Australian Netball Championships: NSW Swifts defeat Adelaide Thunderbirds to make final
The undefeated Adelaide Thunderbirds were the favourites to win the Australian Netball Championships – enter Swifts young gun Sophie Fawns.
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Swifts super shooter Sophie Fawns, who played a crucial role in the club’s Super Netball grand final berth just a few months ago, has launched the Swifts into the Australian Netball Championships final.
The NSW academy side dethroned the undefeated competition favourites Adelaide Thunderbirds 51-58 in their semi-final clash.
Swifts will take on Magpies, who beat West Coast Fever Reserves for a spot in the gold medal match at Morayfield on Sunday afternoon.
It was a hotly contested, physical game between Swifts and Thunderbirds with either team capable of taking the win.
But it was the sharp shooting and all round great game of Swifts’ teen shooter Sophie Fawns that set them apart from the Thunderbirds.
The 19-year-old super shooter shot to fame in the 2022 Super Netball season – called in to replace the injured Sam Wallace.
She retained her spot in the 2023 season, sharing the role with Romelda Aiken-George.
Fawns sunk three super shots in the final quarter of the finals qualifier for the Swifts.
While there was no super shot at the ANC tournament Fawns fired in shot after shot, sinking 37 of her 41 shots, to send her ANC squad through to a grand final clash.
It was a fast-paced first quarter with both teams going tit for tat early on but Swifts goalkeeper Teagan O’Shannassy pulled off two crucial intercepts and changed the momentum.
Swifts went into the first break ahead 15-11.
Thunderbirds put their jets on in the second quarter – proving they had the ability to match it with the Swifts. Some impressive midcourt work by Tyler Orr had the Thunderbirds just one behind midway through the second quarter.
But as they sensed the game slipping the Swifts lifted – surging ahead by five goals at one point.
Thunderbirds embraced the pressure and continued to fight – shooters Lucy Austin and Lauren Frew didn’t drop a whole half – helping the Adelaide side to a second quarter win and putting them just three points behind the Swifts at half time.
It was a tight affair in the third quarter but the Thunderbirds just couldn’t create the needed turnovers or make the most of opportunities they had to close the gap going into the final term three goals down (43-39).
Thunderbirds were accurate at the post missing just one shot all game – but Swifts just had the ball under their net more often.
Swifts made sure to wrap it up in the final quarter, finishing the match 58-51.
FT: SWI 58 def THU 51
— Netball Australia (@NetballAust) August 26, 2023
The Swifts are through to the ANCs grand final! They get their hands to everything in the final quarter to run out seven-goal winners over the Thunderbirds.
TOP STATS 📈
Goals: S. Fawns 37/41 (SWI)
Gains: T. O’Shannassy 8 (SWI)
Assists: J. Conlan 22 (SWI) pic.twitter.com/lSQSwKXuGR
Collingwood progressed through to the final fairly easily, beating West Coast Fever Reserves 60-47.
Both teams had dropped just one match in their pools but the Magpies defensive efforts in the first quarter set them up for a great game.
They smothered Fever out of the match making it very tricky for them to move the ball.
By the end of the first quarter the Magpies were up 17-11.
Fever staged a comeback in the second quarter, outsourcing the Magpies and shrinking the goal difference to three by half time.
But the Magpies weren’t to be outclassed a second time scoring 17 goals to the Fever’s 10 – putting them 10 points up at the final break.
Accuracy under the post hurt the Fever with goal attack Sloan Burton netting just five of her nine shots before being substituted off. Georgie Cleaver, brought on in the fourth quarter also struggled, missing five of her nine shots.
While the Magpies missed just three the entire match.
SSN Magpies training partner Montana Holmes was a standout in the semi-final clash with 20 goal assists, 26 feeds and two intercepts.
The final will be played at 3.20pm on Sunday at Morayfield Sport and Leisure Centre.
Watch the ANC finals live over the weekend on Kayo Freebies.
Young Swift’s devastating injury blow confirmed
– Emma Greenwood
The NSW Swifts’ push for Australian Netball Championship honours has suffered a massive blow with news midcourter Chelsea Mann’s knee injury will rule her out of the tournament.
Mann will miss not only the ANC but the Swifts Super Netball training partner could be out for most of next season after confirmation the knee injury she suffered in the club’s opening game on Monday was an ACL tear.
It’s a massive blow for the 21-year-old midcourter, who limped off court just minutes into the Swifts Academy’s ANC campaign in their eventual win over Victorian Fury on Monday.
“We are just devastated for Chels,” Swifts Academy head coach Lenore Blades said.
“She has been focused and working so hard in the lead up to this campaign and was performing beautifully.
“However, we know that Chelsea’s positive mindset, tenacity and drive will now be refocused on her rehab and we can’t wait to see her back on court better than ever.”
A Swifts training partner for the past two seasons, Mann recently won a NSW Premier League open title with the Manly Warringah Sapphires and was looking to take the next step in her progression at Morayfield this week, where national youth selectors were watching.
There were immediate fears Mann’s injury was serious after she had to be helped from the court and left the centre in a wheelchair to have scans.
NSW Swifts executive general manager Kath Tetley said the entire club and netball family was feeling for Mann but she knew she would return “with her fabulous spirit and energy”.
“She is a fantastic member of senior Swifts environment – and one of the driving forces in our QBE Swifts Academy team taking part in the ANC this week,” Tetley said.
“Injury is an unfortunate part of elite sport, however, our priority is getting Chelsea fit and well again so she can pick up where she left off.
“The recovery process starts now and at the Swifts we have some of the best medical staff in Australian sport who will ensure that she gets the best of care.”
Watch the ANC finals live over the weekend on Kayo Freebies.
TUPAEA TRUMPS FURY
Former Australian junior midcourter Numi Tupaea starred as West Coast Fever reserves racked up their third win of the week against Victorian Fury.
After an opening loss to the Firebirds Futures, the Fever have won their remaining three pool games and ensured they would be in the semi-finals with a 63-57 victory over the Fury in Friday’s opening match.
With each of the teams in Pool B having lost at least one match heading into Friday’s final round games, the make-up of the finals was still up in the air but the Fever – on the back of 22 goal assists and 36 feeds from wing attack Tupaea and strong shooting from young gun Jasmah Haywood, outlasted the Fury to ensure they finish in the top four.
Haywood finished with 42-of-46 attempts, dominating despite the Fury swinging three players through goalkeeper in an attempt to keep her quiet.
With their final goal percentage through the rounds pushing them above the Firebirds Futures and on to the top of the ladder, they are guaranteed a semi-final spot.
FIREBIRDS LEFT IN LIMBO
The Firebirds rotated their players throughout the 76-35 victory over the Territory Storm, giving their entire squad a good run at Morayfield in the final round match of the week.
Elsa Sif Sandholt was strong in just over a game, finishing with 31 goals as one of five shooters used by the Firebirds throughout the match.
Jessica Lega’aia, Leesa Mi Mi and Maddi Ridley all shone in the midcourt, while Isabelle Shearer racked up five gains in a busy display in defence.
The victory left the Firebirds in second position on the ladder in Group B.
Defender Jasmyn Hewett played strongly in a tough day at the office for the Storm, finishing with three gains, including an intercept and a pick-up, as well as having six deflections in a workaholic showing.
SWIFTS SEAL SECOND PLACE IN POOL B
Lili Gorman-Brown’s Super Netball experience continues to help the midcourter shine in Morayfield this week, with the 24-year-old posting another matchwinning performance on Friday.
Playing at wing attack, Gorman-Brown finished with 21 goal assists and 39 feeds as the Swifts shut down Tasmania Wild 76-48 to leapfrog the Firebirds into second place in Pool B.
Despite losing to the Queenslanders in their round match yesterday, the Swifts’ big win over Tassie has helped them seal second place in the group on goal percentage.
Gorman-Brown, who played seven Super Netball games for the Swifts this season, was complimented by Audrey Little in centre, who racked up similarly impressive stats feeding the shooters.
Goaler Alison Miller was also outstanding, shooting at 100 per cent while adding 44 goals before earning a break late in the fourth term.
At the other end of the court, Ashlea Mawer was impressive for the Wild, finishing with 40 goals from 42 attempts.
PREMIERSHIP-WINNERS FLEX MORE MUSCLE AT THE ANC
By Emma Greenwood
Just 12 months ago Lucy Austin took the court at the Australian National Championships aspiring to seal her place as a Super Netballer after a few short stints for the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Twelve months on, the rangy goaler returns a Super Netball premiership winner and one of the brightest young stars in the game.
The South Australians – playing then as the Southern Force but reincarnated this year as Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures – won the title for the first time last year, with Austin playing a key role in the final.
A Super Netball rookie when she took part in the tournament in Traralgon last year, Austin heads back a vastly more experienced player, having played a pivotal role throughout the finals series as the Thunderbirds pushed to their first title in a decade.
With Netball Australia and the Australian Netball Players Association still at loggerheads over the Collective Player Agreement, the Super Netball signing window remains closed despite all players in the competition being out of contract at the end of September.
But Austin knows where she wants to be.
With T-Birds coach Tania Obst having built her premiership-winning side around a group of rising South Australian stars, including Austin, the Matrics Netball Club member hopes to remain a playing member of the pink army in 2024 and beyond.
“I'd definitely love to be there, so hopefully that can all get sorted out soon,” she said.
To be eligible to compete this week, Super Netballers must have played fewer than 420 minutes over the regular season – an average of half a match per game – a benchmark that has left several familiar names available for the tournament.
Austin was already co-captain of the Force last year but the 21-year-old headed to the Morayfield Sports and Event Centre a vastly more experienced player looking to guide her side to another strong performance.
“I think it's just bringing everything I’ve learnt during the season since the last ANC and bringing that into this environment,” she said of the differences between this tournament and her last ANC campaign.
“We've been trying to make this environment as similar to T-Birds as possible, so we’re really trying to just bring those high performance behaviours into this team.”
The ANC title showed the depth in South Australian Netball given it was a precursor to their Super Netball success.
“I think we're working really hard and taking every opportunity as it comes but we’re super driven to take it all the way,” Austin said.
CAPTAIN ORR STARS FOR T-BIRDS
It started well for the Thunderbirds, who posted a 57-41 win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts, with Austin responsible for 28 goals before being rested in the fourth quarter.
While the scoreline blew out in the final minutes – just three goals separated the team early in the final term – the Lightning Bolts remain, on paper, one of the strongest teams in the competition, with several of their players boasting Super Netball experience.
“They've got a stacked team, so we knew that was going to be a hard game,” Austin said.
“They came out firing and it was just so good that we could learn a lot from that game but they definitely brought it to us.”
T-Birds captain Tyler Orr was outstanding in the midcourt, finishing with 28 goal assists and 40 feeds as she continually hit circle edge and fired the ball into Austin (28-of-32), Lauren Frew (16-of-18) and Kayla Graham (13-of-16).
Austin didn't have things all her own way in the circle though, with Lightning Bolts defender Ash Ervin, a standout for the Lightning late in the year in her maiden Super Netball season, finishing with four gains while keeping her penalty count low and forcing several poor passes from the T-Birds feeders.
INJURY SCARE FOR SWIFTS
Super Netball defender Teigan O’Shannassy has starred in the Swifts 66-54 win over the Victorian Fury but it may have come at a cost for the NSW side, with midcourter Chelsea Mann set to be sent for scans on her knee.
Mann had to be helped from the court late in the opening quarter and left the playing arena in a wheelchair post match in a worrying sign for the Super Netball training partner.
O’Shannassy, who had six gains – including three intercepts and three rebounds – as well as five deflections in a strong performance against Melbourne Vixens training partner Emily Andrew (38/41), said the team had risen for their mate.
“I think it was a good defensive effort. When Chelsea went down, we thought we just had to step up,” O’Shannassy said.
“You never want to see anyone go down, so fingers crossed for Chels – we don’t know what it is but hopefully she’ll be right.”
O’Shannassy, Sophie Fawns and Lili Gorman-Brown all lined up in the Super Netball grand final last month which the Swifts lost by just a goal.
And the trio has headed to Morayfield determined to help their side to an ANC win.
“I think losing (the Super Netball grand final) by one, we don’t want to feel like that,” O’Shannassy said.
“Sophie and Lili and I and even all (the Super Netball training partners here) even though they weren’t in the (grand final) 10, we were all a part of it and we know that feeling and we don’t want to feel like that again, even in this competition.
“We want to take that opportunity and step up here when it counts as well.”
MAGPIES OUT TO MAKE MARK
It’s the last time the Collingwood netball brand will be represented and the Magpies are determined to make their mark on the ANC in the final outing for the black and whites.
Despite their decision to hand back their Super Netball licence earlier this year, Collingwood powerbrokers agreed to maintain their place in the ANC this year, with this week’s tournament marking the last outing for the club as a netball entity.
The Magpies have started their tournament with a hard-fought win over the Giants Academy thanks to a stellar final quarter and outstanding shooting performance from towering goaler Jane Cook.
Cook, the Victorian Netball League’s hot shot winner, missed just one of her 38 attempts as the Magpies finished with a 16-10 final term to break a three-quarter-time deadlock.
MI MI SHINES IN FIREBIRDS WIN
She made every post a winner in her Super Netball debut last season and Leesa Mi Mi has maintained that standard to power the Firebirds Futures to a win in their ANC opener against West Coast Fever Reserves in the final round 1 match on Monday night.
Mi Mi finished with 23 goal assists and 31 feeds in a workaholic showing at wing attack, gaining strong support from centre Jessie Laga’aia (18 goal assists, 28 feeds) as the Firebirds midcourt crafted their side’s second-half comeback.
In the closest game of the opening day, the Fever headed to halftime up by a single goal after a perfect shooting display from Emma Putt, who was fed well by Jordan Cransberg, her Super Netball experience showing.
The Firebirds took a two-goal lead to the final term as experienced shooter Abigail Meafou came to the fore and were able to hold on after winning the final term 17-15.
Meafou (32 of 36) and Elsa Sif Sandholt (22/25) stood tall under pressure in the final term to secure victory.
Insurance assured for Netball Championships ‘fringers’
Fringe Super Netball players will take part in the Australian National Championships from Monday after assurances they would be covered by insurance for 2024 despite remaining in contract limbo.
There were fears some athletes could drop out due to the Super Netball signing window still not being open as Netball Australia (NA) and the Australian Netball Players Association (ANPA) continue to negotiate a Collective Player Agreement (CPA) for next season.
All 80 Super Netball players are off contract heading into next season but with no CPA yet set, no player has been able to sign a new deal.
That means players are out of contract – and will no longer be paid or have insurance cover – in just 40 days’ time if the situation is not rectified.
While NA’s insurers guaranteed the contracts of all Diamonds and other Super Netball internationals that took part in the recent World Cup, ensuring the provisions of their 2023 contracts would carry over into 2024 in case of injury, there was not – until the weekend – the same deal in place for all players heading to the Morayfield Sports and Events Centre, north of Brisbane, for the ANC.
Unlike internationals, who were guaranteed to be in high demand from all clubs and would have been in demand to sign on the dotted line as soon as the contract window opened had that happened, as initially planned, ahead of the World Cup, those eligible to play in the ANC are mostly fringe Super Netballers and will be among the last considered by teams for a list spot.
While that makes a carnival like the ANC invaluable for showcasing their skills, in the current climate, it could also be a risk if they sustain a major injury.
However, an NA spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday that all athletes currently contracted by a Super Netball club would be covered in the event of injury this week, even if they aren’t picked up again when the signing window opens.
“If an athlete is injured during the 2023 ANC and no SSN (Super Netball) contract is offered to them post 30 September 2023, the insurer will pay the athlete an amount equal to their expiring SSN contract for a maximum of 12 months or up to the date when they are deemed medically fit to play any netball game,” the spokeswoman said.
Clubs will also be able to claim compensation for an injured player they decide to recontract.
“If a Suncorp Super Netball athlete is injured and then recontracted, while injured, to their existing club or any other Suncorp Super Netball club, then the club they are contracted to can claim for the costs of a replacement player under the Suncorp Super Netball Insurance program.”
To be eligible to compete this week, Super Netballers must have played fewer than 420 minutes over the regular season, a benchmark that has left several big names available for the tournament.
Adelaide Thunderbirds premiership player Lucy Austin and Swifts grand finalists Sophie Fawns, Lili Gorman-Brown and Teigan O’Shannassy are among them, while the Sunshine Coast, Giants, Victorian Fury and West Coast Fever reserves also have players with experience at the highest level.
Some, like Fawns and Austin, will be in high demand – although both are all but certain to stay with their current clubs – but others face a waiting game as each franchise’s high performance staff mull over available contract spots and the player cuts that will inevitably come in the cutthroat environment of professional sport.
Talks between NA and ANPA over the CPA are continuing.
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Originally published as Australian Netball Championships: NSW Swifts defeat Adelaide Thunderbirds to make final
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