2008 New South Wales Swifts season

New South Wales Swifts
2008 season
Head coach	Julie Fitzgerald
Asst. coach	Tracey Robinson
Manager	Jan Troy
Captain	Catherine Cox
Vice-captain	Selina Gilsenan
Main venue	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre Acer Arena Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Season results
Wins–losses	12–3
Regular season	2nd
Finals placing	Champions
Team colours
New South Wales Swifts seasons
← 2007 2009 →

The 2008 New South Wales Swifts season was the inaugural season for both New South Wales Swifts and the ANZ Championship. Swifts were formed in late 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers, in order to enter a single team in the 2008 ANZ Championship. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} With a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, Swifts won 10 of their 13 matches during the regular season and finished second behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Players

Player movements

Gains	Losses
Erin Bell (Sydney Swifts) Rebecca Bulley (Melbourne Kestrels) [10] [11] [12] Catherine Cox (Sydney Swifts) Selina Gilsenan (Sydney Swifts) Kimberlee Green (Sydney Swifts) Adelaide Johnson (Sydney Swifts) Emma Koster (Hunter Jaegers) Tiffany Lincoln (Hunter Jaegers) Susan Pratley (Sydney Swifts) Kimberley Purcell (Sydney Swifts) Leah Shoard (AIS Canberra Darters) [13] Vanessa Ware (Sydney Swifts)	Megan Dehn (Southern Steel) (Note 2)

Notes

• ^1 Eight members of the 2008 New South Wales Swifts squad had been members of the 2007 Sydney Swifts squad that had won the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league title.
• ^2 Megan Dehn was originally a member of the 2008 Swifts squad but subsequently withdrew and joined Southern Steel. ^{[3] [4] [14]}

Source: ^[15]

Roster

2008 New South Wales Swifts roster
Players	Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height Erin Bell GA, GS, WA (1987-04-30)30 April 1987 (aged 20) 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Rebecca Bulley GD, GK, WD (1982-08-18)18 August 1982 (aged 25) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Catherine Cox  (c) GS, GA (1976-05-24)24 May 1976 (aged 31) 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Selina Gilsenan  (vc) C, WD (1978-05-31)31 May 1978 (aged 29) 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) Kimberlee Green C, WA (1986-03-05)5 March 1986 (aged 22) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Adelaide Johnson GK, GD (1986-10-08)8 October 1986 (aged 21) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Emma Koster GD, GK (1984-05-29)29 May 1984 (aged 23) 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Tiffany Lincoln GA, WA (1985-04-07)7 April 1985 (aged 23) 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) Susan Pratley GA, GS (1984-03-23)23 March 1984 (aged 24) 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Kimberley Purcell GD, GK, WD (1982-06-18)18 June 1982 (aged 25) 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Leah Shoard GA, GS, WA (1986-05-23)23 May 1986 (aged 21) 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) Vanessa Ware WA, C (1985-10-26)26 October 1985 (aged 22) 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)	Head coach Julie Fitzgerald Assistant coach Tracey Robinson Manager: Jan Troy Physiotherapist: Sean Mungovan Strength and conditioning: Bryce Cavanagh Notes (c)– Captain (cc)– Co-captain (vc)– Vice-captain – Injury / maternity leave (TRP)– Temporary Replacement Player

Source: ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Regular season

On 7 April, Swifts made their ANZ Championship debut against Southern Steel at the Acer Arena. ^{[2] [3] [4]} During the regular season Swifts won 10 of their 13 matches and finished second behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. ^{[5] [6]}

Fixtures and results

Round 1

Monday 7 April	New South Wales Swifts	53–42	Southern Steel	Acer Arena
7:00 pm	Catherine Cox  28/39 (72%) Susan Pratley  25/28 (89%)	Report Stats	Daneka Wipiiti  34/44 (77%) Megan Dehn  7/12 (58%) Julianna Naoupu  1/1 (100%)	Umpires: Sharon Kelly Jacqui Jashari Reserve umpire: Collette Brennan

Round 2

Saturday 12 April	Canterbury Tactix	50–44	New South Wales Swifts	Westpac Arena
2:30 pm	Jodi Brown  35/41 (85%) Anna Thompson  15/20 (75%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  26/37 (70%) Susan Pratley  18/24 (75%)	Umpires: Mandy Nottingham Pauline Sciascia Reserve umpire: David Pala'amo

Round 3

Saturday 19 April	New South Wales Swifts	50–47	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic	Newcastle Entertainment Centre
2:30 pm	Catherine Cox  31/38 (82%) Susan Pratley  19/22 (86%)	Report Stats	Irene van Dyk  29/32 (91%) Maria Tutaia  18/23 (78%)	Umpires: Sharon Kelly Helen George Reserve umpire: Collette Brennan

Round 4

Monday 28 April	New South Wales Swifts	59–30	Central Pulse	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
7:00 pm	Catherine Cox  36/43 (84%) Susan Pratley  15/17 (88%) Leah Shoard  8/12 (67%)	Report Stats	Susan Tagicakibau  19/23 (83%) Jamilah Gupwell  3/5 (60%) Amber Bellringer  8/14 (57%)	Umpires: Sharon Kelly Rachael Ayre Reserve umpire: Helen George

Round 5

Monday 5 May	New South Wales Swifts	52–53	Melbourne Vixens	Newcastle Entertainment Centre
7:00 pm	Catherine Cox  36/42 (86%) Susan Pratley  16/20 (80%)	Stats	Sharelle McMahon  21/24 (88%) Caitlin Thwaites  32/42 (76%)

Round 6

Saturday 10 May	Queensland Firebirds	66–52	New South Wales Swifts	Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
2:30 pm	Romelda Aiken  58/60 (97%) Tamsin Greenway  8/9 (89%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  28/31 (90%) Susan Pratley  24/31 (77%)

Round 7

Monday 19 May	New South Wales Swifts	66–54	West Coast Fever	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
7:00 pm	Catherine Cox  32/43 (74%) Susan Pratley  34/37 (92%)	Stats	Caitlin Bassett  49/54 (91%) Nikala Smith  4/5 (80%) Bianca Franklin  1/1 (100%)	Umpires: Sharon Kelly Annie Kloppers Reserve umpire: Collette Brennan

Round 8

Monday 26 May	Adelaide Thunderbirds	44–50	New South Wales Swifts	ETSA Park
6:30 pm	Natalie Medhurst  15/17 (88%) Kate Beveridge  29/32 (91%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  34/39 (87%) Susan Pratley  16/18 (89%)	Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Collette Brennan Reserve umpire: Pauline Francisco

Round 9

New South Wales Swifts received a bye.

Round 10

Monday 9 June	Northern Mystics	62–64	New South Wales Swifts	Trusts Stadium
7:00 pm	Catherine Latu  48/52 (92%) Grace Rasmussen  14/19 (74%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  35/39 (90%) Susan Pratley  28/28 (100%)	Umpires: Bronwyn Meek Mandy Nottingham Reserve umpire: Jonathon Bredin

Round 11

Sunday 15 June	New South Wales Swifts	61–60	Queensland Firebirds	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
1:30 pm	Catherine Cox  32/36 (89%) Susan Pratley  29/33 (88%)	Report Stats	Romelda Aiken  53/56 (95%) Tamsin Greenway  3/4 (75%) Sophie Croft  4/6 (67%)	Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Kate Wright Reserve umpire: Collette Brennan

Round 12

Monday 23 June	New South Wales Swifts	51–41	Adelaide Thunderbirds	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
7:00 pm	Catherine Cox  33/39 (85%) Susan Pratley  18/24 (75%)	Report Stats	Kate Beveridge  22/26 (85%) Natalie Medhurst  17/18 (94%) Kristen Hughes  2/4 (50%)	Umpires: Sharon Kelly Pauline Francisco Reserve umpire: Collette Brennan

Round 13

Monday 30 June	Melbourne Vixens	49–62	New South Wales Swifts	Vodafone Arena
7:00 pm	Sharelle McMahon  16/23 (70%) Caitlin Thwaites  33/38 (87%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  32/41 (78%) Susan Pratley  30/33 (91%)	Umpires: Kate Wright Sharon Kelly Reserve umpire: Raechel Richards

Round 14

Monday 7 July	West Coast Fever	54–63	New South Wales Swifts	Challenge Stadium
6:00 pm	Caitlin Bassett  46/54 (85%) Nikala Smith  8/9 (89%)	Report Stats	Catherine Cox  34/45 (76%) Susan Pratley  29/34 (85%)	Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Kate Wright Reserve umpire: Tammy Howard

Source: ^{[6] [16] [17]}

Final table

2008 ANZ Championship season v t e
	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	G%	Pts
1	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic	13	10	0	3	687	599	114.69	20
2	New South Wales Swifts	13	10	0	3	727	652	111.50	20
3	Adelaide Thunderbirds	13	9	0	4	652	577	113.00	18
4	Melbourne Vixens	13	9	0	4	673	620	108.55	18
5	Queensland Firebirds	13	7	0	6	693	645	107.44	14
6	Southern Steel	13	7	0	6	617	616	100.16	14
7	Northern Mystics	13	5	0	8	625	637	98.12	10
8	Canterbury Tactix	13	5	0	8	607	678	89.53	10
9	West Coast Fever (Note 3)	13	2	1	10	605	697	86.80	5
10	Central Pulse (Note 3)	13	0	1	12	471	636	74.06	1
Updated: 17 February 2021

  Qualified for Major semi-final
  Qualified for Minor semi-final

• Pld = Games played
• W = Win (2 points)
• D = Draw (1 point)
• L = Loss (0 points)
• GF = Goals For (Total goals scored)
• GA = Goals Against (Total goals conceded)
• G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
• Pts = Points

Notes

• ^3 The Round 10 match between West Coast Fever and Central Pulse was called off due to a stadium leak. The match was declared a draw, with each team receiving one point. Fever were leading 33–16 when the match was called off. The goals scored by each team were included in the final table.

Source: ^{[18] [19] [20]}

Playoffs

Swifts defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. ^{[5] [9]}

---

Major semi-final

Sunday 13 July 17:30 (UTC+12)	Stats	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic	56–57	New South Wales Swifts		Mystery Creek Events Centre Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Mandy Nottingham	FOXSports SKYSport
		Scoring by quarter: 15-16, 17-14, 9-17, 15-10
		Irene van Dyk  29/29 (100%) Maria Tutaia  27/34 (79%)		Catherine Cox  41/48 (85%) Susan Pratley  16/19 (84%)

Sources: ^{[21] [22]}

---

Grand final

Monday 28 July 19:00 (UTC+10)	Stats	New South Wales Swifts	65–56	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic		Acer Arena Attendance: 12,999 Umpires: Sharon Kelly Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Jacqui Jashari	FOXSports SKYSport
		Scoring by quarter:19-14, 15-14, 16-17, 15-11
		Catherine Cox  41/46 (89%) Susan Pratley  24/30 (80%)		Irene van Dyk  45/46 (98%) Maria Tutaia  11/15 (73%)

Sources: ^{[23] [24] [25] [26] [27]}

Award winners

ANZ Championship awards

Award	Winner
Grand Final MVP [25]	Catherine Cox

Australian Netball Awards

Award	Winner
Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year	Catherine Cox
Australian ANZ Championship Coach of the Year	Julie Fitzgerald

Sources: ^{[9] [28]}

Swifts awards

Award	Winner
QBE NSW Swifts MVP	Catherine Cox
NSW Swifts Members' Player of the Year	Catherine Cox
NSW Swifts Players' Player of the Year	Emma Koster

Source: ^[29]

References

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2. "Southern Steel faces plenty of travelling in the early rounds". The Southland Times . www.pressreader.com. 12 December 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
3. "NSW SWIFTS; red hot and ready to take on world". nswswifts.com.au. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
4. "New South Wales team announced". www.sportsaustralia.com. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
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10. "Bulley moves to Swifts after Vixens snub". www.theage.com.au. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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12. "Bulley nets MVP award". www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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15. "Netball NSW – Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Netball NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
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17. "(2008) ANZ Championship Draw & Results". www.anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
18. "2008 Season Statistics". www.anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
19. "ANZ Championship - 2008 Season Ladder". www.anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
20. "Fever feel hard done by after 'washout'". www.abc.net.au. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
21. "Swifts beat Magic in netball trans Tasman champs". www.rnz.co.nz. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
22. "Swifts goal rush downs BOP Magic". The Press . www.pressreader.com. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
23. "Swifts down Magic in grand final thriller". www.abc.net.au. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
24. "Netball: Magic tumble to Swifts in ANZ Championship final". www.nzherald.co.nz. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
25. "No Magic bullet in big final". www.nzherald.co.nz. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
26. "The Swifts def Magic in ANZ Final". womensportreport.com. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
27. "NSW Swifts win netball championship". www.rnz.co.nz. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
28. "Australian Netball Awards". netball.com.au. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
29. "Awards". nswswifts.com.au. Retrieved 2 December 2020.