By Caitlin Greenwood.
The NSW Swifts have extended their unbeaten run to six straight games, overpowering cross-town rivals 82–69 in a fiery Sydney Derby.
It was a tightly contested first quarter, as the top-of-the-table NSW Swifts looked to extend their unbeaten run to 6–0 against the eighth-placed GIANTS.
Both sides were sharp early, with nothing separating them until deep into the first quarter. GIANTS coach Julie Fitzgerald was the first to call a timeout.
Jo Harten had the first crack at a super shot but missed, with Teigan O’Shannassy cleaning up the rebound. At the opposite end, Grace Nweke immersed herself in the Sydney crowd, flying over the digital screens behind the post.
There was a scare in the midcourt as Sophie Dwyer and Paige Hadley collided, with the Swifts captain coming off second best.
With less than two minutes remaining, the scoreboard remained locked. Helen Housby finally broke through with the first successful super shot, but Dwyer responded with one of her own on the buzzer, keeping the GIANTS within one at quarter-time.
The arm wrestle continued into the second quarter, with the Swifts edging out to a two-goal lead before Jamie-Lee Price picked off a loose bounce pass. GIANTS converted and followed up with a centre pass to level the scores.
Price was everywhere for the home side, clocking up nine assists, three turnovers and an intercept in a high-energy display through the midcourt.
With the GIANTS ahead by one, the Swifts called a tactical timeout, with coach Briony Akle urging greater contest and intensity.
Paige Hadley is presented with the Carole Sykes Memorial Trophy following the Swifts 13-point win over the GIANTS.Just one goal separated the sides heading into the Power Five. Housby stepped up with a super shot, followed by a Swifts turnover and conversion from Grace Nweke to swing back in favour of the visitors.
Four of the last five goals went the way of the Swifts, until Harten responded with a super shot to keep the GIANTS in touch. The sides traded long bombs in the final minutes, but it was the Swifts who held a 38–35 lead at halftime.
The Swifts came out firing in the third, with Allie Smith injected into the game and making an immediate impact. Within four minutes, the visitors went on a 7–2 run to open an eight-goal lead, forcing GIANTS to call a tactical timeout.
The GIANTS had no answer for the slick combination of Nweke and Housby, while the Swifts continued to lift across the court.
Jodi-Ann Ward delivered a much-needed intercept to pause the Swifts’ momentum, but O’Shannassy responded with one of her own - crashing into the courtside desks in the process. Smith continued to thrive in centre position, backing up her strong performance against the Vixens last week, while O’Shannassy was everywhere in defence - finishing with eight deflections, five gains and four intercepts to be crowned MVP.
Matisse Letherbarrow was brought on late in the term and dropped two super shots to chip away at the margin, but the Swifts steadied and surged again to take a 60-48 lead into the final break.
Hadley continued her strong second-half form in the final quarter, as the Swifts looked to close out the contest. Letherbarrow remained flawless with her single-point shooting, keeping the GIANTS in the fight, but the Swifts were content to control possession and play the ball down court.
Grace Whyte was brought on late to replace Grace Nweke, who finished with a commanding 64 from 67 under the post.
Despite the GIANTS’ improved final quarter, the Swifts’ earlier dominance proved decisive as they sealed an 82-69 win to stay undefeated.
Reflecting on the result, GIANTS coach Julie Fitzgerald said she saw plenty of positives in her team’s performance despite the loss.
"First, second and fourth quarter, I thought there was some really good stuff," said Fitzgerald.
"It was just that third quarter really let us down.
"There's a lot of positives to take out of tonight. We played some really good netball and there were some really long patches where it went goal-for-goal."
