The Greater Western Sydney Giants underlined their premiership credentials with an upset win over local rivals the NSW Swifts.
A trio of Jo Harten Super Shot conversions has powered the Giants to a stirring upset win over the New South Wales Swifts to claim top spot on the Super Netball ladder.
The English import slammed home another 30 regular scores and was well-supported by Sophie Dwyer in the 59-55 win, who combined 14 feeds and 12 assists with 19 goals and a pair of Super Shots.
Wing attack Maddie Hay was also instrumental with 32 feeds, 19 assists and 15 centre-pass receives, while Paige Hadley played a commendable game at wing defence for the Swifts with 29, 16 and 21.
With the Sydney derby forced to Adelaide, it was the Giants confirming they had returned to their early-season form through a neck-and-neck battle in the first half, as Swifts coach Briony Akle asked her players to keep composed and “take a breath” during a second-quarter time-out.
Akle’s concern might have been heightened further when Harten then converted her first Super Shot, but a sharp block from gun goalkeeper Sarah Klau on the edge of halftime and a quick pair of regular scores meant the contest was squared up by the main-break buzzer.
The third quarter opened in goal-for-goal style as the spectacle went up another notch, with the attacking connection of Dwyer and Harten proving prominent and propelling the Giants to a two-goal gap.
A Sam Wallace double-pointer at the opposite end levelled the scores once again, before Harten claimed a pair of attacking rebounds — one off her own missed shot — stepped back to Super Shot range and converted.
Then, with five seconds left in the quarter, Harten drained another long-range attempt to power the Giants out to a sudden five-goal lead and force the ladder-leading Swifts onto the canvas.
Harten’s third-term heroics proved the decisive knockout blow, as the Giants maintained their lead through the entirety of an exciting final quarter and overtook their cross-town rivals at the ladder’s pinnacle.
Hay said her side was composed and mature in the upset win.
“(We were) really calm and controlled,” she said.
“Obviously the Swifts are a very experienced and successful side, and we really brought it to them today and I think we showed a lot of maturity out there.”
The star wing attack added that the top-of-the-table stakes were not a priority for the Giants, whose focus remains solely on cementing their place in the top four.
“Our main goal at the moment is just to stay in that four … we just want to keep winning games, and against quality sides like that, it gives us a lot of confidence.”