By Madeline Irwin
The GIANTS have stunned the NSW Swifts, taking home their first win in nine games against their rivals, to keep the Adelaide Thunderbirds as the only winless Suncorp Super Netball side in history. The whole game was reflected by the end result, a solitary goal with both teams worthy of the win.
Matisse Letherbarrow was the main avenue to goal notching up 40 from 46 shots, Sophie Dwyer was also highly effective with 20 from 21 attempts. Dwyer also did a mountain of work with 16 goal assists and 22 feeds, as well as 28 centre pass receives.
Hope White was influential, adding 26 goal assists and 39 feeds.
Erin O'Brien added a game-high seven deflections, most of which came in the final portion of the match.
For the Swifts, Grace Nweke (43 goals) was among their best, alongside Nicola Barge (13 goals), who impressed with late Suncorp Super Shots to try and take the game away from the GIANTS.
With the Carole Sykes Trophy and state bragging rights on the line, the game started goal-for-goal as the teams settled into the groove.
Quick tempo plays for both teams saw clean play across the court with turnovers equal for the first quarter. The GIANTS managed back-to-back goals at the nine-minute mark to take them to the first true lead of the game of one goal.
The Swifts steadied managing three consecutive goals afterwards to take them two goals clear of their rivals before they then equalised just prior to the first Power Five time where the teams sat at 10 goals apiece. The quarter ended with the GIANTS in front by three goals.
The accuracy of the GIANTS was the difference in the first quarter, Letherbarrow shot at 92 per cent for her 12 goals alongside Dwyer’s (three goals) 100 per cent accuracy. In contrast Nweke shot at 80 per cent for her 12 goals while Barge managed two goals from four shots.
The GIANTS’ superior centre pass to goal rate of 87 per cent was also a contributing factor in the first quarter, with their opponents managing a respectable 73 per cent.
The second quarter was the Swifts’ although it was a good battle still between the sides. The Swifts managed four more goals than their rivals to go ahead at half-time.
One hundred game player Tayla Fraser came into the match five minutes into the second quarter for Maddy Proud to try and quell the influence of White.
The Swifts closed the gap between the sides with eight minutes to go in the second quarter to go one goal ahead. This came off the back of an eight to four goal stretch, with four in a row in that time.
Retiree Jane Watson came onto the court for Erin O’Brien halfway through the second stanza to attempt to thwart the pairing of Barge and Nweke which was strengthening throughout the contest. The Swifts still maintained an impressive 93 per cent goal rate from centre pass in that quarter.
A concerning trend for the GIANTS in the second quarter, was the penalty rate for Casey Adamson who had a tough job on Paige Hadley. The latter was winning the battle, with Adamson picking up eight penalties in that period. The GIANTS' centre pass to goal rate also dropped to just 60 per cent.
GIANTS’ midcourter Audrey Little made her debut in the third quarter in centre in place of White. Despite a run of Swifts goals, the quarter was a very even affair finishing 15 goals apiece.
Defender O’Brien was busy for the home side, managing four of her team’s six deflections in that quarter, in contrast their opposition had only one.
The GIANTS got ahead with a few minutes to go in the third quarter, courtesy of a Suncorp Super Shot scored by Dwyer. This was the first time since the first quarter that the GIANTS held a lead, which coincided with the home side having a better centre pass to goal percentage than their opponents.
The fourth quarter opened, perfectly poised with both sides equal, as Dwyer scored three consecutive goals to get her side back in front. Their captain Whitney Souness was re-instated into centre, which seemed to free her up as she imposed herself on the contest.
The GIANTS continued to surge, pulling ahead by three, then four goals as White and Souness paired well in the midcourt. The GIANTS scored 11 to six goals against the Swifts in the middle portion of the final term.
The GIANTS edged ahead at the end, winning the final quarter by two goals even as Swifts goaler Barge shot four Suncorp Super Shots to get her team within a goal.
In the final moments nothing was going to stop the GIANTS from taking home their first and only win of the season.
