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Consistency key as Swifts book Finals berth

The NSW Swifts have bounced back in emphatic form to overcome a spirited Adelaide Thunderbirds, 67-53, in Round 12 action at Titanium Security Arena. In what was a thrilling 60-minute contest, the Swifts put together a solid team performance to take the two points; however, Head Coach Rob Wright says while better than their Round 11 loss, there’s still plenty room for improvement.

“I thought we were better than last week. We were really patchy against the [West Coast] Fever – and admittedly that was down to their pressure. Today I felt we were a lot more composed, but still not that complete game we are looking for,” Wright said.

“There were a couple times when we won crucial ball that we didn’t capitalise, and it’s crucial we are doing that as we look forward. To me, that’s the next phase of where we can take our game.

“When you look at the Firebirds, Steel and Fever, they’ve got firepower to burn so whenever you win ball against them you need to punish them. We did that in patches today – patches I was really happy with – but certainly not consistently enough.”

Today’s win means the Swifts will not finish any lower than second place on the Australian Conference ladder, and Wright admits it affords him and his coaching staff the opportunity to start planning ahead.

“I think it’s important that when the pressure is on – and it will be during Finals – that we’re ready for it; keep composed and keep to our own game plan. We know that when we take care of our own game and we’re playing the ball with speed with strong defence across the court, we are playing at our best.”

“That will be crucial during Finals so it will be about ensuring that we’re consistent and when those big moments arrive that we get the job done,” Wright concluded.

While Susan Pettitt had the honours of opening the scoring, it was the Thunderbirds who enjoyed the better of starts by putting up three consecutive goals to get early ascendency. The hosts played with confidence – obviously buoyed by their first win of 2016 last weekend – and were taking the contest to the Swifts.

However the visitors were up for the challenge and through Pettitt led their charge on the scoreboard. By using their patience up forward, the Swifts were soon able to get out to a handy five goal advantage. But with the clock ticking down, the Thunderbirds’ charge began to take momentum and with a big Adelaide crowd behind them got back to within a goal. Tensions were high, but through a couple late back-to-back goals to Caitlin Thwaites the Swifts were able to take a two-goal lead into the first break.

The break did little to quell the players’ hunger for the ball as the intensity of the contest lifted into the second quarter. The relatively new combination of Stephanie Wood and Paige Hadley, at WA and C respectively, looked to grow as the minutes wore on – and their shooters were rewarded with strong service into the circle.

This resulted in the Swifts again opening to a handy advantage, but still not enough to shake the Thunderbirds who continued to show strong resolve. After finding themselves down by as many as nine goals, Adelaide found an extra gear to cut down the deficit. But the clock wasn’t on their side as the whistle sounded for half-time, with the Swifts leading by seven goals; 32-35. Maintaining his starting seven, Wright showed faith in his charges to continue their good form into the second half; and continue they did as they played good, strong ‘Swifts brand’ netball to push out their lead. Hadley in particular was a huge influence to the Swifts’ charge as her tenacity in defence combined with a strong presence in the attacking third. But they could do little to stop Adelaide from enjoying a purple patch late in the quarter, with the hosts enjoying a run of five consecutive goals to draw back the deficit. Despite the charge, the Swifts held strong to outscore their opponents 17 goals to 15 to enter the final quarter with a nine-goal advantage.

The Swifts continued their charge into the final 15 minutes as they maintained their pressure over the Thunderbirds on the scoreboard. It wasn’t until there was five minutes remaining that Wright made his first and only changes – bringing on Abbey McCulloch to WD while moving Laura Langman and Hadley forward to C and WA. But the changes did little to the Swifts’ game plan as they continued to work hard across the court, weathering a spirited Thunderbirds outfit to finish 14-goal victors.

The NSW Swifts will be back on the road next weekend when they meet Northern Mystics at Auckland’s Trusts Arena on Sunday 26 June for Round 13. Follow NSW Swifts social media channels for exclusive behind the scenes action, plus game updates: facebook.com/NSWSwifts, Twitter and Instagram @nswswifts #GoNSWSwifts.