Sydney Swifts have won their third netball title in Australia’s national domestic competition, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy by defeating Adelaide Thunderbirds 65-36 to cap off a remarkable season in which they were undefeated.

For the many readers that will be unfamiliar with the sport, netball is a non-contact, fast-paced passing game that was once called “women’s basketball”. Seven players from each side take the court, each with a designated position that dictates were the player can and cannot move on the court. A player who is in possession of the ball is not allowed to step when they have the ball, so the movement of the ball is done by passing. Netball is played predominately in Commonwealth nations and international competition over the past three decades has been dominated almost exclusively by Australia and New Zealand. South Africa briefly challenged the duopoly in the mid-1990s and that was because of the efforts of giant shooter Irene van Dyk, who now plays for New Zealand.

Not surprisingly the highest standard club competitions in the sport are the national leagues in Australia and New Zealand which makes the Swifts achievement even more remarkable. It’s rare to see any side in an elite competition of any professional or semi-professional sport complete a season with a 100 per cent winning record.

The match was tight in the first quarter with the Swifts taking a 13-10 lead into the first change of ends, a lead that the Swifts managed to extend to 9 goals by half time.

In Australian Rules Football, the third quarter is described as the “premiership quarter” an apt description as Sydney piled on 21 goals while restricting Thunderbirds to eight . Sydney were brutal in their punishment of Adelaide’s misdirected passes and missed shots, while the Swifts played a flawless game themselves. A 16-9 final quarter added polish to the result

Sydney was well served in the title decider by their bookends in defence and attack. Swifts and Australian captain Liz Ellis (Goal Keeper) won Player of the Match award. The aggressive and intimidating Ellis made the Thunderbirds shooters, Kristen Heinrich and Natalie Medhurst largely ineffective. Ellis was superbly supported by the Swifts Goal Defence, Alison Broadbent.