Swifts into Grand Final

CBT Preliminary Final 2005

The unnerving accuracy of Sydney goal shooters Catherine Cox and Megan Anderson returned last night when the Swifts won the preliminary final over the Adelaide Thunderbirds 63-43.

Playing in front of a ferocious home crowd of 3000 at Sydney’s Superdome, the Swifts never looked to lose flow of play as the entire squad lifted from their three losses in a row to play for the Commonwealth Bank Trophy against the Melbourne Phoenix next Saturday at Vodafone Arena.

Sydney has not looked right since Round 14, where they were beaten convincingly by both the Phoenix and the Thunderbirds, and many Swifts followers knew that they had find something to stop the inform Adelaide squad.

The Swifts shot to a six-goal lead early as captain Liz Ellis and Allison Broadbent kept Adelaide’s Kristen Heinrich and Natalie Medhurst in check for most of the night. Adelaide made a minor comeback in the first half, but again was frustrated by Swifts players, such as Sarah Bennett in the centre, who began to show form at the right time.

The margin steadily increased Sydney’s way throughout the match, the Swifts ahead in the second 32-18 and 47-31 in the third. Adelaide coach Margaret Angove rotated her bench heavily in the second half, moving Natalie Avellino in and out of goal attack, but Sydney’s tried and true formula proved no match for them in the end.

Both sides did not suffer when it came to putting the ball through the ring, Heinrich and Medhurst both averaging 80 percent, but the Swifts had 26 more scoring opportunities as their centres and wing were dominating the play.

Cox scored 43 goals at 86% percent while Anderson netted 20 of her 24 opportunities.

Despite Ellis suffering a minor leg injury late in the fourth quarter, Sydney is Melbourne bound without injuries and with renewed confidence that 2005 is the year for the Swifts.

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