Orioles win streak ends against Swifts

File Photo: Swifts goal shooter Catherine Cox, shooting while being defended by Firebirds goal defence, Peta Stephens Photo courtesy of Heath Gibson

The Perth Orioles made the long trip over to Sydney with an air of confidence, after a convincing victory over the Queensland Firebirds last week. However, their winning streak was brought to halt, as they suffered a 69-39 defeat to competition leaders, the Sydney Swifts.

The Swifts had the better of their opponents in the opening minutes of the game, and were quickly out to a 5-1 lead. Catherine Cox and Megan Anderson were unstoppable in the goal circle, while captain Liz Ellis made the Orioles pay for some hesitant shooting, by grabbing some important rebounds. The Swifts dominance was soon stemmed, as the Orioles staged a mini-comeback in the latter stages of the quarter, hauling the margin in to trail 11-19 at quarter time.

The Swifts stepped up a gear in the second quarter, with defenders Liz Ellis and Alison Broadbent proving to be inpenetrable in defence. Broadbent, at 180cm, was never going to have an easy task lining up against Orioles GA Janelle Lawson, who stands at a towering 190cm. However, the Swifts defenders proved height to be no barrier, with Broadbent and Ellis providing a variety of defensive tactics, and forcing the Orioles shooters to second - guess every move.

Orioles shooter Nikala Smith was lethal with the ball in her hands, shooting with composure beyond her years. However, her opportunities were few and far between, with Ellis restricting her to a paltry four attempts for the second quarter.

The Orioles made changes at half time, moving Smith out to GA, and bringing Kate Lazenby on at GS. These changes did little to curb the dominance of the Swifts, with Lazenby struggling to find her range early. The Swifts midcourt continued to find their target Catherine Cox with ease, despite the efforts of Orioles defender Emma Beckett, who toiled valiantly for her team for the entire match.

In the last quarter, Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald took the opportunity to bring on some fresh legs. Karen Thew replaced Megan Anderson in goals, Nardia Fitzgerald entered the game at WD, and Selina Gilsenan moved from WD to C. The Swifts attacking end went on to produce some scrappy passages of play in this quarter, however this did nothing to effect the fina result, with the home team finishing the game with a 30 goal victory.

Nikala Smith and Emma Beckett were standouts for a defeated Orioles side, with Smith ending the game with impressive shooting statistics of 23/26 - 88%. Despite the efforts of these two players, the Orioles were outclassed by the experienced and star-studded Swifts outfit.

Liz Ellis and Selina Gilsenan produced convincing individual performances for the Swifts, but the star of the night was Catherine Cox, who shot an amazing 52/58 - 90%, and in doing so, set a new record for the highest individual tally of goals, in a round eleven match.

The Swifts should keep their winning run alive next week when they face the winless Queensland Firebirds, while the Perth Orioles will be desperately bidding for a place in the finals when they take on the Melbourne Kestrels in Perth.

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