By Chloe Pilkington
The NSW Swifts come away with their fifth consecutive win for the season after defeating the West Coast Fever in the final seconds of the Round 9 clash.
Coming into the game without their Vice Captain Jess Anstiss and go-to GA Sasha Glasglow due to COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, the Fever used the full width of their side bringing in legendary Nat Butler and debutant Jordan Cransberg.
With the second spot on the ladder up for grabs, both sides came out firing and went goal-for-goal early in the first quarter.
An early deflection off Sarah Klau was rewarded down the other end by Helen Housby. The England international dominated for her side, draining 10 Super Shots and coming away with 122.5 Nissan NetPoints.
Swifts’ defence line proved strong early, turning the ball over but the away side were unable to capitalise, losing the ball in the centre third.
Housby missed the first Super Shot of the game and Fever were quick to get the ball down through their mid-court.
But the defensive duo of Klau and O’Shannassy didn’t make it easy for the Fever attack end, forcing a wayward ball.
Housby drained two impressive Super Shots in a row and the Swifts finished the first quarter in front by 3 (16-19).
With Glasgow unable to play in the Round 9 clash, Emma Cosh was given the GA spot in the starting seven for Fever. Cosh came out firing in the second quarter, finding Fowler easy under the post.
Fever again struggled to bring the ball through court under the immense pressure of the Swifts’ defence.
Housby continued to shine, bringing the Swifts' lead to 22-26 and forcing the home side to call the first tactical time out of the match.
Jordan Cransburg was brought into the game at WD for the West Coast Fever, making her debut in the Suncorp Super Netball league.
A miss by Aiken-George was rebounded by Sunday Aryang and was rewarded down the other end with a Super Shot off the hands of Cosh, leveling the score 27-27.
Fever took the lead for the first time of the second quarter (28-27) but Housby withstood the challenge draining another Super Shot and bringing the score to 29-31 going into half time.
Fever stormed out of the blocks in the third quarter, forcing a Swift’s time out as the away side struggled to slow Fevers’ momentum.
Fever GA Nat Butler was injected into the game and was welcomed by loud praise from the home crowd. Butler showed no fear under the pressure of the Swifts’ defence, shooting confidently from mid-range.
A shift in momentum brought the Fever back in the lead, but Housby kept her team in the game draining another Super Shot to bring the margin back to 4 (44-40).
Butler sunk a stellar 2-pointer, but the Swifts showed no sign of backing down and the Swifts finished the third quarter trailing closely behind by 1 (49-48).
With both sides sitting at 50 points, Fever took the lead by 3 in the blink of an eye after quick court transitions.
Swifts' youngster Kelea Longi made her elite debut with Allie Smith ruled out earlier in the week. Longi came away with 1 Intercept and 3 Deflections, showing great promise in the Sydney side.
Fever Captain Courtney Bruce came up with an impressive rebound under the post, as the reigning premiers kept their noses in front.
As the final Power Five began, Housby drained another Super Shot to bring the score line back to 1 (60-59).
After a miss off the hands of Housby, the Fever continued to push on with 1-point shots bringing the margin to 4 (63-59).
But the visitors showed tremendous grit with Housby sinking her ninth Super Shot of the match to keep her team in the battle.
With a minute left of the final quarter, Housby yet again impressively drained another 2-pointer but the Fever still held a 1-goal advantage.
Swift's Co-Captain Maddy Proud pulled through for her side, coming up with a huge deflection off Fevers' centre pass and Aiken-George levelled the score.
A patient NSW Swifts ran down the clock, eventually passing the ball to Aiken-George who scored a 1-point goal in the final seconds of the match to secure the win and steal the second spot on the ladder.
