Super Netball 2021: NSW Swifts coach and physio in isolation as Covid chaos threatens competition

The Super Netball season is in turmoil after South Australia’s Covid restrictions forced teams out of the SA hub to Queensland, while a coach was put into isolation.

The South Australian Super Netball hub lasted less than a week and the season is in turmoil after only four of five teams were able to pack up and leave the state on Tuesday amid Covid chaos.

There is uncertainty over how to complete the final three rounds of the season after players and staff from the Giants were forced to stay in Adelaide after being linked to exposure sites in Melbourne.

And the NSW Swifts were forced to move without coach Briony Akle and the team physio who have gone into isolation after being identified as close contacts of patrons who attended a Tier 1 exposure site in Melbourne last week.

NSW Swifts head coach Briony Akle (left) is in isolation. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Five teams had been in the South Australian capital, including both Melbourne and Sydney teams, having escaped lockdowns in their home towns only to find themselves caught in another as Covid outbreaks continued to rock Australian sport.

Teams were still in the dark during the afternoon whether they were leaving before a meeting at 2:30pm local time confirmed the four teams would be exiting Adelaide and moving to Queensland.

Akle will be forced to stay in Adelaide, with only two of her four children, having left two of her children when the teams went to Melbourne.

Super Netball has yet to make a decision regarding this weekend’s fixture amid the emotional upheaval hitting the sport.

“Briony and our support team have already given so much to the Swifts‘ campaign so far this year and we really feel for them at this time,” Executive General Manager of the Swifts Nikki Horton said.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens, Collingwood Magpies and NSW Swifts have flown to Brisbane tonight, with GIANTS Netball players, coaches and staff remaining in Adelaide after being linked to exposure sites in Melbourne.

Full details - https://t.co/EFSpB5EMw8pic.twitter.com/opaCkuGzgf

— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) July 20, 2021

“Both Briony and our physio have young kids with them, who will obviously remain with their mums in Adelaide, and we are working through how we can best support them all.

“This is a very unfortunate situation but it is our hope to get them back with the main group early next week, and Briony will still be in regular contact with the team once they settle in Queensland.

“We are fortunate to have such a brilliant assistant in Bec Bulley, who is a champion of the game and a really inspiring individual for our players to look to in Briony‘s absence.

“I would also like to make a special mention of our playing group who are relocating for the fifth time since being asked to leave Sydney last month.

“Despite all of the upheaval they are on the cusp of qualifying for another finals series and I know they’ll be really driven to win for Briony and everyone affected in the next round.”

Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan said they were doing “everything we can” to complete the Suncorp Super Netball season.

The Vixens had only just moved hotels in Adelaide and had kept their bags packed just in case as word swept more change could be coming.

Firebirds star Tippah Dwan had to go into 14-day quarantine after attending a Tier 1 exposure site last week. Picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

The reigning champions thought they were heading home to Melbourne, before a late change diverted them to Queensland where both the Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning played on Monday night.

A ban on training and playing in SA by the state government, which forced both South Australian teams to flee, also hit the netball competition.

The regular season was set to finish in less than a fortnight under a condensed format but Adelaide’s restrictions have thrown a massive spanner into the works.

For the NWS teams, the move will be to their fifth different home in a month, having fled Sydney to Brisbane, then to Victoria, on to Adelaide and now out again to Queensland.

The latest upheaval comes after Firebirds young gun Tippah Dwan was forced in to 14 days quarantine, just hours before a Queensland derby on Monday night, after attending a Tier 1 exposure site when the teams were hubbing in Melbourne.

Dwan visited the site with a friend on the team’s day off last Wednesday while the Firebirds were hubbed in Melbourne ahead of their return to Brisbane the following day as Victoria prepared to head into lockdown.

Both the Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning remain in Queensland, with the West Coast Fever still in Perth.

Firebirds burn Lightning

By Emma Greenwood

Veteran goalder Romelda Aiken finished on one leg but has helped the Queensland Firebirds keep their Super Netball season alive with a 59-49 win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in a brutal test of attrition.

Aiken was unable to put weight on her left ankle after a clash in the final quarter, but still contributed 40 goals to her team’s total as the Firebirds won a brutal derby to breathe new life into their finals chase.

Undermanned at the start of the match with Tippah Dwan (Covid isolation) and Tara Hinchliffe (knee) missing, the Firebirds headed into the match as underdogs, with the Lightning chasing top spot on the ladder with a win.

The Firebirds have emerged victorious in both Queensland derbies so far this season. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

But the Lightning had injury woes of their own, finishing the game with a heavily depleted bench as stars Steph Wood (knee) and Laura Scherian (ankle) sat out the final stages and star shooter Cara Koenen (ankle) limped around the court.

After a thrilling opening three quarters, the Firebirds took a two-goal lead into the final term but turned on the afterburners to win by 10 points.

Queensland was able to control the tempo of the match, forcing the Lightning to play at great pace while controlling their turnovers and shooting at 85 per cent, with goaler Gretel Bueta winning player of the match honours for her mix of finesse and power in just her second full game of the season.

The form of Bueta and Kim Ravaillion, who have both returned following maternity leave breaks, is a boon for the Firebirds as they chase a win.

The Lightning took a two-goal lead to the first break after Koenen sank a buzzer-beating super shot to give the Lightning a 16-14 lead.

But it was the only period they won, with the Firebirds evening things up at halftime before pushing ahead slightly at the final break and running away with the game in the fourth quarter.

The match went ahead after all Firebirds players and staff tested negative for Covid following news Dwan had been at a tier one exposure site in Melbourne last week.

The win moved the Firebirds into fifth place on the Super Netball ladder. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Injuries taking toll

The constant shuffle of the past few weeks is starting to take a physical toll on players, with both teams sporting injuries - both before and during the game.

The Firebirds started without vice-captain and goalkeeper Tara Hincliffe, who was on crutches with a knee injury and will undergo scans on Tuesday, while Romelda Aiken finished the game unable to support weight on her left ankle.

The Lightning were hammered in a physical game though, with high flyers Steph Wood (knee), Laura Scherian (ankle) and Cara Koenen (ankle) all worse for wear.

Sunshine Coast called a timeout just three minutes into the match, with Wood getting her left knee heavily strapped and sitting out until midway through the second quarter before finishing the match on the bench.

Scherian also finished on the bench after injuring her ankle in a heavy collision with Firebirds keeper Rudi Ellis, while Koenen finished the game gingerly after a heavy collision in the third quarter.

Lightning coach Kylee Byrne said recent shuffles were starting to catch up with the players.

“That accumulation of the last couple of weeks we’re seeing come out in a few teams and I just hope it doesn’t come to injuries,” Byrne said.

“That’s the last thing we want.”

Firebirds’ season alive

The Firebirds still have a tough road to the top four but they’ve kept their season alive with a win over the Lightning, who blew the chance to go to the top of the ladder with a victory.

Queensland plays the Magpies (6th) and Vixens (8th) but also meets the West Coast Fever, who have lost just two games all season and are among the competition favourites despite their 12-point penalty for historical salary cap breaches.

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS 59 (Aiken 40, Bueta 19)

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 49 (Koenen 32, Proscovia 17)

Originally published as Super Netball 2021: NSW Swifts coach and physio in isolation as Covid chaos threatens competition