A fairytale season has been capped with a memorable 60-59 extra-time victory over NSW Swifts in the grand final as the Adelaide Thunderbirds broke through for their first Super Netball title.
Two weeks after knocking off the Swifts in a dramatic major semi-final that also went to extra time, the Thunderbirds repeated the dose in front of a capacity crowd at Melbourne's John Cain Arena to win their first silverware since 2013.
The Thunderbirds dominated the first half of Saturday night's championship decider but could not hold on as the Swifts launched a furious comeback to level the scores at 54-54 by the close of the fourth quarter.
Adelaide appeared to lose their grasp of the championship trophy after coughing up two costly turnovers in the final moments of regulation but with the scores locked at 57-57 in extra time, clutch plays from Eleanor Cardwell and Shamera Sterling secured the championship for the South Australian franchise.
Cardwell capped an excellent debut season for the Thunderbirds by winning the player of the match award, the England international finishing the night with 36 goals, including five Super shots.
The teams opened the contest playing cautious but mistake-free netball until Latanya Wilson produced the first turnover of the night and Sterling added an intercept to trigger a run of five unanswered goals for the Thunderbirds.
Maddy Turner stepped up to halt Adelaide's momentum with three deflections and two gains but the combination of Cardwell and Tippah Dwan ensured the Thunderbirds closed the first quarter with a 16-12 buffer.
The Swifts continued to struggle against Adelaide's defensive pressure in the second period, with Cardwell's dominance under the post extending the Thunderbirds' lead to nine goals.
Helen Housby's two-point shooting kept the Swifts in the contest but Cardwell answered with two long bombs of her own to put Adelaide ahead 35-27 at halftime.
Strong rebounding from Sterling and Matilda Garrett appeared to settle the Thunderbirds in the early stages of the third quarter but with Turner continuing to make an impact in defence, the Swifts responded with eight of the last 10 goals of the term to cut Adelaide's lead to 43-40 and set up a thrilling conclusion.
