Swifts survive Auckland thriller

It was a thrilling battle in its entirety, as both sides refused to take a backwards step, but the Swifts lifted when it was needed to give Paige Hadley and Abbey McCulloch a win in their 50th ANZ Championship appearance.

But again, Head Coach Rob Wright called for consistency from his charges as the Swifts now turn their attentions to New Zealand Conference Minor Premiers, the Southern Steel.

“I was pretty pleased with how we were able to finish every quarter today – the last five minutes of all four quarters we asserted some authority – but we’re not looking for 20-30 minutes of consistency; we’re looking for a full 60 minutes,” Wright said.

“We need to address those lulls quickly … to be serious [ANZ Championship] title contenders we need to perform better than playing a good half.

“But under the pressure of Finals, you really have to win those 50/50 moments and I think we did that tonight, so I’m pretty pleased with that.”

Wright credited the Mystics for the strong pressure his side faced, saying it was the best game he’s seen the kiwis play this season.

“Mystics were just terrific tonight – I was hoping they wouldn’t, but every time we come here they play really well. They really brought the contest to us, and almost took the points. It’s always been a danger game for us because they play so well at home,” Wright said.

“That was the best game they’ve played all year I think, which is great for us in that we were able to withstand their pressure and get the result.”

It was the hosts who enjoyed the better of starts after two crucial intercepts in the Swifts’ attacking third gave them early momentum. The Swifts weren’t to be discouraged though, and worked hard to keep their foot in the contest; however uncharacteristic handling errors took the pressure off their opposition.

But the Mystics’ weren’t immune to their own mistakes, with Sharni Layton’s presence seeing the hosts throw away vital possession in their attacking third. That gave the Swifts the opportunity to hit back, with consecutive goals giving them the lead at the first break.

But again the Mystics came out firing for the start of the quarter, finding the first five consecutive goals to quickly take back the lead and vital momentum. But again the Swifts did well to stay in touch – using patience in attack they sought the safest route to the circle for their shooters to have an impact.

The energy on court lifted with the crowd’s involvement, and the physicality seemed to lift with it. With shooting pair Pettitt and Wood switching bibs in the shadows of half-time, the Swifts were able to again able to take back the lead. Pettitt was cruelly denied on the whistle when her 21st attempt on goal went in-and-out of the post; the Swifts taking a 28-27 advantage into half-time.

The big break did little to take the sting out of the game as the pace continued into the second half, with the lead ebbing and flowing between the two sides. However the third quarter marked the return of Swifts Captain Kimberlee Green from injury and her presence on court was immediately felt.

While Green’s sharp feeds and pin-point look-away passes were a welcome addition, the Mystics were keen on ruining the party. The hosts continued to work hard in defence to limit the Swifts quick transitional play, while Maria Tutaia and Catherine Tuivaiti were unrelenting up front.

But the Swifts continued to push and were able to find the equaliser through Pettitt in the dying seconds before the final break; 41-41.

It set up a frantic final quarter as neither side looked to get ascendency over the other. The Swifts welcomed Caitlin Thwaites on to goal shooter for her first appearance of the match, with the international representative having an immediate impact.

Having already used their bench extensively throughout the contest, the Mystics were forced to reshuffle their defensive line in order to limit the damage Thwaites, and her partner Wood, were doing to the scoreboard. But in the end their efforts proved futile as the Swifts were able to hang on to finish six-goal victors and post their first victory in Auckland since 2010.

The Swifts will return to the home court of Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre to host New Zealand Conference Minor Premiers Southern Steel on Saturday 2 July for the final regular round of the season; broadcast begins from 5pm AEST.

It’s sure to be a mouth-watering contest with the Steel having defeated every Australian side so far in 2016, while the Swifts will be looking to consolidate top spot on the Australian Conference Ladder and take vital momentum into the 2016 Finals Series.

MVP: Anna Harrison (Mystics)

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores:

SWIFTS| Q1: 14 – Q2: 28 (14) – Q3: 41 (13) – Q4: 59 (18)

MYSTICS| Q1: 12 – Q2: 27 (15) – Q3: 41 (14) – Q4: 53 (12)

Starting Line-ups:

SWIFTS| GS Stephanie Wood, GA Susan Pettitt, WA Paige Hadley, C Laura Langman (VC), WD Abbey McCulloch, GD Maddy Turner, GK Sharni Layton

MYSTICS| GS Catherine Tuivaiti, GA Maria Tutaia (C), WA Elisapeta Toeava, C Nadia Loveday, WD Serena Guthrie, GD Holly Fowler, GK Anna Harrison

Positional Changes:

SWIFTS| Q2 Timeout (2) – GS Pettitt, GA Wood; Q3 – WA Kimberlee Green (C), C Hadley, WD Langman; Q4 – GS Caitlin Thwaites.

MYSTICS| Q2 – GD Kayla Cullen; Q2 Timeout – C Fa’amu Ioane; Q3 Timeout – GD Fowler; Q4 – WA Loveday, C Guthrie, WD Harrison, GD Cullen, GK Temalisi Fakahokotau; Q4 Timeout – WA Ioane; Q4 Timeout (2) – WD Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, GK Harrison; Q4 Timeout (3) – GD Fowler.

*Article courtesy of Netball Australia.