner highlighted her ability to read the play and cherry pick passes coming into the circle with two gains and one intercept in the first quarter. Proud was having an impressive start to the game with the speedster finding good space early on against Gabi Simpson and feeding well into the circle. A flurry of goals in the last two minutes of the game saw the Swifts push out to a five goal lead with Sam Wallace sinking 10 goals at 100 percent while Helen Housby displayed her hot hand with five goals straight.

As they have done all season the Swifts chopped and changed the wing defence bib with Kate Eddy and Sophie Halpin with both doing an exceptional job in shutting down Caitlyn Nevins and nullifying her influence around the circle edge. Eddy’s hands over pressure was a real feature of her game, blocking Nevins’ vision and using her footwork to cover her drives. Credit to the defensive pressure of the Swifts and their meticulous ball placement the Firebirds swung the axe making a wealth of changes with South African internationals Erin Burger and Lenize Potgieter making their way onto the court. Burger slotted in seamlessly with the SPAR Protea making her return to the club after joining as a replacement player in 2017 for the Firebirds. Her ball placement and read of the space was important and helped to bring Potgieter into the game with the shooter nailing eight goals straight. The Swifts shooters were putting on a masterclass with their movement in the circle, ability to swing the ball around and timely dodges. But the Firebirds defenders were working in overtime with Kim Jenner highlighting her intent to win the ball and tenacity picking up two gains, one intercept and four deflections. With all the changes across the court the Firebirds struggled to find connections both in attack and defence while the Swifts continued their cool, calm and composed way pushing out to a 13 goal lead heading into half time.

NSW were in complete control with each player playing their role, making clever decisions and treasuring the ball with each possession. Wallace was proving to be too much to handle for the inexperienced Firebirds defence with the Trinidadian shooter scoring 12 goals straight in the third term. Paige Hadley showed why she was selected for the Diamonds with her strong holds around the top of the circle, ability to contest the ball and impressive vision into the circle with four goal assists. But injury struck midway through the third term sending shock waves through the stadium as fan favourite and inspirational Swifts captain, Proud went down clutching her knee. The Swifts were forced to make a heap of changes pushing Hadley into wing attack and bringing youngster Lauren Moore into wing defence. Halpin moved into centre and did not skip a beat using her defensive pressure to restrict the Firebirds movement while also showing her attacking flair. Struggling through attack the Firebirds brought on speedster Jemma Mi Mi who used her dynamic footwork and quick ball movement to try and penetrate through the Swifts defence.

The Swifts were looking to claim their fourth straight eight-point win but the Firebirds had other plans claiming the bonus point in the dying seconds of the match. Simpson worked her way into the game showcasing her ability to get hands to ball and get timely tips picking up one gain and a deflection but it was not enough for the tiring Firebirds defence. Nevins re-entered the game after sitting on the bench in the third and made her presence felt with her clever feeds into Potgieter while Tippett was well held throughout the match, down on her usual lofty standards only managing 17 from 18 for the match. Tara Hinchliffe held her own in the defence end swapping between goal defence and goal keeper with Jenner. Hinchliffe worked tirelessly throughout the match using her hands over pressure and speed to contest every ball that came her way picking up three gains, one intercept and six deflections for the match. Overall the Swifts were a well-oiled machine right across the court with their connections and composure on show throughout the entire match.

STARTING LINE-UP:

Queensland Firebirds:

GS | Abigail Latu-Meafou
GA | Gretel Tippett
WA | Caitlyn Nevins
C | Jemma Mi Mi
WD | Gabi Simpson
GD | Tara Hinchliffe
GK | Kim Jenner

NSW Swifts:

GS | Sam Wallace
GA | Helen Housby
WA | Maddy Proud
C | Paige Hadley
WD | Kate Eddy
GD | Sarah Klau
GK | Maddy Turner