NSW Swifts coach Briony Akle is adamant the Adelaide Thunderbirds aren’t her side’s bogey team as the two clubs prepare to battle it out for a spot in the Super Netball grand final.
The Swifts’ nine-match winning run came to an abrupt end last week when the Thunderbirds snatched a 60-57 victory on enemy territory.
Despite the loss, NSW still finished on top of the regular-season ladder, with the Thunderbirds snaring second place following West Coast’s shock loss to Collingwood in the final round.
The Swifts and Thunderbirds will face off in the major semi-final at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday night, with the winner to progress straight to the July 8 grand final in Melbourne.
The loser will host the winner of Sunday’s minor semi-final showdown between the West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens.
The Thunderbirds haven’t lost to the Swifts in their two meetings this season.
Their first encounter ended in a 25-25 draw after a halftime blackout prevented the game from resuming.
Akle believes her team’s shock loss to Adelaide last week could prove to be a good thing.
“Of course they’re not our achilles heel,” Akle told reporters on Friday.
“The Thunderbirds did burst our bubble, but it needed to be burst at that time.
“We’ve learned a lot in the past seven days and what we need to do against them tomorrow night.”
Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud said her team had taken a lesson from last week’s defeat.
“That game was not how we want to play, it wasn’t our brand of netball,” Proud said.
“It gave us a lot to reflect on.
“It made you realise you’re not invincible. We got some really good intel on them, we got some great tips and learnings from that game.”
The Thunderbirds shape as this year’s fairytale story.
The last time they were in finals action was in the now-defunct ANZ Championship in 2013, when they won their fourth title.
The Adelaide outfit spent nine painful seasons at the foot of the table after that before enjoying a remarkable resurgence this year to finish in second spot.
“I haven’t played finals for a long time. It’s a bit nerve-racking,” Thunderbirds playmaker Georgie Horjus said.
“We’re going to have those conversations with each other about how nervous we are.
“We all know it’s really good to be nervous. We’re just really excited to get out there.”
The Fever are expected to have a blockbuster crowd in excess of 10,000 fans on Sunday when they take on the Vixens at RAC Arena in a replay of last year’s grand final.
West Coast won the 2022 title with a 70-59 win in the decider, but they were left kicking themselves last weekend after letting second spot and a double finals chance slip through their fingers.
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