‘Third time’s a charm’: Final shot at revenge for Swifts in decider
By Billie Eder
For Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud, it doesn’t matter that NSW have lost their past two games to the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
In fact, it might even be a good thing because they’d rather save their win for when it counts – the Super Netball grand final at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Swifts co-captains Paige Hadley (left) and Maddy Proud with the Super Netball trophy in Melbourne on Friday.Credit: Getty
“The games that we’ve played against each other, even in the past few years, I think have always been so exciting. I think we match up really well against each other all the way down the court,” Proud said.
“I think that every game has been up and down, and has always been fought to the death ... We think third time’s a charm for the Swifts, and hopefully that’s what happens tomorrow night.”
The Swifts have played the Thunderbirds twice in the past month. They lost on both occasions, including in the semi-final when they went down 64-62 in extra time.
In both games, the Swifts dominated the first half before letting Adelaide back into the contest in the final quarters.
Maddy Proud of the Swifts and Hannah Petty of the Thunderbirds collide in round 14.Credit: Getty
“The games against the Thunderbirds, we thought we were in a bit more control throughout the game, and then they clinched it from us at the end,” Proud said.
She said the recent defeats to Adelaide at least gave the NSW team plenty of material to study.
“We’ve been able to kind of get a lot of intel on a whole variety of scenarios ... It means you’ve been able to do your homework the last few weeks,” Proud said.
“They’ve got such a versatile and exciting team that you’ve kind of got to be able to prepare for every single combination, every single scenario.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds after beating the Swifts to book their spot in the team’s first Super Netball grand final. Credit: Getty
“So having that experience of having played them a couple of times in a row really makes that preparation a lot more thorough and means that you’re more prepared for whatever comes your way.”
Adelaide will hunt for their third straight win against the Swifts in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 in Melbourne.
It’s the first time the Thunderbirds have made a grand final since Super Netball was launched in 2017. Skipper Hannah Petty said it was overdue.
“It’s been a long time since the Thunderbirds have been in a grand final, and it’s been a struggle at times, but we’re so happy to be finally where we want to be,” she said.
“Knowing that we can run over the top teams in the last quarter is a great factor, and we never give up.”
Proud said beating last year’s premiers, the West Coast Fever, in the preliminary final had given the Swifts confidence they can win again.
“On the weekend, we probably had no right to win in those dying minutes, but sort of found a way,” Proud said.
“So, we’ve been able to see both ends of the spectrum and [I’m] just hoping that tomorrow we don’t have to go down to the wire.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.