NSW Swifts edge West Coast Fever in thriller, Thunderbirds stay high of Tremendous Netball ladder
Romelda Aiken-George has nailed a buzzer-beating matchwinner handy the NSW Swifts a heart-stopping 65-64 Tremendous Netball win towards the West Coast Fever in Perth.
Key factors:
- Each groups suffered a number of harm scares, with three Thunderbirds gamers compelled off with harm
- The Thunderbirds solely led by two objectives on the three-quarter break
- Queensland nonetheless has simply two victories to their names this season
The Fever led by three factors contained in the final 90 seconds of Saturday’s blockbuster battle for second spot on the ladder, solely to be denied — for the second time in six days — on the ultimate siren.
Sharpshooting Helen Housby buried her tenth two-pointer to scale back the margin to 1 earlier than Maddy Turner conjured a well timed intercept, which was transformed by Aiken-George to tie the scores.
With the ultimate possession, Aiken-George scored from shut vary within the final second after snaffling an extended cross from Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud to interrupt West Coast’s coronary heart, simply as Kiera Austin did final week with the go-ahead tremendous shot on the bell.
“We might clearly prefer to win by a couple of extra,” Housby mentioned after the Swifts’ fifth straight victory.
“We have confirmed that the fourth quarter is our greatest quarter and I am actually pleased with the women.
“This is likely one of the hardest locations to play … we’ll take loads of confidence from that and it is good to be shifting up the ladder.”
The Fever had been dealt a merciless double-blow earlier than the match with aim assault Sasha Glasgow and wing defence Jess Anstiss having to withdraw underneath COVID-19 protocols.
Their absences allowed Jordan Cransberg to make her league debut and 39-year-old former Diamonds legend Natalie Butler (nee Medhurst) to make her first look within the competitors since 2019 after popping out of retirement.
Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler was sizzling early, feasting on the midcourt brilliance of Verity Simmons, however the hosts could not quell the Swifts attacking trio of Housby, Aiken-George and Paige Hadley because the guests moved forward 19-16 at quarter-time.
Housby and Fowler went goal-for-goal within the second interval, on the finish of which NSW led 32-30, earlier than the Fever regularly obtained on high within the third.
Butler acquired a rousing reception when she began the second half on the court docket and her reference to Fowler noticed West Coast forge forward by six earlier than Housby’s long-range assault trimmed the hole to 1 at three-quarter-time.
Housby’s tremendous shot prowess was all the time going to pose issues for the Fever throughout the final 5 minutes, whereas Proud, benched for a lot of the third stanza, returned with a vengeance within the fourth time period.
Gorgeous closing quarter retains Adelaide high of ladder
The highest-ranked Adelaide Thunderbirds have defied a day of injury-filled carnage to thump the Queensland Firebirds 63-46 at Netball SA Stadium.
A 24-9 fourth-quarter assault on Saturday helped the Thunderbirds bust open a protracted arm wrestle and dash to their fifth successive victory, extending their lead on the high of the Tremendous Netball ladder.
However their depth was sorely examined and their triumph got here at a price.
Purpose assault Tippah Dwan left the match early within the second quarter after rolling her left ankle, whereas Jamaican wing defence Latanya Wilson hobbled to the bench clutching her left knee within the dying moments of the rout after touchdown awkwardly.
And English import Elle Cardwell missed a big chunk of the sport after a knee niggle flared however she managed to come back again on within the fourth time period as Adelaide’s bench turned severely depleted.
Fellow shooter Lucy Austin completed the match with a blood nostril, whereas celebrity defender Shamera Sterling was capable of proceed her season-long dominant type regardless of an ankle scare of her personal within the second quarter.
“The message [at three-quarter-time] was to wrap our heads round regardless of the Firebirds had been doing and simply play to our constructions and fundamentals,” Sterling mentioned, after Adelaide turned a slender 39-37 lead on the final change right into a one-sided procession.
“I am very, very proud as a result of at first we let the Firebirds be in it an excessive amount of with us.
“Within the second half we tried to tug it away and within the final quarter we pulled away.”
The Firebirds didn’t escape the harm curse both, with defender Gabi Simpson hurting her left ankle after touchdown closely in a collision with Maisie Nankivell within the closing moments of the primary half.
Scores had been locked away at 12-all following a defence-dominated, turnover-riddled opening time period earlier than Queensland appeared like creating a niche within the second stanza.
However the Thunderbirds’ makeshift assault of Georgie Horjus and Austin obtained on high late within the quarter to present the house aspect a slender half-time edge.
Nothing separated the 2 groups within the third interval earlier than Adelaide seized full management down the stretch.
Sterling constantly stymied the Firebirds’ attacking waves within the fourth, whereas Cardwell returned to the court docket and created havoc within the circle.
AAP
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