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Adelaide Thunderbirds broke a four-year drought and shattered the trans-Tasman netball championship’s longest-ever winning streak with a gritty 48-47 win over defending champion NSW Swifts at ETSA Park on Sunday.
The Thunderbirds, who hadn’t beaten the Swifts since 2005, led by two at quartertime and one at halftime, but trailed by one at the final change.
Adelaide coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson made an important tactical switch at three quarter-time, moving Natalie von Bertouch from centre to wing defence to quell the influence of NSW wing attack Vanessa Ware while Laura von Bertouch was moved from wing attack to centre.
Adelaide outscored the Swifts 14-12 in the final quarter of a thrilling and highly physical contest to record their second win from as many games this season.
NSW, who are now 1-1, temporarily lost wing defence Kimberley Smith, who came off the court in the second quarter after a collision with Jo Sutton.
Neither team led by more than four goals in a classic nip and tuck contest.
Adelaide, who conceded the first two goals of the match, appeared to have the ascendancy, leading 32-28 in the third quarter.
The Swifts hit back to lead 35-34 and increased their advantage to three in the first two minutes of the final term.
The contest took a couple more turns with Adelaide scoring five in a row, only for Sydney to hit back and lead.
Thunderbirds shooter Natalie Medhurst broke a 45-45 deadlock and Adelaide capitalised on an error from NSW defender Emma Koster to close out the most exciting contest of the season so far.
Both teams face another huge game next week.
Thunderbirds host Melbourne Vixens, while the Swifts travel to Hamilton to play the Magic, who they defeated in last year’s grand final.
The loss snapped the Swifts’ record winning streak of 10, which stretched back to the middle of the inaugural competition last year.
In Sunday’s other game, the Mystics scored their first win of the season with a 54-50 win over the Pulse in Auckland.
The winless Pulse outscored the Mystics in the middle two quarters, but couldn’t shut down shooter Cathrine Latu, who shot 35 out of 39.
Round two finishes on Monday when the Tactix host the West Coast Fever in Christchurch and the Queensland Firebirds meet the Melbourne Vixens in an all-Australian clash in Brisbane.