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    Courtney Morrow.

2019 HDFNL netball finals | Swifts buoyed by swift improvement

BY Lotte Reiter

Despite Swifts’ topsy turvy 2019 Horsham District netball season, a finals reappearance offers a chance to add another chapter to the success story of its revived A Grade outfit.

After failing to field a team in 2016, the Baggies have been slowly climbing the rungs of the A Grade competition, marginally missing out on one of three top positions available last year.

This season, Swifts have chalked nine wins from 16 games, leaving them fourth on the ladder and on equal footing with fifth-rung  Edenhope-Apsley.



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Coach and midcourter Courtney Morrow said there was good energy around camp, with players eager to continue their side’s trajectory.

“It’s an exciting time again to get into finals, everyone is feeling pretty good,” she said.

“Last season, it wasn’t our best game going into finals. A lot of the girls hadn’t played finals for many years. But this year we hope to go that one step further.” 

Morrow admitted the 2019 season had dished out its share of ‘ups and downs’ for her charges, but their speed and versatility had her confident in their strength come game day.

“A major hurdle at the start of the season was commitment with training, we had a lot of girls in and out. But the last couple of weeks we’ve maintained our consistency, which has been really good,” she said.

“We’ve had a few girls go out with ankles, which are still a little bit tender. But we’ve got speed that covers the length of the court, and our defence has been playing amazing as well this season.”

While the Baggies lost some strength in Julia Coates this year, Briana Close also departing A Grade for Swifts’ B Grade team, they’ve made good use of new addition Sarah Morris.

“Sarah can go all over the court. If we have a player who’s not having a good day, she can easily fill in,” Morrow said.

“And coming to the end of the season, Erin Freeland is one to watch. 

“She started off a bit slow at the start, but she’s really been able to pick up her netball game. We lost her in finals to a broken hand last year, so it will be really good to see her play finals this year.”

Trusty shooters Jade Ralph and Michaela Armer will boost the Baggies’ capabilities in the ring, while midcourt talents Kristy Dodds and Heidi Lang will work well to feed the ball into their circle.

“We’ll go in and play our game, play how we know, and try not to let the stress or pressure get to us,” Morrow said.

The entire August 21, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!