In the cult TV series Ted Lasso, a football manager some like to mock hangs a simple sign in his new team’s changing room. It says “BELIEVE”.
And on Saturday at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, it was old-fashioned belief – instilled by Tania Obst, a coach some have ridiculed, and her assistants Tracey Neville and Cathy Fellows – that was the driving force in the Adelaide Thunderbirds’ first Super Netball premiership win.
In an extra-time thriller, the Thunderbirds won 60-59 on the back of MVP Eleanor Cardwell, who shot 36 from 39, including five super shots, to win the club’s first trophy in a decade.
Cardwell, who started her netball life as a defender before her then UK Super League coach Neville turned her into a shooter, didn’t miss in extra time. Neither did her shooting partner Lucy Austin, who looked shaky at times after being brought on in the second quarter.
It went goal-for-goal in the first quarter until a Shamera Sterling intercept about seven minutes in was converted. Then the Thunderbirds went on a five-goal run to lead 11-6. In the super shot period, the Swifts reeled in the margin a little care of two Helen Housby long bombs, but the South Australians held a 16-12 lead at the first break.
With major semi-final MVP Georgie Horjus playing like she had the ball on a string in the second and Swifts boss Briony Akle making a dizzying number of changes to stop her, the patient Thunderbirds outscored the Swifts 19-15, with Cardwell sinking two from three super shots to take the lead to 35-27.
The Swifts came to play in the third and the physicality went from timid to terrifying as suddenly every ball was contested. A 13-8 quarter meant the Swifts trailed by only three going into the final quarter. The last was heart-in-mouth stuff as the Swifts refused to die and Helen Housby sent them into extra-time.
Another Sterling intercept, with just over a minute to go in extra time proved pivotal and the Swifts simply ran of time. UK-based freelance netball writer Denise Evans wasn’t shocked to see Cardwell dominate.
“Cardwell loves a rollercoaster. She grew up in Blackpool on the northwest coast of England, home to the iconic Big One coaster after all!” she said. “Today she found herself on it once again, several thousand kilometres away on a netball court. And it had dramatic dips, rapid turns and swooping, looping moves, just like a coaster.”
And like her teammates, Cardwell believed.
