The NSW Swifts have enhanced their reputation as Super Netball’s comeback masters with a thrilling 67-64 win over the Giants in their derby clash at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Key points:
- The Swifts remain third following their NSW derby victory
- The Giants led the Swifts by five goals in the third quarter before the Swifts powered home
- The Melbourne Vixens beat the Queensland Firebirds 72-60
After falling behind by five in the fourth quarter on Saturday evening, the Swifts — for the third week in a row — found a way to turn stress into success down the stretch.
The third-placed Swifts (4-2) conjured six of the last seven goals to seize control of the arm wrestle in the last six minutes.
Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley celebrated their selection in the Australian squad for this year’s World Cup in South Africa with fine midcourt performances.
Fellow Diamond Sarah Klau’s enormous aerial intercept inside the last 90 seconds officially terminated the Giants’ hopes.
“We like to keep the fans entertained because we don’t like to do it easy, that’s for sure,” Proud said.
“It would be nice to win by a little bit more and not in the dying seconds.
“We’ve learnt to be able to grind out games in the last few weeks.”
English great Jo Harten, who recently announced her retirement from international netball, took her place in the Giants’ shooting circle and showed no ill-effects from the left knee injury she suffered last week.
Her presence and leadership, propelled by wing attack Maddie Hay’s play making, helped the Giants move ahead 16-13 at quarter-time.
Defender Maddy Turner shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on World Cup selection by lifting the Swifts in the second stanza, conjuring three intercepts as the momentum changed hands.
The Swifts moved ahead by five on a 5-0 burst, lost their lead momentarily following a rush of Giants super shots, then seized it back when Jamaican spearhead Romelda Aiken-George buried a two-pointer on the half-time buzzer.
The neck-and-neck nature continued in the third term, which finished with the Giants up 52-51 after Dwyer and Helen Housby took turns in landing two-point bombs in a long-range shooting exhibition.
Aiken-George, incredibly, missed three straight close-range shots in a matter of seconds, while at the other end the Giants eased ahead by five.
But then the Swifts, led by Proud, found another gear, which found the Giants were incapable of keeping pace.
Vixens battle hard to defeat plucky Firebirds
The Melbourne Vixens have fought their way out of a mid-match lull to climb back into the Super Netball top four, overwhelming the Queensland Firebirds 72-60 at John Cain Arena.
After falling behind by nine points during the third quarter on Saturday, the Vixens (4-3) charged home with authority, outscoring the Firebirds 39-18 down the stretch.
Captain Liz Watson (33 assists) was magnificent in the middle, Mwai Kumwenda (49 goals) lethal in attack and Jo Weston and Olivia Lewis inspirational in defence.
“It’s awesome to get the win at home,” Lewis said.
“All we wanted to do was get to the halfway point of the season with more wins than losses, so it was really important for us.
“We really lifted to another level in that third quarter which was where the win came.”
Kumwenda and Watson helped the Vixens edge ahead 17-15 at quarter-time, but the home side found trouble after the first break.
Ruby Bakewell-Doran created havoc in defence and Donnell Wallam was a powerhouse in the shooting circle as the Firebirds turned the contest into a scrap to their liking.
Queensland’s 6-0 burst saw them seize a 32-27 half-time lead, before extending their scoring run to 9-0 after the main interval.
The Firebirds pulled ahead 42-33 before the Vixens unleashed a match-turning surge.
Lewis’s athletic defending was a feature, while Diamonds attacker Kiera Austin, benched just before half-time following her seventh turnover, turned her fortunes around dramatically.
She buried a couple of super shots before Kumwenda potted three straight goals, the last on the three-quarter time bell giving Melbourne the lead, 47-46.
The Firebirds, who lost centre Macy Gardner to a right wrist injury following a hard fall, were hampered by a 25-8 penalty count in the third and still could not summon any answers for Weston, Kuwenda and Austin.
The Vixens followed their 20-14 third term with an even more commanding 25-14 fourth stanza to leave the bottom-placed Firebirds reeling.
AAP
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