ROUND 9 saw yet another draw with the Adelaide Thunderbirds and NSW Swifts unable to be split with 51 goals apiece. After a week full of controversy, Maria Folau had the opportunity to steal the win with a shot after the siren but the ball fell agonisingly short hitting the rim and bouncing out.

It was a hot start from the Thunderbirds with Sasha Glasgow and Folau on song early. Glasgow’s confidence was up and about slotting long bombs from just inside the circle mirroring that of her shooting counterpart. The attack end was firing on all cylinders with the young goaler showcasing her hot hand nailing six goals straight while experienced wing attack Chelsea Pitman commanded the ball and dictated the space in the attacking third. She worked overtime to hit the circle edge with precision and deliver ball into the shooters accumulating seven goal assists from 11 feeds. Up the other end for the Thunderbirds, Shamera Sterling was having a day out. Her go-go gadget arms and ability to cleanly contest from behind was second to none picking up four gains and three intercepts while her general netball smarts to get into the right positions at the right time put her in good stead to win the ball back for Adelaide. The Swifts had a shaky start making uncharacteristic errors with 10 turnovers in the opening term. Sam Wallace got the nod once again at goal shooter but she did not last the whole 15 minutes coming off at the 13-minute mark with a suspected knee injury but made her presence felt with five goals from seven attempts before Sophie Garbin pulled on the goal shooter bib. Defensively both Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner did a wealth of work, getting hands to ball and confusing the space with four gains and three deflections collectively but the Thunderbirds showed great patience with to work the ball around the circle edge.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds headed into the break up by five but the second quarter brought a whole new level of intensity with the Swifts working hard in transition to win the ball and capitalise on turnover opportunities. Wing attack Elle Bennetts lifted her intensity in attack driving hard and taking the ball with strength. Though at times she faded into the pockets her quick release and good vision allowed her to feed easily into Garbin who found good space under the post sinking 11 goals straight. Without Maddy Proud, Paige Hadley shouldered a lot of the load in attack running hard through the midcourt to provide an option and deliver into the circle with the centre amassing four feeds. She also showcased her defensive abilities and clever footwork to pick up two gains and two intercepts. Even though the attack end kicked into gear, Sterling still posed a dominant threat collecting another three intercepts and four gains showcasing her impressive read of the play and attacking intent. Through the midcourt Tania Obst made a change bringing Kelly Altmann on to replace Hannah Petty who did a wealth of work early on but was getting lost on transition.

The half time break served the Swifts well winning their first bonus point for the game. Looking for a spark in attack and more drive Hadley moved into wing attack while Sophie Halpin made her way onto the court in centre. She injected speed and dynamism both in attack and defence working hard across the court to re-offer and apply hands over pressure. The move also brought goal attack Helen Housby into the game after a relatively quiet first half. The English international nailed seven goals from eight attempts while her body positioning under the ring was impressive getting a clever rebound to edge them closer. But the Thunderbirds did not back down with Glasgow and Folau swapping positions but still showing their dominance to post.

With the game on the line the NSW Swifts proved that they have what it takes, wrestling back the lead and pushing out to four goals. The connections down court all seemed to click in to gear with Kate Eddy applying strong defensive pressure picking up an intercept to help surge the Swifts forward. Although both Shadine Van de Merwe and Layla Guscoth struggled to make an impact on the game they did their job to tag their opposition out of the game and block their space in the attacking third. Youngster Charlee Hodges was injected into the game in the opening few minutes of the quarter sweeping across the circle and drawing the attention of the defender. She found the net with ease slotting two goals but was costly with ball in hand with two turnovers and quickly made her way back to the bench. The Thunderbirds rallied in the final minutes of the quarter to draw it back and with a shot after the whistle Folau was unable to capitalise marking the fifth draw of the season.

STARTING LINE-UPS:

Adelaide Thunderbirds:

GS | Sasha Glasgow
GA | Maria Folau
WA | Chelsea Pitman
C | Hannah Petty
WD | Shadine Van de Merwe
GD | Layla Guscoth
GK | Shamera Sterling

NSW Swifts:

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