MATCH INFORMATION
Who: Melbourne Mavericks v NSW Swifts
When: Saturday 28 June
Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Time: 7pm AEST
Tickets: Via Ticketek
The Melbourne Mavericks return to John Cain Arena this weekend for their final home game of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season, where they’ll face the top-of-the-table NSW Swifts in a high-stakes Round 12 clash. With the Mavs coming off a strong 65-54 win over the Queensland Firebirds - their biggest winning margin of the season so far - they’ll be looking to build on that momentum and give their fans a memorable send-off.
Despite sitting sixth on the ladder with a 3-8 record, the Mavs have shown grit and determination, particularly in the final quarters of recent matches. They’ve won all five of their last fourth quarters, outscoring opponents by a combined 26 goals, a testament to their resilience and fitness. The Swifts, meanwhile, are in dominant form. Their 75-66 win over the Giants in Round 11 was the highest-scoring performance of the round and marked their ninth win of the season. They’ve now held first place on the ladder for a record-breaking 10 rounds - more than any other season in their history.
The head-to-head history between these teams suggests a tight contest. The Swifts have won two of the last three meetings, including a 68–62 victory in Sydney earlier this season. However, the Mavs claimed a 64–58 win in their only previous home clash against the Swifts last year, and all three past meetings have been won by the home team. That trend could play in the Mavs’ favour as they return to familiar territory.
Swifts shooter, Grace Nweke, has been unstoppable this season, scoring 553 goals at 92% accuracy and contributing nearly 73% of her team’s total points. Mavs defenders will need to be at their best to contain her influence. The Swifts have had some shaky starts recently, losing their last three opening quarters, including an 11-goal deficit against the Giants. Remarkably, they came back to win that match, setting a new SSN record for the largest quarter-time deficit overcome in a victory.
Historically, Round 12 has not been kind to the Swifts, with just two wins from eight appearances. The Mavs, on the other hand, won their only previous Round 12 match in a nail-biting 72-71 finish against the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Hobart last year. With the Mavs eager to finish their strong and the Swifts looking to maintain their dominance heading into finals, this match promises to be a fierce and entertaining battle.
Mavs head coach, Tracey Neville, said there were many positives from her side’s Round 11 win over the Firebirds she hoped they’d take in to face the ladder-leading Swifts.
“I think last weekend was a really important step for us coming off a few back-to-back losses and not putting out the performances we wanted in the first quarter in particular,” Neville said, “so having a strong first quarter was something that was really important to us going into [last] Sunday's game, which was good to see.”
“What we really need to take out of that win is the pressure we put on in that first quarter, the ability to get ahead of the game and retain the score on the scoreboard, but also, being able to handle a team coming back at us, but then still being able to push on.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s game, Neville added;
“I think there's moments where you can win or lose a game and I think it's those moments – those pressure moments - that we've not been able to deal with. That is something that we've been really been working on in the training environment and I want to see them now being able to take some of those moments in particular quarters or in particular aspects of the game, and I think the girls are a little bit more confident in their role within that as well.”
