3 days ago
Super Netball: Swifts need extra time to beat the Firebirds
The NSW Swifts will head into the finals on the back of a win but it was hardly the confidence-boosting victory they wanted ahead of the playoffs, needing extra time to get over the top of the Queensland Firebirds 79-75.
The Swifts could not be beaten out of second place heading into Sunday's clash against the Firebirds on Sunday but having
Briony Akle's side had lost four of their past five games heading into Sunday's clash and were desperate to get their premiership quest back on track.
But they had to do it the hard way, needing extra time to get over the top of the competition wooden spooners, who sent the first game of the season to extra time.
Unable to lift themselves from the bottom of the ladder regardless of the result, the Firebirds were desperate to break a record run of 11 consecutive losses.
They seemed set for more of the same after going down by five in the opening term but won the next three terms - by one, three and one point respectively - to level the game and force extra time.
Ultimately though, the unforced errors that have blighted the Firebirds' season came back to haunt them.
A missed simple shot from debutant Elsa Sif Sandholt - surprisingly injected into extra time for Mary Cholhok - and a poor pass and that turned over ball in their final attack told the tale of the year.
Coach Kiri Wills said injecting Sandholt into extra time was a decision she stood by and she and her players had already got around the youngster.
'I just wanted to reiterate to her that I put her out there because I've got a lot of faith in her, and I'd do it again,' Wills said.
'There were errors at the end of the game, but that could have been done by other people on the court as well.
'So I'm happy with my change. Elsa's probably not quite as happy as you would want to be after a debut - it's pretty tough putting a debutant out there under that kind of pressure, but this is this is why we train, and this is what we're here for.'
It was a gallant effort from the home side though and one that will give them confidence they can move on from a poor year.
SWIFTS CONFIDENT DESPITE GRIND
Like the Firebirds, the Swifts were undermanned, with experienced co-captain Paige Hadley (lower leg injury), and defender Teigan O'Shannassy, who will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury on the sidelines.
Hadley did travel to Brisbane and helped warm the shooters up, so is not incapacitated but coach Briony Akle will want her available in the finals as the Swifts push for a third Super Netball title.
Without her, the midcourt has been disjoined in recent weeks, with the NSW side struggling to have options to help the ball down the court.
But in a grafting win against the Firebirds, they were forced to find a way in an effort that could be a bonus for their finals campaign.
They head west next weekend, where they will face minor premiers West Coast Fever and have nothing to lose in a game in which the winners will claim a grand final place.
But that doesn't daunt Akle or import shooter Helen Housby.
'I feel like as a group, we have definitely gone away and been to the bottom of bottom in terms of our feelings, our highs and lows, and at the end of the day, we were always in second spot,' Akle said.
'So after a few losses, you feel like you know the world's going to end, and the momentum is not with you, but I feel like it's only going to help us moving forward, that we've had the lows, and we're slowly improving and improving at the right time coming into finals.'
FIREBIRDS LOOKING AHEAD
Round 14 has been one of mass changes across the league, with players making their debuts and others getting their chance off the bench.
And with contracts on the line, there's plenty to prove. The Firebirds had two potential debutants in Danielle Taylor, in for injured co-captain Hulita Veve and Elsa Sif Sandholt, who was on the bench for Abi Latu-Meafou.
And the Icelandic-born shooter Sandholt became Firebird no.117 just minutes before halftime when she was injected into the game.
Taylor then earnt her own number, becoming no.118 when she came on for Allison late in the third term after the England midcourter left the game.
Where the Firebirds go from here is now the question for coach Kiri Wills and Firebirds staff, who have several big decisions to make on the futures of stalwarts, needing to change if they are to forge ahead next year.
But somehow, their fans have not lost faith. They played in front of a sellout crowd of 4776 on Sunday, taking their season tally to a Nissan Arena record of 31,886 for the season.
