Susan Pettitt stars as the Swifts prove too strong for the Thunderbirds

SUSAN Pettitt led the NSW Swifts to a 14-goal ANZ Championship victory last night over the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Susan Pettitt starred in the Swifts win over the Thunderbirds

SUSAN Pettitt led the NSW Swifts to a 14-goal ANZ Championship victory last night over the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

The Swifts’ goal attack scored 36 goals from 37 attempts (97 per cent accuracy) in the side’s 67-53 round-12 victory in Adelaide.

“She was super clever and just kept finding space and delivering. She was outstanding,” coach Rob Wright said.

But he said the Swifts, second in the Australian conference, still needed to overcome patches of inconsistency.

“We really want to be tough ... if we want to be genuine contenders for this competition,” Wright said.

The Thunderbirds, desperate to put a second victory on the board, were unable to replicate last weekend’s 14-goal win over Central Pulse.

Shooter Kristina Brice was Adelaide’s strongest performer, scoring a game-high 42 goals from 51 attempts.

NSW Swifts earnt a strong win over the Thunderbirds in Adelaide

The Thunderbirds kept the Swifts on their toes during the opening quarter, finishing two goals behind at the first break. But they lost momentum in the second quarter and trailed by seven goals by halftime.

“We need to shut them down and get the ball ... we need to not throw the ball away and we need to make sure that we get those critical goals in,” interim coach Kristy Keppick-Birrell said. But even in the face of the Thunderbirds’ 10th loss, she was happy with their stand against the Swifts.

“No one likes to lose by 13, 14 (goals) but, if you look at it, effectively we got the most number of shots we’ve had against an Australian side,” Keppick-Birrell said.

The Swifts play the Northern Mystics next Sunday in Auckland while the Thunderbirds face the Mainland Tactix at home.

Originally published as Susan Pettitt stars as the Swifts prove too strong for the Thunderbirds