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Founded | 2007 | |
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Based in | Sydney | |
Regions | New South Wales | |
Home venue | Ken Rosewall Arena | |
Head coach | Briony Akle | |
Asst coach | Natalie Avellino | |
Premierships | 3 (2008, 2019, 2021) | |
League | Suncorp Super Netball ANZ Championship | |
2022 placing | 5th | |
Website | nswswifts.com.au | |
New South Wales Swifts are an Australian professional netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have represented Netball New South Wales in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers. In 2008, Swifts were the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. Swifts were also grand finalists in 2015 and 2016. They won their second and third premierships in 2019 and 2021.
Between 2008 and 2016, Swifts played in the ANZ Championship. [1] [2] [3] [4] 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. [5] [6] [7] [8] During the 2008 regular season Swifts won 10 of their 13 matches and finished second behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. With a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. [2] [9] Swifts went through the entire 2010 regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and the preliminary final to Adelaide Thunderbirds and Magic respectively and finished the season in third place. [10] [11] [12]
The 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons proved to be a turbulent time for Swifts. After fifteen seasons as Sydney Swifts/New South Wales Swifts head coach, 2011 was the last season that Julie Fitzgerald served as head coach. Following a controversial "internal review", Fitzgerald was replaced as head coach by Lisa Beehag. The review was conducted during the 2011 season. Catherine Cox and Liz Ellis publicly criticized Netball New South Wales for distracting players with the review and even alleged that it was responsible for Swifts losing the 2011 minor semi-final. Beehag subsequently informed Cox that she would not be needed as a captain or player the following season. Cox subsequently departed for West Coast Fever. Other senior and emerging players including Rebecca Bulley, Courtney Tairi and Ashleigh Brazill also left. It was also alleged that the controversy led to some emerging New South Wales players, including Verity Simmons, Gabi Simpson and Kim Ravaillion, taking up contracts with rival teams. Under the leadership of Fitzgerald and Fox, New South Wales Swifts had been champions in 2008 and had reached the final series/play-offs in 2010 and 2011. Under Beehag's two-year reign, the team failed to make the finals. In 2013, the Swifts finished eighth. At the end of 2013 Beehag's contract was not renewed. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
Beehag was subsequently replaced by Rob Wright. [18] [19] [20] Wright guided Swifts to two successive grand finals in 2015 and 2016. However, on both occasions they lost out to Queensland Firebirds. [3] [4] [21] [22]
Season | Position | Won | Drawn | Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 [2] [23] | 2nd | 10 | 0 | 3 |
2009 [24] [25] | 9th | 2 | 0 | 11 |
2010 [10] [11] | 1st | 13 | 0 | 0 |
2011 [26] [27] | 3rd | 9 | 0 | 4 |
2012 [28] [29] | 5th | 8 | 0 | 5 |
2013 [30] [31] | 8th | 4 | 0 | 9 |
2014 [32] [33] | 3rd | 9 | 0 | 4 |
2015 [21] [22] | 2nd | 8 | 3 | 2 |
2016 [3] [4] | 3rd | 10 | 2 | 1 |
Premierships
Runners Up
Minor Premierships
Since 2017, Swifts have played in Suncorp Super Netball. [1] [34] [35] In addition to Swifts, the new league featured a second Netball New South Wales team, Giants Netball. Two veteran members of the 2016 Swifts roster, Kimberlee Green and Susan Pettitt, subsequently switched to the Giants, who were coached by former Swifts head coach, Julie Fitzgerald. [36] [37] The 2018 season saw Rob Wright replaced by Briony Akle. [38] [39] In 2019, Akle guided Swifts to their second premiership when they won the Suncorp Super Netball title. Despite losing their new captain, Maddy Proud, to injury early in the season, Swifts finished the regular season in second place. In the major semi-final, they lost to Sunshine Coast Lightning. However, they then defeated Melbourne Vixens in the preliminary final. In the grand final they faced Lightning again but time defeated them 64–47 to emerge as champions. [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] In 2021 with a team coached by Briony Akle and co-captained by Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley, Swifts won their second Suncorp Super Netball title. In the grand final they defeated Giants Netball 63–59. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]
Season | Position | Won | Drawn | Lost |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 [34] [35] | 6th | 3 | 1 | 10 |
2018 [53] [54] | 6th | 6 | 1 | 7 |
2019 [40] [41] | 2nd | 10 | 1 | 3 |
2020 [55] | 4th | 8 | 1 | 5 |
2021 | 2nd | 9 | 0 | 5 |
2022 | 5th | 6 | 0 | 8 |
2023 | 1st | 10 | 1 | 3 |
Premierships
Minor Premierships
Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] | New South Wales Swifts | 65–56 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Acer Arena |
2015 [61] [62] [63] | Queensland Firebirds | 57–56 | New South Wales Swifts | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre |
2016 [64] [65] [66] | Queensland Firebirds | 69–67 | New South Wales Swifts | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre |
Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 [44] [45] | New South Wales Swifts | 64–47 | Sunshine Coast Lightning | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
2021 [47] [48] [49] [50] | New South Wales Swifts | 63–59 | Giants Netball | Nissan Arena |
2023 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 60–59 | New South Wales Swifts | John Cain Arena |
Between 2008 and 2019, Swifts played the majority of their home games at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. In 2020, together with Giants Netball, Swifts were due to start to playing their home games at the Ken Rosewall Arena. [67] However these plans were put on hold until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [68] [69]
Years | |
---|---|
Ken Rosewall Arena [67] | 2021– |
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre (Note 1) [70] | 2008–2019 |
Sydney Super Dome (Note 2) [70] | 2008– |
Newcastle Entertainment Centre [71] | 2008– |
AIS Arena | 2014 |
2024 New South Wales Swifts roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaching staff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Player profiles: Team website | Last updated: 22 December 2023 |
Source: [72]
Years | |
---|---|
Catherine Cox [2] [10] [11] [24] [73] | 2008–2011 |
Mo'onia Gerrard [28] [29] [30] [31] | 2012–2013 |
Kimberlee Green [3] [4] [28] [29] | 2012–2016 |
Abbey McCulloch [34] [35] [53] [54] [74] | 2017–2018 |
Maddy Proud [46] [75] [42] [43] [76] [77] | 2019– |
Paige Hadley [46] | 2021– |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2014 [78] | Kimberlee Green (Note 1) |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2008 [9] | Catherine Cox |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2015 [22] [79] | Sharni Layton |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2016 [80] | Sharni Layton |
Season | Player |
---|---|
2010 [10] [11] [81] | Rebecca Bulley |
Source: [87]
Source: [87]
Season | Player |
---|---|
2008 | Emma Koster |
2009 | Kimberley Smith |
2010 [10] [11] | Kimberlee Green |
2011 [27] | Kimberley Smith |
2012 [29] | April Letton |
2013 [31] [88] | Sonia Mkoloma |
2014 [33] | Sharni Layton |
2015 [22] | Sharni Layton |
2016 [4] | Amy Sommerville |
2017 [35] | Claire O’Brien |
2018 [54] | Abbey McCulloch |
2019 [41] | Sophie Garbin/Maddy Turner |
2020 [85] | Sophie Garbin |
2021 [86] | Maddy Turner |
Source: [87]
Source: [87]
Several Swifts player have also played women's Australian rules football in the AFLW
Years | |
---|---|
Julie Fitzgerald [13] [18] | 2008–2011 |
Lisa Beehag [90] | 2012–2013 |
Rob Wright [19] [20] [36] [37] | 2013–2017 |
Briony Akle [38] [39] [91] [92] | 2017– |
Years | |
---|---|
Megan Anderson [3] [21] [32] [34] | 2014–2017 |
Rebecca Bulley [93] | 2021–2022 |
Natalie Avellino [94] [95] | 2023– |
Years | |
---|---|
QBE Insurance [96] [97] | 2007– |
Netball New South Wales Waratahs are the reserve team of New South Wales Swifts. They play in the Australian Netball League. In 2011 Waratahs became the first team other than Victorian Fury to win the ANL title. In the grand final they defeated Fury 55–46. [27]
The Super Netball League is a professional netball league featuring teams from across Australia. It superseded the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship, which also included teams from New Zealand, as the top-level netball league in Australia in 2017. Since 2019, the league has been governed on behalf of Netball Australia by an independent commission. Its main sponsor is Suncorp Group. Sunshine Coast Lightning were the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball winners.
Catherine Anne Cox is a former Australian netball international and current netball commentator. Between 1997 and 2013, she made 108 senior appearances for Australia. She was a prominent member of the Australia teams that won gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 and 2011 World Netball Championships. She was also a member of the Australia teams that won silver medals at the 2003 World Netball Championships and the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Cox captained Australia on seven occasions, including when they won the 2011 Constellation Cup.
The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned and administered by Trans-Tasman Netball League Ltd (TTNL), a joint venture between Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand. It was effectively a merger of Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy and New Zealand's National Bank Cup. Its main sponsor was the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.
Megan Anderson, also known as Megan McWilliams and previously known as Megan Dehn, is a former Australia netball international and current netball coach. Between 2000 and 2006 she made 20 senior appearances for Australia. She was a member of the Australia team that won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. During the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, Anderson was a member of Sydney Swifts teams that won premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. During the ANZ Championship era, she played for Southern Steel and Northern Mystics. After retiring as a player in 2011, she became a coach. In 2020 Anderson was appointed head coach of Queensland Firebirds.
Rebecca Bulley, also known as Rebecca Strachan, is a former Australia netball international and current netball coach. Between 2008 and 2015 she made 42 senior appearances for Australia. Bulley was a member of the Australia teams that won the gold medal at the 2015 Netball World Cup and the silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Bulley also won three ANZ Championship titles with three different teams – the 2008 New South Wales Swifts, the 2013 Adelaide Thunderbirds and the 2015 Queensland Firebirds. She began her senior club career with Melbourne Kestrels during the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era and finished it playing for Giants Netball in Suncorp Super Netball.
The 2011 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2011 ANZ Championship. During the regular season, Swifts finished in third place. They qualified for the playoffs but subsequently lost to Northern Mystics in the minor semi-final, finishing the season in 4th place. After fifteen seasons as Sydney Swifts/New South Wales Swifts head coach, this was the last season Julie Fitzgerald served as head coach. Following a controversial "internal review", Fitzgerald was replaced as head coach by Lisa Beehag. The review was conducted during the 2011 season. Catherine Cox and Liz Ellis publicly criticized Netball New South Wales for distracting players with the review and even alleged that it was responsible for Swifts losing the 2011 minor semi-final.
The 2012 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2012 ANZ Championship. They were coached by Lisa Beehag, a former Australia international. During the 2011 season, Beehag had served as head coach of NNSW Blues in the Australian Netball League. During the regular season, Swifts finished in fifth place and failed to qualify for the playoffs. They narrowly missed out on the playoffs after a 50–49 defeat to Northern Mystics in their final regular season match.
Stephanie Fretwell, previously known as Stephanie Wood, is a former Australia netball international, who currently plays for the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the Super Netball competition.
Giants Netball are an Australian professional netball team based in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. The team was formed in 2016 as a joint venture between Netball New South Wales and Greater Western Sydney Giants. Giants have played in two grand finals and have won two minor premierships.
Sophie Muriel Garbin is an Australian netball player. She was a member of the New South Wales Swifts teams that won the 2019 and 2021 Suncorp Super Netball titles. In 2017 she was also a member of the Western Sting team that won the Australian Netball League title. She was also a member of the Australia team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series. She also sits on the board of the Australian Netball Players’ Association. Garbin's older sister, Darcee Garbin, is an Australia women's basketball international.
Maddy Proud, also known as Madeleine Proud, is an Australian netball player. She was named after her parents love of the French baked good ‘Madeleine'. Between 2011 and 2016, Proud played for Adelaide Thunderbirds in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017, she has played for New South Wales Swifts in Suncorp Super Netball. She captained the Swifts team that won the 2019 Suncorp Super Netball title. She has also represented Australia at under-21 and Fast5 level and debuted for the Diamonds in 2022.
The 2010 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2010 ANZ Championship. Swifts went through the entire regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and the preliminary final to Adelaide Thunderbirds and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic respectively and finished the season in third place.
The 2014 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2014 ANZ Championship. Rob Wright replaced Lisa Beehag as head coach. Swifts finished the regular season in third place but subsequently lost to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the minor semi-final.
The 2015 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2015 ANZ Championship. Swifts finished the regular season in second place in the Australian Conference. In the play-offs, they defeated West Coast Fever and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic but twice lost narrowly to Queensland Firebirds in both the Australian Conference final and the Grand Final. It was Swifts' first appearance in the title decider since their successful 2008 campaign.
The 2016 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2016 ANZ Championship. Swifts finished the regular season in second place in the Australian Conference. In the play-offs, they defeated Melbourne Vixens and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic but lost twice to Queensland Firebirds, including 69–67 in the grand final.
The 2019 New South Wales Swifts season saw New South Wales Swifts compete in the 2019 Suncorp Super Netball season. Briony Akle guided Swifts to their second premiership. Despite losing their new captain, Maddy Proud, Kate Eddy and Lauren Moore to season-ending injuries, Swifts finished the regular season in second place. In the major semi-final, they lost to Sunshine Coast Lightning. However, they then defeated Melbourne Vixens in the preliminary final to qualify for the grand final where they faced Lightning again. Lightning were the champions in both 2017 and 2018 and had finished the 2019 regular season as minor premiers. As a result, Lightning started the grand final as favorites. Meanwhile, Swifts had begun the season as underdogs. They were not expected to have a good season. However, in the grand final they defeated Lightning 64–47 to emerge as champions.
Briony Akle is an Australian former netball player and current netball coach. Between 1999 and 2004, Akle played for Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Akle was a member of the Sydney Swifts teams that won premierships in 2001 and 2004. Since 2017 she has been head coach of New South Wales Swifts, guiding them to the 2019 and 2021 Suncorp Super Netball titles.
Julie Fitzgerald is a veteran Australian netball coach. Between 1997 and 2007, Fitzgerald served as head coach of Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She guided Swifts to premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Between 2008 and 2011, she served as head coach of New South Wales Swifts in the ANZ Championship. In 2008, she guided Swifts to the inaugural ANZ Championship title. Between 2014 and 2016, she guided Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to the Finals Series every year in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017, Fitzgerald has served as head coach of Giants Netball in Suncorp Super Netball, guiding them to two grand finals and two minor championships. In 2020, Fitzgerald was made a Member of the Order of Australia.