Swifts start 2014 on winning note

The NSW Swifts have won their opening game of the 2014 ANZ Netball Championship overcoming a defiant West Coast Fever 54-51.

It was the perfect start for new head coach Rob Wright who became the first male coach of a national league netball side.

After trailing by three at half time, the Swifts surged in the third quarter to get back on even terms before a monster effort in the opening minutes of the final quarter gave the home team a winning advantage.

Wright said it was the perfect start to his tenure as NSW Swifts head coach and praised the girls for their gutsy performance.

"It’s always good to get that first win out of the way, and against a really tough team…[It’s the] perfect start in terms of that we got the two points," Wright said.

"I guess the beauty of today was that there [are] certainly lots of things that we were far from perfect in [and] we’ll certainly go away and have to work really hard."

The NSW Swifts hit the road to take on the Mainland Tactix and Adelaide Thunderbirds, before returning to Sydney Olympic Park on March 23 for their round four clash against the Queensland Firebirds.