Romelda Aiken-George has nailed a buzzer-beating matchwinner to hand the NSW Swifts a heart-stopping 65-64 Super Netball win against the West Coast Fever at RAC Arena.
The Fever led by three points inside the last 90 seconds of Saturday's blockbuster battle for second spot on the ladder, only to be denied - for the second time in six days - on the final siren.
Community />
Sharpshooting Helen Housby buried her 10th two-pointer to reduce the margin to one before Maddy Turner conjured a timely intercept, which was converted by Aiken-George to tie the scores.
Aussies Rule But Netball Duel With England Is A Thrill From Start To Finish
With the final possession, Aiken-George scored from close range in the last second after snaffling a long pass from Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud to break West Coast's heart, just as Kiera Austin did last week with the go-ahead super shot on the bell.
This is one of the toughest places to play ... we're going to take a lot of confidence from that and it's nice to be moving up the ladder.
The Fever were dealt a cruel double-blow before the match with goal attack Sasha Glasgow and wing defence Jess Anstiss having to withdraw under COVID-19 protocols.
Lvfnl Netball: Demons Roar Home To Win Thriller
Their absences allowed Jordan Cransberg to make her league debut and 39-year-old former Diamonds legend Natalie Butler (nee Medhurst) to make her first appearance in the competition since 2019 after coming out of retirement.
Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler was hot early, feasting on the midcourt brilliance of Verity Simmons, but the hosts couldn't quell the Swifts attacking trio of Housby, Aiken-George and Paige Hadley as the visitors moved ahead 19-16 at quarter-time.
Housby and Fowler went goal-for-goal in the second period, at the end of which NSW led 32-30, before the Fever gradually got on top in the third.
Melbourne Vixens Win Super Netball Thriller Over Giants
Butler received a rousing reception when she started the second half on the court and her connection with Fowler saw West Coast forge ahead by six before Housby's long-range attack trimmed the gap to one at three-quarter-time.
Housby's super shot prowess was always going to pose problems for the Fever across the last five minutes, while Proud, benched for much of the third stanza, returned with a vengeance in the fourth term.West Coast Fever have survived an early injury scare to Courtney Bruce and a furious finish from Queensland Firebirds to chalk up a 73-71 win and remain unbeaten after five rounds of the Super Netball season.
The Fever made a flying start to Sunday's clash at the Queensland State Netball Centre, but were forced to withstand a fierce challenge from the home side as they recovered from 15 goals down in the third quarter to sit on the verge of an improbable comeback victory.
Grasshoppers Oust Redbacks In Kununurra Grand Final Thriller To Become 2021 Netball Premiers
Donnell Wallam drilled a two-point Super shot with eight seconds to play to cut West Coast's lead to two, but the defending champions controlled the next centre pass to deny Queensland their first win of the season and spoil the party for veteran Firebirds defender Gabi Simpson's 150th national league game.
I reckon we just have to maintain what we did for the first half of the game and ensure that we are ticking the scoreboard over.
The Fever have now won nine consecutive games, with their last loss coming at the hands of the Firebirds in round 12 of the 2022 season.
Super Netball Grand Final 2023: Adelaide Thunderbirds Defeat Nsw Swifts In Overtime To Clinch First Championship
West Coast were leading 13-6 midway through the first quarter when Bruce collapsed to the floor after tweaking her right ankle, the Fever captain limping to the bench with what appeared to be a serious injury.
Women in Sport Spotlight We put the spotlight on women making a big impact on and off the field in the sporting world – from the grassroots through to the elite level.Read more
However, following some treatment and strapping of the ankle, the Australian Diamonds defender returned in the second quarter and played out the rest of the match.
Suncorp Super Netball Vixens Defeat Pies
The Fever produced a flawless start to the game to record their highest-scoring quarter of the season, building a 25-15 lead thanks to a dominant 63 per cent time in possession with no general play turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Firebirds were able to apply more pressure in the second quarter but a run of four straight goals from Fowler allowed West Coast to extend their advantage to 43-30 by half time.
Both sides shuffled their line-ups to start the second half, but it was the introduction of Macy Gardner that sparked the Firebirds to a 21-15 win in the third quarter, the 22-year-old mid-courter linking up with Wallam to help the home side stay in the contest.
Navy Sinks Gunners In Thriller
Leading 58-51 at the start of the fourth stanza, the Fever took an eight-goal lead in the early stages of the Power Five period and then held on for the narrow win after Wallam and Emily Moore combined to fire in five Super shots.
A clutch fourth-quarter performance from Helen Housby has inspired the NSW Swifts to a thrilling 64-63 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning to lift the Sydneysiders into Super Netball's top four.
Sunshine Coast led at every change of Sunday's match-up, but the Swifts stunned the home side with Housby drilling a Super shot in the final minute to put her side on top by one goal.
West Coast Fever Remain Undefeated In Super Netball, Swifts Pip Lightning In Thriller
The English attacker then collected a crucial pickup on the Lightning's next possession to allow the Swifts to run out the clock and claim their second win of the season.
We know the Lightning are a really classy side and this has always been a really tough place for us to play but I'm very proud of the group, Housby said.
We knew that they were going to stay with us for the whole 60 minutes and I think we just had the belief that if we came out in the last quarter and had a good performance, we could win the game.
Vixens Win In A Thriller
The result ensured the Swifts move ahead of Sunshine Coast into fourth spot on the ladder, co-captain Maddy Proud saying her side rated the clash as pivotal to their semifinal aspirations.
We kind of knew that it was like a grand final for us today and looking at that ever-changing ladder, we knew that was going to put us back in the top four and that's where we want to be, Proud told Fox Sports.
Sport Daily podcast Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that’s making headlines.Read more
Super Netball 2023: Concussion Protocols, Mahalia Cassidy Update, Sunshine Coast Lightning Vs Melbourne Vixens
The Lightning enjoyed a three-goal advantage at the main break thanks to the defensive work of Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Karla Pretorius, the duo contributing five intercepts and six gains to give their side a narrow edge.
The Swifts erased their half time deficit with the opening three goals of the third quarter but could not find a way to hit the front as the Lightning maintained a 48-47 lead heading into the final change.
Another intercept from Dehaney and a run of three straight goals from Cara Koenen put the Lightning ahead by two with less than five minutes to play but Housby levelled the scores with a two-point shot and then stood tall in the final minute to lead the Swifts to victory.
Adelaide Thunderbirds Win First Super Netball Title In Extra Time Thriller
The Swifts now prepare for a home clash with the third-placed Melbourne Vixens on Saturday while the Lightning will need to knock off the Collingwood Magpies on Anzac Day in order to avoid a fourth consecutive loss.West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan has refused to blame their intense travel schedule for costing them their undefeated streak after losing a one-goal thriller to the Adelaide Thunderbirds at RAC Arena on Sunday.
Adelaide star Eleanor Cardwell sunk a super shot with just five seconds left on the clock to help the Thunderbirds pinch a thrilling 64-63 win in the top-of-the-table clash against a tired Fever in front of 7615 fans.
Fever looked on their way to a sixth-straight win to start the season when they led by six goals heading into the final super shot period, but Cardwell (49 goals, eight super shots) starred with four late long-range bombs to deliver the victory.
Bruce And Fowler Named In Team Of The Week
“Maybe we weren’t as sharp as we have been in previous weeks and that happens irrespective of travel, and accumulated fatigue over the court of the season, but it’s certainly not an excuse by any means.
Ryan said they needed to work on their offensive and defensive efforts in the super shot period after conceding nine for the game.
“We need to remain really disciplined in attack to make sure that we’re not supplying extra opportunities to the opposition, ” Ryan said.
Super Netball Finals: Nsw Swifts Vs Adelaide Thunderbirds Result
“And then making sure that we’re just shifting the mindset around taking away the ability to take the super shot, which we’ve struggled with in the past two games.
“Plenty of room for improvement there but we know that we can tidy it up and we know we can be a real powerhouse in those moments.”
All eyes were on the match-up of Fever captain Courtney Bruce and Cardwell and it didn’t disappoint, with the two going blow for blow early.
Super Netball Semi Finals 2023: Adelaide Thunderbirds Defeat Nsw Swifts In Extra Time, Highlights, Reaction
Fever broke the game open in the first term, leading by as much as nine goals thanks to perfect shooting performances from Jhaniele