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Swifts steal trans-Tasman win

Roar Rookie
8th April, 2008
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The NSW Swifts have won the battle of the Australasian heavyweights, downing the Southern Steel 53-42 at Acer Arena in the new trans Tasman netball competition last night.

The teams, who’d taken out their respective national titles last season before the formation of the new competition, were evenly matched until the Swifts broke away in the third quarter.

The Invercargill-based Steel raced out to a four goal lead early in a nervous first half before the Swifts regrouped, in front of the competition’s biggest opening round crowd of more than 3,000, to go to the first break 12-11 up.

It was a similar story in the second quarter where the Steel again got the jump on the Swifts but at half-time the score was locked at 23-all.

The NSW team found confidence and made their move in the third quarter with Australian shooters Catherine Cox (28 goals at 70 per cent) and Susan Pratley (25 goals at 89 per cent) outscoring the Steel 16 goals to seven to take a 39-30 lead into the final break.

At the other end Silver Fern Daneka Wipiiti (34 at 83 per cent) and former Australia and Swifts player Megan Dehn (7 at 54 percent) were trying to stay in the hunt against the Swifts’ new look defensive team of Rebecca Bulley and Kimberley Purcell, who stepped in to replace Liz Ellis (retired) and Mo’onia Gerrard (Adelaide).

The Swifts continued to build in the final quarter, outscoring the Steel 14 to 12 and never looked like relinquishing their lead.

Pratley made all 14 of her second half attempts.

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In round two, the Swifts travel to New Zealand to take on the Canterbury Tactix in Christchurch on Saturday night.

Swifts captain Cox was disappointed with her own performance early on but said it was great to get a win on the board.

“There’s so much pressure…the hype and the new league and I guess my first game as captain,” sae said.

“Everyone was so excited but I think nerves got hold of me, that’s for sure, I couldn’t hit the side of a barn in the first quarter but I think we steadied and got into the game and definitely improved.”

NSW coach Julie Fitzgerald said she was pleased with the way her new-look team performed.

“It was a funny game because there was no lack of intensity in terms of effort tonight but there was that little bit of hesitancy all the time, so it wasn’t as free flowing as it might have been,” she said.

“Because we’re trying to build a new team and a new combination we came in tonight with our own style that we wanted to play and we worked really hard on it.

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“We had to adapt a few little things but mainly we wanted to get our own game right tonight.”

In other first round matches, championship favourites the Melbourne Vixens beat New Zealand side Central Pulse 50-33 while Queensland Firebirds’ import Romelda Aiken’s goal shooting proved the difference to beat West Coast Fever 48-46.

In an all-Kiwi battle the Northern Mystics went down in a close match to Canterbury Tactix 48-44 while Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds 46-42.

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View the 2008 ANZ Championship netball draw.

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