Swifts back in finals hunt with big win over Lightning
Justin Chadwick |
Diamonds midcourter Paige Hadley has made a successful return to the court as the NSW Swifts kept their Super Netball finals hopes alive with a crushing 70-56 win over Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Swifts centre Hadley, just 10 weeks after giving birth to her first child in February, entered the court to huge cheers with the scoreboard reading 22-22 early in the second quarter.
The 33-year-old was on limited minutes for the match and was largely a spectator following her second-quarter cameo, but her presence gave NSW a big spark at a heaving Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Swifts broke the game open with a 18-12 third quarter, and it was a 18-11 demolition in the final quarter as the Lightning became increasingly desperate.
Star Swifts goal shooter Grace Nweke finished with 61 goals from 65 attempts, while defender Sarah Klau racked up six gains and three intercepts in her 150-game milestone.
Goal attack Grace Whyte was player of the match for her 41 feeds and 3-of-4 Super Shots.
Swifts captain Maddy Turner praised Hadley for her quick return to the court.
“A lot of people are like ‘Oh, she’s come back so quick’, but she probably did more pre-season sessions than some of us,” Turner told Fox Sports.
“She’s definitely put in the work. She had this dream and spoke about it, and made it happen, and I’m so proud of her.”
The result improved NSW’s record to 3-6, keeping alive their faint finals hopes.
The Lightning are now also 3-6, and will be left to digest a 14-goal loss to a team they beat 66-65 earlier in the season.
Lightning goal shooter Donnell Wallam finished with 51 goals from 52 attempts, but her nine turnovers were costly.
Lightning defender Courtney Bruce was benched for the start of the final term after giving up 18 penalties and tallying just one gain in the previous three quarters.
AAP