By Stephanie Smarrelli
Two teams.
One spot.
It’s now or never for the Swifts and Vixens.
The age-old rivalry between Victoria and NSW ignites once again this weekend.
The Swifts might be hosting the Preliminary Final but there’s no doubt the scoreline of the Major Semi Final will be in the back of their minds.
It’s hard to bounce back from a demoralising loss but the best teams do it and the Swifts will be out to prove they’re the best this weekend.
The Vixens held their nerve in a nail-biting Minor Semi Final last weekend, doing what many said they couldn’t.
Knocking out the reigning champs by two goals was sweet revenge for the side who lost last year’s Grand Final by the same margin.
But now they’ll need to focus on the task at hand, the Swifts.
The Vixens know they have what it takes to win having defeated the NSW team just over a month ago, but it was close.
The Swifts fell to the Vixens the last time they met in Round 10.And this time, the Swifts have the home court advantage.
Both teams have been dealt injury blows since they last met.
The Vixens lost Hannah Mundy to a stress related injury while the Swifts have lost Paige Hadley to a lower leg injury and had Teigan O’Shannassy ruled out of finals completely due to a back issue.
The impact of the Swifts missing Hadley has been clear as day in recent weeks, the Swifts attack end failing to find their usual rhythm but the possibility of her returning for the Prelim Final could be a gamechanger.
The Swifts have also often turned to O’Shannassy to bring a spark to their defensive end when needed but her absence has also left a gap in the side.
Her stellar season was rewarded with an invite to the Origin Diamonds camp and while young gun Freddie Schneideman has slotted in well, she lacks the experience of the 26-year-old.
The Vixens on the other hand have let Zara Walters loose in Mundy’s absence and Walters has proved she’s more than capable of taking up the mantle.
Whether Mundy is cleared to come back into the Vixens line up or not, Simone McKinnis will be confident her attacking midcourters can get the job done.
Both team’s defensive ends will be key this weekend and while intercepts and deflections are worth their weight in gold there’s another stat which might have a lot to do with the final score.
Penalties.
The last time the two teams met the Swifts were penalised 62 times compared to 49 for the Vixens.
And the Swifts also had a high penalty count in the second quarter against Fever which they got demolished in last week.
In Round 10 when the two Prelim sides last met, the Vixens tallied 11 gains to the Swifts four meaning the Swifts had limited opportunities to take charge despite winning the last half of the match.
Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin were prolific only missing five goals between them with their silky connection on show for the Vixens.
Helen Housby and Sophie Fawns kept the Swifts in the game with eight Suncorp Super Shots from Housby and four from Fawns, that’s a total of 24 points.
With that in mind, the Vixens defence will know the key to defeating the Swifts is halting their attack end and preventing them from shooting long bombs in the Power Five.
And with a disconnect in the Swifts attack playing out they’ll be primed to strike but the Swifts will also have gone and done their homework.
Pressure will be on Housby to have a big game and the Vixens’ defence on her and Grace Nweke will be crucial.
Rudi Ellis was massive against Nweke in Round 10 collecting five gains and forcing Briony Akle to make moves in the goal circle.
While Jo Weston has experience playing against Housby in big matches, the duo always delivering a tantalising contest.
All eyes will be on the key match ups across the court.Everything is on the line and both teams can turn it on when it matters most.
They’ve got experience winning Prelim Finals, the Vixens won last years and the Swifts the year before.
Neither team claimed the premiership in those years giving them plenty of reason to push through to the big dance.
Plus, the Swifts will be fired up after last week’s loss, a win this week will give them the chance to prove redeem themselves after leading the league for most of the season.
And for the Vixens redemption from last year’s Grand Final and the opportunity to send off head coach McKinnis with a fairytale ending in front of their home crowd awaits.
It’ll take nothing less than both teams best, expect a fierce and fiery contest from start to finish.
