By Phina Newton
With the end of season closing in on teams, every game counts, and for these two teams, winning this game was particularly important.
The Melbourne Mavericks had a point to prove and were desperate to get their first win at home. They were in the lead from the get-go and their rhythm only improved as the game progressed.
The NSW Swifts headed into this game with a disadvantage, missing both Maddy Proud and Samantha Wallace-Joseph. This saw Sophie Fawns come into the starting line-up alongside Helen Housby. If she did feel any pressure, she didn’t show it. Often utilised during the Power Five, she took advantage of easing into the game and was able to shoot efficiently across the game.
It wasn’t too long before the Mavs were handed a disadvantage of their own, as Eleanor Cardwell took a seat after the first quarter, with what can only be speculated as an injury to her quad. She wasn’t the only one coming up sore, the physical match filled with plenty of heavy crashes as both teams went hard for the ball.
Despite some early errors by the Swifts, while the Mavs were readjusting to play without Cardwell, they were able to win the second quarter and finished the half up by one goal.
After the main break, it was the Mavs who came out hungry. Shimona Jok and Gabrielle Sinclair shot at a very high efficiency, but they also had a lot more attempts. Molly Jovic was on a roll and able to find them with ease, finishing the game with 22 goal assists.
Jovic had seven alone in the third quarter, whereas the Swifts only had ten as team that same quarter. This was down to the defensive pressure of Kim Jenner, who was just everywhere the ball was. She had two intercepts and ten deflections, five of which resulted in a gain.
She wasn’t the only one, Amy Parmenter claimed two impressive intercepts at crucial moments to stem the Swifts' flow.
Despite having talented shooters, the Swifts struggled to play with two moving shooters at the same time. While they were able to get going during the Power Five, during normal time it was the Mavs who thrived and were able to break their lead out.
The Swifts fought back late in the game, taking advantage of when Sarah Klau was on the bench with what appeared to be an ankle tweak. It wasn't serious and she was able to come back on the floor, however the Mavs were able to hold on and secure the win by six goals - made only more special by the fact that it was their first win at home.
