IT was a seesawing affair between NSW Swifts and Collingwood Magpies in Round 5 of Suncorp Super Netball, but in the end it was the former that prevailed thanks to a dominant final term of play to run out 62-53 victors. The Swifts were put through their paces as the Pies left nothing to chance but just did not have the gas to run with the silky Swifts.

Molly Jovic got proceedings underway in the middle with her hot hand and speed seeing the ball down the court and land into the hands of Shimona Nelson who made no mistake from directly under the post. Moments later Ash Brazill showcased her class to pickpocket Nat Haythornthwaite around circle edge and send the Pies into attack once again. Collingwood were reaping the rewards of uncharacteristic Swifts turnovers with the absence of Maddy Proud coming to the fore. Sophie Garbin got the nod in at goal attack but lacked some finesse on the shot missing her first couple of attempts and leaving Sam Wallace to pick up the pieces and keep the scoreboard ticking over for the home side.

Collingwood maintained their three-goal buffer as their attacking unit found their groove with Nelson holding her own up against Sarah Klau. Up the other end things got a bit scrappy for the Swifts as they struggled at the centre pass credit to the strong work of the Pies. With Garbin unable to impact the play Briony Akle pulled the trigger with England international Helen Housby making her way onto the court, and momentum started to shift as a wayward pass landed in the hands of Lauren Moore and Klau asserted herself in the defensive third to come out hunting. The Swifts got back to within a goal but the Magpies found a way to edge ahead ever so slightly. A frantic minute of play saw Wallace nail a super shot before Garbin finished things off with a beautiful drive into the circle to level the scores heading into the break.

The second quarter saw much of the same with neither side really able to claim the ascendancy as they engaged in a scrappy brand of netball. The ball ping-ponged up and down the court with Haythornthwaite and Brazill locking horns time and time again with the latter well and truly winning the battle credit to her great hands over pressure and sheer athleticism to out-manoeuvre her opponent at every turn. Geva Mentor worked her way into the game owning the front space and picking off passes at will to halt the Swifts in attack. Kelsey Browne was running riot out in wing attack for the Pies with the speedster delivering the ball on a silver platter to Nelson to keep Collingwood’s noses in front by five goals.

Needing a change in attack, Tayla Fraser made her way onto the court with the wing attack using her fancy footwork and speed to shake things up. After a relatively quiet start to the game Maddy Turner got involved in the action using her outside arm to bat the ball down to herself and win possession for the Swifts. A costly footwork call from the Pies gifted the Swifts another chance to capitalise as the home side piled on four goals straight to eat into the deficit with the changes in attack working wonders. The cool, calm and collected Housby rose to the challenge nailing the first super shot of the term to steal the lead for the first time in the quarter. The tables started to turn even further as the Swifts crept out to a four-goal lead.

The Swifts came out with a point to prove in the third term as they nudged ahead by three goals. Fraser was a real barometer for the attacking end with her speed and tenacity enabling her to hit circle edge with ease and look to constantly re-offer. Wallace pulled out the party tricks with an impressive one-hand take under all sorts of pressure as the Swifts continued to hum in the front-end. Gabby Sinclair proved that she was not afraid to unleash delivering a number of long bombs into Nelson with the goal shooter standing up under the pressure and displaying her improved hands on the take. The contest between Brazill and Fraser was tantalising as both players flexed their muscles in the air to steal intercepts and send fans into a frenzy.

Scores were tied at 41 goals apiece as tensions rose even further. Emily Burgess made her Swifts debut with the wing defence up against Browne as the pair engaged in a footrace. It was turning into a goal keeper’s masterclass as Mentor reeled in an intercept before Klau did the same up the other end, and the seesawing contest continued as Swifts hit the lead before once again the Pies levelled the playing field.

The Pies were looking for a spark in attack with Trinidad and Tobago livewire Kalifa McCollin entering the game for the first time. The Swifts defence upped the ante with Paige Hadley increasing her workload and flying through for an intercept. Quiet for much of the game, Jodi-Ann Ward sensed the moment tiptoeing along the goalline to steal an intercept and send the Pies into attack as they reduced the margin back to two goals. A flurry of Swifts goals sunk Collingwood hearts as they wrestled back the momentum and forced the Pies into copious changes as Brazill pushed into centre and Mel Bragg pulled on the wing defence bib. Jacqui Newton came on while Sinclair reentered the fore but it was all one way traffic as the Swifts put their foot down to win by nine goals, a testament to their hunt and the home crowd behind them.

Wallace was a force to be reckoned with credit to her 43 goals from 45 attempts with her super shot shooting also on point nailing three straight. Housby and Garbin played second fiddle thanks to their eight and three goals respectively. The injection of Fraser was exactly what the doctor ordered as she amassed 11 goal assists and an intercept while down back Klau had a game to remember with nine gains, six intercepts and seven deflections. Nelson was unstoppable for Collingwood draining 41 goals at 95 per cent while Sinclair finished with seven goals but at a lowly 64 per cent. Jovic led the charge with 21 goal assists as Brazill had a day out with four intercepts and five deflections. Mentor was at her best picking up seven gains and four intercepts.

NSW SWIFTS 14 | 19 | 12 | 17 (62)
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 14 | 15 | 15 | 9 (53)

 STARTING SEVEN:

 Swifts:

GS: Sam Wallace
GA: Sophie Garbin
WA: Nat Haythornthwaite
C: Paige Hadley
WD: Lauren Moore
GD: Maddy Turner
GK: Sarah Klau 

Magpies:

GS: Shimona Nelson
GA: Gabby Sinclair
WA: Kelsey Browne
C: Molly Jovic
WD: Ash Brazill
GD: Jodi-Ann Ward
GK: Geva Mentor

Photo credit: Mark Evans/Getty images