Magpies defeat Swifts in Super Netball

The Magpies have all but booked their place in Super Netball's inaugural finals series with a 62-50 win over the NSW Swifts.

Collingwood Magpies Alice Teague- Neeld

The Magpies are a step closer to playing Super Netball finals after a 62-50 win over NSW Swifts. (AAP)

The Magpies are a step closer to playing Super Netball finals after a comprehensive 62-50 win over NSW Swifts at Hisense Arena.

The 12-goal win allows the Magpies to consolidate fourth spot - ahead of fifth-placed Queensland Firebirds.

Magpies shooter Caitlin Thwaites top scored for the match - which they led from start to finish - with 49 goals from 52 attempts at 94 per cent, despite close attention from Swifts young gun Sarah Klau.

Alice Teague-Neeld (five goals) and Cody Lange (eight goals) gave the home side strong options under the post.

Swifts shooter Sam Wallace played an impressive and physical match against Diamonds defensive duo Sharni Layton and April Brandley to score 33 goals from 36 attempts at 92 per cent, while Helen Housby shot a perfect 17 from 17.

Despite an up and down season, the Magpies look set to make it to the finals with games against the second from bottom West Coast Fever next week and Adelaide, to close out the regular season.

The Magpies built a four-goal lead in the back end of a scrappy first quarter but found their form in the second stanza, rocketing to a 33-23 lead at halftime.

The Swifts welcomed back captain Abbey McCulloch and midcourt star Paige Hadley from knee injuries but the young side were overwhelmed by a Magpies team that grew stronger as the match progressed.

McCulloch managed half a game while Hadley held her own in a tough assignment against Diamonds duo Ash Brazill and Madi Robinson.

Heading in to the last quarter down by 10, the visitors kept the pressure on the Magpies but the deficit was too great.

Magpies coach Kristy Keppich-Birrell said her side's performance wasn't far off what she had wanted to see on court all season.

"If they can continue to do that, they're not far off (a perfect game). I think there was some pretty spectacular stuff out there today, both defensively from all seven players, and in attack, so they're not far off. It's about the consistency of it," she said.

"We have been working really hard ... and we got more and more minutes from all 10 players so I am really proud of them and they should be really proud of themselves too.

"We're not thinking about finals, to be honest, we've really got finish (well) ... because we haven't really started the way we wanted to, I guess, and we want to finish the way we wanted to build the whole way across the season."


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Source: AAP


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