With state bragging rights up for grabs, the Swifts will line up in the Mother’s Day clash with high hopes of upsetting the second-placed Giants who have collected 14 from a possible 16 points after two rounds.
A bumper crowd of close to 10,000 is expected at Sydney Olympic Park for the third edition of The Derby.
While the Giants head into Sunday as favourites, the Swifts will be confident of a maiden derby victory after a confidence building performance against the Melbourne Vixens last weekend.
In a game that could have gone either way in the final quarter, the Swifts’ shooting accuracy was a feature of their Round 2 loss in Melbourne. Central to the Swifts’ goal shooting was Trinidad & Tobago international Samantha Wallace, who found the net 37 times from 38 attempts at Margaret Court Arena.
Wallace said she is striving for consistency across the season and maintaining a high shooting percentage week in week out.
“You always want to have a percentage up in the nineties, each and every game. However, I fell short against the Firebirds, I wasn’t having a good game. I think I made up for that first round and hoping I can keep in the nineties.
“There is so munch pump for this game on Sunday, it’s amazing. It’s crazy for me, everybody is really hyped. It’s going to be a good show, I can guarantee that.
“It’s going to be a very physical game out there,” Wallace said.
Led by Wallace, the Swifts’ goal shooting accuracy will be critical against a Giants outfit that has only conceded 99 goals after two rounds – the only SSN club under triple figures.
The centre battle will also provide plenty of intrigue on Sunday as the Giants pressure across the midcourt has been a feature in 2018, with the club managing 24 goals from forced turnovers.
Giants midcourt player Serena Guthrie said the Swifts can expect a high-pressure game.
“We will be looking to bring that physicality, that presence and pressure on Sunday. I think we need to if we are going to shut them down effectively. That is definitely something we are looking to bring,” Guthrie said.
“We’ve also got a few other tricks up our sleeve about how we can mix up our defence and make things look a little bit different for their attack end to try and pick up some ball,” Guthrie said.
Along with the maximum eight SSN points on offer, both New South Wales teams will play for the Carole Sykes Memorial Trophy.
As it stands, the Giants hold a 2-0 derby lead with victories in both Round 1 (58 – 53) and Round 7 (59-56) of the inaugural SSN season.
Tickets for The Derby can be purchased via Ticketek.
With a SSN triple header on Saturday the Swifts v Giants is the only Sunday game in Round 3 and will feature on Channel 9 and the Netball Live App at 1.00pm AEST.
