Magpies go for broke

THE Collingwood Magpies will be desperate for a win — and as many bonus points as possible — when they meet NSW Swifts in their Super Netball match at the Silverdome in Launceston today.

The Magpies are sitting a point behind the Giants in fifth and will be eager to put on a show at their home away from home in order to keep their finals hopes alive. The last time the two sides met in Round 6 the Swifts recorded a solid 68-52 victory building every quarter and taking maximum points from the match.

But the Magpies will be hoping to continue their winning streak with the side recording victories over the Queensland Firebirds in their 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Up-and-coming defender Matilda Garrett can’t wait for the trip to Tasmania. Garrett was a member of the inaugural Tasmanian Magpies Australian Netball League side and her talent saw her rewarded with a Super Netball contract.

“It’s super exciting, we love going to Tassie it’s one of our favourite, if not our favourite rounds,” she said. “The Tassie community really get behind us and the crowd is all going for Collingwood and it’s super loud and amazing.” SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2019

The side has had a slightly different schedule this week with only a five-day turnaround after Monday night’s game, but Garrett can’t wait to hit the court and is hoping for a huge crowd.

“We want our Tassie fans to come out in force and be loud and there to cheer us on,” Garrett said. “We’re right in it and we really want to play finals.”

“We’re only sitting one point out of the top four so we need all the support we can get to help get us across the line this week.”

Magpies are still without head coach Rob Wright, who is unavailable because of family illness. But the team will be left in the hands of assistant coaches Kate Upton and Nicole Richardson, who co-coached the side to victory over West Coast Fever on Monday. The match starts at 3pm with tickets available from Ticketek.