By Charlotte Knoke
The NSW Swifts produced a clinical performance, winning by 29 goals against the Collingwood Magpies. After winning the second quarter 26 - 11, the Swifts maintained their momentum and easily sealed the win.
It was quite an evenly matched first quarter, with both sides picking up gains and turnovers.
The Swifts had a strong start to the first quarter, going up 3-0 in the first few minutes of the match. But a missed shot from Housby was picked up by the Magpies who converted and brought the scoreline back to even - the transition through court was quick and seamless from the visitors.
Helen Housby missed a few supershots which the Magpies capitalised on.
Maddy Proud left the court following a collision and subsequent head knock. Lili Gorman-Brown was then injected into the game for the Swifts.
It was a strong start to the game for the Swifts, winning the first quarter 17-15.
The Swifts absolutely dominated the second quarter, bringing their lead out to a huge 17 goals (43-26) with an impressive 26-11 quarter win.
The home side really started to find their groove in the second quarter, quickly extending their lead.
Sophie Fawns was brought onto court for Housby and she immediately made an impact, both through her shooting accuracy and her connection with Romelda Aiken-George.
The Power Five period was punishing from the Swifts in the second quarter, with both Housby and Fawns on court. Both shooters made quick work of the supershots, which ultimately allowed them to extend their lead considerably.
The NSW Swifts lead by 17 goals at half time (43-26).
The Swifts maintained their momentum in the third quarter, extending their lead out even further.
Housby continued her accuracy in the supershot zone, helping the home side in their domination over the Magpies.
Kelly Singleton was strong for the Magpies in the supershots, nailing multiple in a row to try and keep up the vibe of the Magpies’ team out on court.
The Swifts brought their lead out to 21 goals, leading the Magpies 63-42 heading into the final quarter.
The Swifts continued their strong performance in the fourth quarter.
Paige Hadley was strong in both attack and defence, and picked up a clean intercept in her 150th game, giving her side the chance to extend their lead out even more.
Geva Mentor picked up a strong rebound off a missed shot from Fawns but the Magpies were down by too many goals to catch up.
Fawns was playing with so much confidence which translated into her game as she scored even more supershots in the final quarter.
The Swifts made it clear that they wanted to score as many points as they could, with both Fawns and Housby scoring supershot after supershot.
Hadley was named player of the match and ended the game on 156 Nissan Net Points.
It was an overall strong performance from all of the Swifts players, with the home side producing a strong four-quarter game all the way down the court.
The Swifts recorded the largest winning margin of the 2023 season so far, winning by a huge 29 goals (85-56).
