By Caitlin Greenwood
Jo Harten’s farewell game couldn’t have been scripted better.
In front of a roaring home crowd, the GIANTS captain led her side to a commanding 13-point win over the Melbourne Mavericks, sealing a storybook end to her decorated career.
The GIANTS were forced into a late reshuffle ahead of the first centre pass, with Tilly McDonell stepping into the starting seven after Erin O’Brien was sidelined moments before the opening whistle. It was an even contest early, but it was the Mavericks who found their groove first, breaking away to a 5-3 lead and forcing the home side into a tactical timeout.
Coach Julie Fitzgerald urged her team to tighten up around the circle edge, as the Mavericks controlled possession. In welcome news for the home side, O’Brien was immediately injected into the action following the timeout, offering the GIANTS the spark they needed to work their way back into the match.
Sasha Glasgow landed the first Super Shot of the evening, but it was Harten who brought Ken Rosewall Arena to life with back-to-back two-pointers following a key intercept from O’Brien.
The momentum looked to have shifted as GIANTS took the lead, but the Mavs responded with a Glasgow super shot and a buzzer-beater from Shimona Jok to reclaim a one-goal lead at quarter time.
The second quarter saw the Mavs create plenty of chances but fail to make them count, leaving the door open for the GIANTS.
Amy Sligar was immense through the midcourt, hunting the ball and forcing key turnovers, while Molly Jovic kept things ticking over for the visitors, with 19 assists in the first half.
Despite holding a three-goal lead, the Mavs began to unravel as the GIANTS lifted. A heavily strapped but undeterred O’Brien was everywhere in defence, creating chaos with Casey Kopua.
At the other end, Harten continued to thrive under the post, boosting GIANTS to a three-goal lead late in the term.
However, a quick finish from the visitors, converting off the final centre pass, saw the scores locked at 31-all at half time.
Jamie-Lee Price was named Player of the Match, finishing with 26 assists, one deflection and an interceptThe third opened with O’Brien picking up where she left off, forcing an early turnover as the GIANTS looked to seize control. Hope White was injected into the game, replacing Maddie Hay, and both sides traded goals, but neither could build real momentum.
Harten broke the deadlock midway through the quarter giving the home side a narrow edge once again.
While errors crept in for both teams, it was the home side who started to find a spark.
Kopua disrupted the Mavs, with tensions rising between the defender and Jok.
Harten made her intentions clear with a commanding super shot to start the power five, igniting the 5,000 strong crowd.
Sophie Dwyer followed suit with two of her own, helping the GIANTS take the quarter 18-14 and push ahead by four goals heading into the final term.
GIANTS came out firing in the fourth, piling on five of the first six goals to blow the margin out to seven in just four minutes. With momentum firmly on their side, the home team surged ahead 8-3 in the quarter as the Mavs scrambled to reset, bringing on Uneeq Palavi in a late attempt to claw back the deficit.
Maisie Nankivell was introduced in hopes of bringing some structure to the Mavs' midcourt, but it was all GIANTS.
O’Brien continued her standout performance with a timely intercept heading into the final power five, while Harten saved her most dazzling moments for last.
With the crowd roaring behind her, the GIANTS captain drained super shot after super shot, finishing off a flawless game with seven super shots, eight assists, a deflection, and a buzzer-beating two-pointer that brought the house down.
A fairytale finish for Harten, and a statement 72–59 win to close out her legendary career in style.
"It was amazing at the end," Harten said post-match.
"It was nice to get a sneaky super shot to finish my whole career - a nice way to go out.
I think I'm also proud of the team for putting up a fight. Sometimes when you haven't finished in that top four, you can let these chances go by, but I am super proud of the club that we've built, and it shows with our culture that we can finish off in our last game of the season."
