KEY POINTS:
Heading into the inaugural transtasman league NSW Swifts captain Catherine Cox held modest expectations for her side's season.
The Sydney outfit had lost a great deal of talent from the previous year, in which they were crowned domestic champions. The retirement of inspirational captain and Cox's close mate Liz Ellis and the defection of highly-rated defender Mo'onia Gerrard to Adelaide hurt hardest.
All of a sudden the Swifts didn't look to have the same potency about them and most regarded the New South Wales side as only an outside chance of making the semifinals. Few would have predicted, least of all Cox herself, one round out from the play-offs the Swifts would be tagged as title favourites.
The Australian international believed her side were still very much in development mode and probably a couple of years off being where they wanted to be.
"When you look at two longstanding players like Liz and Mo'onia leaving, it's a massive loss not only in terms of ability but also in combinations and that takes years to build. So I was thinking it was going to be maybe a one or two year process to get back to where we were," said Cox.
But whereas the other semifinalists have been up and down during the season, the Swifts have steadily improved throughout and are coming into their own at just the right time. The NSW side have recorded six straight wins, with their last two being by over 10 goals against fellow top-four sides the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens, and are on the verge of finishing at the top of the table. The Swifts need a big win over the West Coast Fever this weekend to secure the number one spot.
This swift rise to the top has seemingly come out of the blue, but Cox said her side have made incremental gains each time they've played. "I think it's just more time on the court, we're all new combinations so we're learning and growing every time we play. I think we're all just lifting that little bit each time," the 70-test veteran said.
It's a scary thought that Cox considers this relatively new-look side to be still developing.
But the real driver behind the Swifts' success this season has been the emergence of Rebecca Bulley and Kimberley Purcell as quality defenders. The pair have grown in stature over the competition and have proved capable of upsetting some of the top shooting combinations in the League. Bulley, who has been on the cusp of national selection for some years, moved to Sydney from her native Melbourne this year in a bid for more court-time, knowing she was unlikely to get a starting spot at the Vixens with test incumbents Bianca Chatfield and Julie Prendergast there.
The move has proved mutually beneficial.
"I'm just absolutely stoked with the way our defence end stepped up," said Cox. "I think they're all players that were just busting for an opportunity and finally came together in this team and had the opportunity and they're just playing so well together."
With Cox and fellow international Susan Pratley holding down the shooting end, the Swifts were always expected to be a strong force on attack. After a somewhat shaky start the Swifts offensive end has began to gel in recent weeks, and is now working like clockwork.
For this, Cox credits long-time coach Julie Fitzgerald, who she has played under for 12 seasons. A shrewd and tactically astute coach, Fitzgerald can often be seen screaming directions from the sidelines and demanding timing and accuracy from her players.
"She harps on a lot about us being patient on attack with the ball and how to mix it up and change the pace of the game when we need to without losing too much," said Cox. "One of the big issues for us was when we got a turnover we were throwing it straight back just through sheer adrenalin, I guess. So when we change from attack to defence or defence to attack it is about not missing a beat there and that's something I think we're finally starting to get good at."
Despite the Swifts impressive form of late, the modest expectations remain. There is plenty of talk swirling about that the Sydney team will be the first to hold the ANZ Championship trophy, but Cox is loathe to look beyond this weekend.
"We're just thrilled to be in the top four at this stage and if we can make the top two we'd be beside ourselves."
