Back to back Grand Finals for NSW Swifts

The 2016 ANZ Championship Grand Final will once again be contested between the NSW Swifts and the Queensland Firebirds. After watching the Firebirds overcome the Southern Steel on Sunday, The NSW Swifts beat a spirited Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 64-45 in Hamilton to set up a re-match of the 2015 Grand Final.

The opening quarter of the semifinal saw free flowing scoring at both ends with neither team able to assert any real dominance on the game. Both teams were struggling to contain goal shooters Caitlin Thwaites and Jo Harten, however the quarter came to a close with the NSW Swifts up by 2 at 16-14.

It was a very different story during the middle two quarters with the NSW Swifts taking control due to some outstanding defense. This was echoed by Head Coach Rob Wright in his comments after the game, “I think we applied a lot more pressure, particularly from that second quarter. Our defensive efforts were really rewarded by the front end, which obviously put Magic under some pressure.”

The scoring in the second and third quarters demonstrated the NSW Swifts dominance with Sharni Layton stepping up in a milestone game to be rewarded with the MVP in her 100th ANZ Championship game.

By the start of the final quarter the NSW Swifts had a commanding lead of 49-31 and despite a few late mistakes in the final quarter the NSW Swifts finished with an outstanding 64-45 victory.

Some key positives that coach Wright can take from the game are the form of Sharni Layton, Kimberlee Green completing her first 60 minutes since returning from injury, and the impressive shooting statistics of Caitlin Thwaites who ended the game with 93% accuracy.

The Grand Final takes place at the Firebirds backyard, next Sunday 31 July at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.