THE NSW Swifts have staked their claim on the competition with a hot start to the season. Boasting a solid line-up they have proved that hard work and doing the little things well can win you games time and time again.

Ladder: 1st
Win-loss: 7-1-1
Percentage: 118.62%
Bonus points: 27

Overview:

The Swifts have taken the competition by storm with their dynamic movement and traditional style of netball with Briony Akle playing a huge role as coach in helping the team come together and become a formidable side. They impressed right from the get go only dropping one game to the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Round 4 and drawing with the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Overall they have put out impressive performances to claim dominant wins against the Magpies, Firebirds and Fever.

Surprises:

The NSW Swifts have surprised many throughout the season going from strength to strength penetrating the circle edge with ease to feed into the shooters. Their sheer connection down the court and ability to flick the ball around the court with precision makes them near on impossible to stop. Goal shooter, Sam Wallace upped the ante this season leading the way in the scoring end with her composed nature and combination with Helen Housby proving hard to stop. Midcourt player Paige Hadley has had a stellar start to the season and played an influential role in helping to propel the Swifts up the ladder this season given her drive and delivery into the circle. Another player riding high for the Swifts is Sarah Klau who has dominated down back with her read of the flight and connection with fellow defenders allowing her to pick off passes and then shoot the ball back down the court.

Improvements:

With captain Maddy Proud gone for the rest of the season it will be a challenge to find a replacement that plays a similar role. Though the Swifts have England international Natalie Haythornthwaite on the bench she offers a very different game style to that of the injured captain. The versatile wing attack is a very different mover compared to Proud but she uses her strength and vision to cause damage in the attacking third.

Expectations:

If the Swifts are able to maintain their composure and treasure the ball across the court they will be hard to stop and could easily take out their first Suncorp Super Netball title.