The Swifts' inaugural Super Netball season petered out in disappointment on Saturday night with a 67-48 loss to bitter rivals Queensland, who notched a strong win in Sydney for a second-straight success.
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Rob Wright's side struggled to handle the towering double threat of Romelda Aiken and Gretel Tippett in the Firebirds' attacking circle, and the pair ran riot in the second quarter at Qudos Bank Arena to ensure NSW finished with just three wins for the season.
There was certainly a dead-rubber feel to the game with final ladder positions already confirmed going in. Queensland finished with seven wins in fifth place and looked well placed to make a top-four charge next season.
The Swifts end 2017 a position below in sixth, beating home only Adelaide and West Coast. They'll also fancy their chances next season despite the poor return this year, with most of the squad expected to stick together for 2018.
This was the second meeting between the two rivals since Queensland won last season's ANZ Championship in double overtime. Queensland won the round-four clash between these two by nine points and came to Sydney determined to complete a clean sweep.
Yet it was the Swifts who were quickest out of the blocks and they raced to a five-point quarter-time lead thanks largely to Trinidadian international Sam Wallace.
They dominated in the middle of the court, and crucially restricted the supply to Aiken and Tippett in the Firebirds attacking goal circle but that didn't last nearly as long as NSW would have liked.
The tables turned dramatically after the first break as Queensland produced a remarkable 20-9 quarter.
Tippett drifted further up the court to fetch more of the ball, and started feeding Aiken with astonishing consistency. She also wasn't afraid to shoot a long bomb – there's always plenty of insurance when Aiken is standing underneath the ring waiting to rebound when necessary.
The pair were unstoppable, and at the other end the Swifts' attack fell away. There was no Helen Housby for a second-straight week, meaning Wallace was shouldering even more than her usual substantial load.
Wright tried a number of tactical switches throughout. He threw Paige Hadley into centre when young gun Claire O'Brien came on to play wing attack.
Young shooter Mikaela Vaughan made her debut after spending the year as a training partner, while Emma Tickner also came on for her first game in the second half.
They couldn't stem the flow, though. The Firebirds juggernaut could well be returning to the finals next year after their brief hiatus.
