GIANTS Netball will return home with the crucial 66 to 52 point round one victory over the Adelaide Thunderbirds, but an injury to star shooter Kiera Austin may sour the result.
Rising star Austin landed awkwardly while attempting to receive a pass into the circle during the second quarter at Netball SA Stadium and was helped off the court before finishing the match watching on with her right knee in a brace.
Sophie Dwyer substituted on for Austin and quickly heated up, slotting her first 12 shots and nailing 26 altogether, including four Super Shots, matching GIANTS captain Jo Harten, who led expertly from the front.
"It's great to get the first points of the season on the board but it really doesn't matter when one of your best players goes down like that," Harten said.
"It's hard to rally around each other when one of your good mates goes down but I'm proud of the way the girls held their heads, kept fighting and did it for 'Kipper' (Austin) in the end."
The GIANTS, touted as one of the competition's potential big improvers this season, led 14-10 at the end of a dour first quarter before the Thunderbirds cut the margin to two points early in the second.
The visitors then went into attack mode, absorbing the loss of Austin to extend their cushion to 36-25 at half-time through some slick all-court ball movement which left Adelaide on the back foot.
Harten fed the hot-handed Dwyer repeatedly in the third stanza as the GIANTS pushed further clear 53-39 at three-quarter-time before cruising home effortlessly in the fourth.
Jamie-Lee Price had Adelaide skipper Hannah Petty's measure in the centre while the defensive toils of Sam Poolman and April Brandley were equally crucial.
GIANTS wings Maddie Hay and Amy Parmenter intercepted and created opportunities all day against a Thunderbirds line-up that lacked cohesion.
Lenize Potgieter battled hard for her 28 goals against the uncompromising Poolman but attacking partner Georgie Horjus's radar was wayward.
QT:Thunderbirds - 10 GIANTS - 14
HT: Thunderbirds - 25 GIANTS - 36
3QT: Thunderbirds - 39 GIANTS - 53
FT: Thunderbirds - 52 GIANTS - 66
Player of the Match - Jo Harten
Shooting Statistics:
Jo Harten: 26/32, 81%, G1 - 22/25, G2 - 4/7, Points - 30
Kiera Austin: 5/9, 56%, G1 - 4/7, G2 - 1/2, Points - 6
Sophie Dwyer: 26/33, 79%, G1 - 22/27, G2 - 4/6, Points - 30
