“Being 67 days away from my kids,we weren’t walking away from this court losing. We were going to bring that trophy home,” she said.
Akle also praised shooter Sam Wallace,who finished the season with a 93 per cent accuracy rate.
At one point in the grand final,Wallace was pushed in the back next to the goal,but the move was missed by the referee. Akle has called for a match review system for next season.
“The players are getting fitter and faster,stronger,and there are some big hits out there,so it’s probably the next step in our game,” she said.
Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald said her side’s downfall was being unable to control Wallace.
“You just couldn’t catch her,” she said of the goal shooter. “We were beaten by a team who played magnificently.”
The Swifts made the most of a very shaky start by the Giants,sinking six unanswered goals in the first three minutes. Fitzgerald called a time-out in a desperate bid to reset her side.
The Swifts have never lost the first quarter of a grand final,and they weren’t prepared to end that run,but the time-out worked wonders for the Giants. The minor premiers fought back to trail by just one point at one stage before ending the quarter at 17-15.
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In the second quarter,the Swifts fell into the same trap as the Giants by relying too heavily on the super shot. Both teams went back and forth with the two-point goal. However,the Swifts still led 32-28 at the main break.
Sam Wallace controls the ball at Nissan Arena in Brisbane.Credit:Getty
In the third quarter,the Giants needed captain Jo Harten to bring her two-point goal-shooting game,but she couldn’t get the job done and the Swifts led 49-40 with 15 minutes to go.
The Giants gave it their best in the final quarter and pulled back to within four points,but the Swifts stayed calm to see it out. Once again,the Giants were let down by their reliance on the super shot,as the Swifts got a number of rebounds off unsuccessful attempts.
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