Australian Netball Championships: Collingwood Magpies have farewelled netball in golden style

The Collingwood Magpies have had their final hurrah in netball, taking gold over the NSW Swifts at the Australian Netball Championships.

Collingwood Magpies have claimed gold at the Australian Netball Championships. Picture: Supplied

Collingwood Magpies have rounded out their time as a netball club with a stunning comeback victory in the Australian Netball Championships.

The Magpies, whose Academy side was guaranteed an ANC start by football club boss Craig Kelly when he announced the demise of the Super Netball franchise earlier this year, fought back from a six-goal deficit in the final quarter to beat the NSW Swifts 57-55 at the Morayfield Sports and Events Centre north of Brisbane.

With the NSW Swifts Academy seemingly on track for a grand final win when holding a handsome lead with just 10 minutes remaining, the Pies “team of nobodies” showed the same character and determination that helped their Super Netball players through the final stages of the season after the announcement the club would fold, to fight back into the match.

Congratulations to the Collingwood Magpies, 2023 Australian Netball Championships champions! pic.twitter.com/vkq72otSj8

— Netball Australia (@NetballAust) August 27, 2023

Captain Casey Adamson, one of four former Magpies Super Netball training partners in the team, said she always believed the team could fight their way back into the match and had a “never say die” attitude.

“I think in the back of my head it was a never say die attitude, anything is possible and I think we showed in that last quarter that netball is a grind when it is like that and we had nothing to lose,” she said.

“ It was just about going out there and grabbing every ball that we could get and keeping possession and I think we did that really well.”

Adamson, who along with grand final MVP Olivia Wilkinson, midcourter Montana Holmes and defender Zoe Davies, was a Super Netball training partner for the Magpies last season, hopes to get picked up by another franchise, with SEN‘s new southeast Melbourne club the most obvious option.

Adamson will be hopeful of securing an SSN contract with her ANC’s performance. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Incoming coach Tracey Neville has spoken of the new club‘s focus on developing Victorian talent and prioritising players with existing connections given the short time frame in which she will have to get a competitive outfit off the ground.

And she could do worse than look at the ANC-winning quartet, if not for full-time contracts, at least as part of the training partner set-up.

“I think we‘d all love to be a contracted player to start with, but just to be a part of something new and different and try and build that culture together,” Adamson said.

“Any opportunity that we get, regardless of what team it might be, but if we can stay in Victoria with that Victorian talent, then obviously that’s a huge bonus.”

Incoming Super Netball coach Neville will have paid close attention to the Championships. Picture: Morgan Harlow/Getty Images

Coach Kate Upton said the win – and the ANC campaign overall – was a fantastic way to bow out.

“I think it‘s just probably goes to show that if you’ve got resilience and you just keep sticking to what we’re meant to be doing – and that’s just playing netball – anything can happen,” Upton said.

“So I‘m super proud of what they just put out there.

“We grew through the week … and you could actually see each game them sticking to the game plan for a longer period of time. So I’m super proud, it’s a super way to go out.”

Having the depth to change the game up helped the Pies, who injected towering goaler Jane Cook in the third term to help turn the tide.

The 200cm shooter converted all 23 of her attempts in just 22 minutes on court to help change up the Swifts defensive pattern and take the focus off goal attack Wilkinson, who to that point had been the Pies’ go-to woman.

Cook in action for Collingwood back in 2019. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Wilkinson finished with 32 goals on 94 per cent shooting, as well as nine goal assists and nine feeds in a busy performance to snare grand final MVP honours.

While the Pies‘ goalers were outstanding, their full-court pressure in the final term was responsible for turning the tide, with the Swifts struggling to get the ball across the transverse line and into their circle in the final minutes.

Collingwood levelled the scores with six minutes to go and didn‘t look back, extending their lead to three goals before Swifts captain Ali Miller converted to bring the final margin back to two goals.

Victorian Fury shooter Emily Andrew, a Melbourne Vixens training partner, was named tournament MVP, in a performance that could have both the Vixens and southeast Melbourne knocking once the Super Netball signing window opens.

Earlier, Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures snared third place with a 69-57 win over West Coast Fever Reserves 69-57.

ANC bronze medal match incoming!

Fever Reserves battle Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures for third on the final leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/YyMAeI3gLW

— Netball Australia (@NetballAust) August 27, 2023

T-Birds premiership player Lucy Austin led the way with 43 goals (43/48) but plenty of her teammates showed they would not be out of place if called up to Super Netball.

Goal attack Lauren Frew had 15 goals, as well as 18 goal assists and 22 feeds in just over a half on court where she was arguably the player of the match.

Captain Tyler Orr finished with 10 goal assists and 21 feeds in three quarters, while her midcourt partners Sophie Casey and Tabitha Packer were also handy.

Goalkeeper Molly Watson racked up five gains, including four intercepts in just under three quarters on court as the T-Birds established a handy lead over their Perth-based rivals.

Watson‘s efforts helped keep a lid on Fever shooter Jasmah Haywood, although the youngster still finished with 42 goals at 93 per cent accuracy in a tournament that has announced her arrival.

RESULTS

Grand final: COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES (Wilkinson 32, Cook 23, Douglass 1, Woods 1) def NSW SWIFTS ACADEMY (Fawns 33, Miller 22).

Playoff for third: ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS FUTURES 69 (Austin 43, Frew 15, Graham 9, Gilfillan-Silk 2) def WEST COAST FEVER RESERVES 57 (Haywood 42, Burton 10, Putt 5)

Playoff for fifth: VICTORIAN FURY 68 (Andrew 48, Moody 10, Mawson 6, Hodgson 4) def SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING BOLTS 45 (Lee-Jones 18, Bell 14, Singleton 13)

Playoff for seventh: FIREBIRDS FUTURES 61 (Meafou 30, Burns 21, Sif Sandholt 10) def GIANTS NETBALL ACADEMY 56 (Roach 38, Frketic 16, Matthews 2)

Playoff for ninth: TASMANIA WILD 75 (Mawer 51, Turner 13, McDougall 8, Kidmas 3) def CAPITAL DARTERS 61 (Makunde 39, Brophy 20, Clark 2)

Originally published as Australian Netball Championships: Collingwood Magpies have farewelled netball in golden style