WITH head coach Briony Akle back at the helm the NSW Swifts looked more at home and comfortable against the Thunderbirds taking out a five-goal win (58-53). It was a real grind with the Thunderbirds refusing to give up and the Swifts having to dig deep to take home the points.

Sophie Garbin got the starting nod in goal shooter, the first time this season and she did not disappoint, opening the account for the Swifts nice and early. Georgie Horjus showed her desire to get the game moving with a daring pass over the top of the head of Sarah Klau as Lenize Potgieter continued where she left off from last week. It was goal for goal to start the game as both teams capitalised on their centre passes to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Shamera Sterling was getting her hand in just about everything in defence but the Swifts still managed to forge ahead and steady the ship. Hannah Petty was off to a hot start out in centre crafting all of the attacking play and releasing with great confidence into Potgieter.

The first swing of momentum came for the Swifts as Klau reeled in an intercept and with the centre pass to come they snuck out to a two-goal lead. But that momentum was quickly halted thanks to a Sterling rebound and some fancy footwork along the baseline from Potgieter as the Thunderbirds drew level once again at eight goals apiece. Within the blink of an eye the Swifts blew the game open once again establishing a three-goal lead. There was no easy pass inside the goal circle for the Swifts, but that did not faze them as they continued to tick away. Matilda Garrett alongside Sterling was proving a handful as the pair combined to create deflections aplenty down back but it was to little avail heading into quarter time down by five goals.

Elle McDonald made her way onto the court in centre and did not skip a beat finding her stride around circle edge as Petty moved into wing defence. Horjus was struggling to find her radar against the long limbs of Maddy Turner and Klau gifting possession back to the Swifts. Helen Housby started to crank things up with the goal attack using her turn of speed and footwork to inch herself closer to the post. The goal for goal momentum continued throughout the second quarter with neither side able to really pull away with the Swifts maintaining their five-goal buffer. After being heavily penalised Garrett pushed to the bench as Latanya Wilson was injected into the thick of things.

The ball started to fall the way of the Thunderbirds as they culled the margin from five goals to two thanks to some McDonald magic. It was a goal shooters masterclass as Garbin and Potgieter stood strong for their respective sides. Petty and Paige Hadley did not take a backwards step as the two jostled around circle edge as the intensity continued to rise. A huge super shot from Horjus got the Thunderbirds back to within a goal with Maisie Nankivell’s strength and drive around circle edge causing havoc. The Thunderbirds made a huge positional switch with Sterling swinging into goal defence as Wilson slotted into goal keeper. But the Swifts’ composure and smarts enabled them to keep their noses in front up by four goals at half-time.

Adelaide landed the first blow of the third term and continued that hunt and desperation for the ball to eat into the margin. Maddy Proud showcased her class and closing speed to scream through for an intercept and set the wheels in motion for the Swifts as they added to their growing tally. The lead pushed out to seven goals as the Swifts dug into their bag of tricks. Housby came out of half-time with a real pep in her step while wing defence Lauren Moore upped the ante with her hands over pressure paying dividends. The Thunderbirds were all out of answers as the Swifts put their foot down to create a nine goal lead. Momentum started to swing back in favour of the Thunderbirds as Garrett reeled in a loose ball as they strung together three goals straight.

Fatigue started to kick for the Tbirds as the two day turnaround caught up with them while the Swifts started to take advantage of their eight day layoff to power home. With an 11-goal buffer at the start of the fourth, Adelaide rallied thanks to the speed of Horjus. Both sides went on mini-runs of goals as momentum swung back and forth. The Thunderbirds sent a huge warning shot midway through the quarter with Potgieter and Horjus piling on six goals straight to reduce the margin to six goals. The changes came thick and fast for the Swifts as Sam Wallace made a handy cameo while the midcourt also had a shuffle with Tayla Fraser re-entering the contest out in centre to provide some speed. Adelaide got back to within four in the super shot period but the composure from the Swifts was unflappable as they secured the win.

Garbin relished the extra court time nailing 33 goals from 37 attempts at 89 per cent accuracy. Housby was solid finishing with 20 goals and 16 goal assists as Proud also got busy on the goal assist front with 20. Klau and Turner were dynamic down back amassing a combined four deflections and two intercepts. Speaking of dynamic, Sterling was amongst the thick of things in defence for the Thunderbirds thanks to her five deflections and five intercepts. Potgieter was a commanding presence under the post for the Thunderbirds with her 35 goals at 100 per cent. Nankivell continued to find her rhythm in attack amassing 10 goal assists before going down as McDonald starred with 16 goal assists.

NSW SWIFTS
ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

STARTING SEVEN:

Swifts: 

GS: Sophie Garbin
GA: Helen Housby
WA: Paige Hadley
C: Maddy Proud
WD: Tayla Fraser
GD: Maddy Turner
GK: Sarah Klau

Thunderbirds:

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

Photo credit: Suncorp Super Netball