The Giants have succeeded where they had failed last weekend, holding strong to close out the Queensland Firebirds 53-51 in their Super Netball match in Sydney.
After a last-minute loss last week to the Swifts, the Giants were able to take their game to the next level and snuff out a Firebirds comeback with four-straight goals to reclaim the lead.
Making no changes against the Swifts, Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald kept the Firebirds guessing, bringing on Kristina Brice (27/31) for Susan Pettitt (8/9) after just one quarter.
"How hard is it for (Pettitt)? She had a great first quarter but we just needed that target at the back and KB provided that for us," she said.
Fitzgerald shifted Jo Harten (18/20) from goal shooter to goal attack to accommodate the change, partly to make more use of her defensive ability - on top of 17 assists.
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"I really thought that we needed the extra defence in the middle and that's something that Jo is quite good at," she said. "She can pick us up a little bit of ball in the middle.
"We knew that the middle was going to be terribly important."
The Giants struggled for rhythm at times with captain Kim Green posting three early turnovers, but she soon took hold of the midcourt - her 28 goal assists more than made up for initial indiscretions.
The 196cm goal shooter Romelda Aiken caused a headache for the Giants' defensive unit, with replacement goalkeeper Kristiana Manu'a receiving a caution amid the struggle. But Aiken (32/38) failed to make the most of her chances after appearing to be having trouble with her shooting pre-game.
With both sides chasing runaway competition leaders West Coast Fever, the Giants move clear of their Saturday rivals into second spot. The visitors, however, earned a valuable bonus point for their efforts in the first quarter.
