NSW Swifts - What's Happening 

clip_image001In front of over 200 guests, NSW Swifts captain, Catherine Cox, was announced as the winner of the QBE & Sydney Swans “2008 NSW Swifts Most Valuable Player” at their Gala Dinner tonight.

Celebrating the overwhelming success of the NSW Swifts in the inaugural year of the ANZ Championship, a who’s who of netball in NSW attended the gala function held at CLUB SWANS.

Families, friends and supporters of the NSW Swifts were taken on a walk down memory lane as they cast their eyes back to the ‘birth’ of the NSW Swifts; one single NSW based team that united the state and came away with the inaugural trophy.

Three awards were presented on the night, including the Member’s Player of the Year, NSW Swifts Players’ Player and the most prestigious award of the night, the QBE & Sydney Swans MVP.

Netball NSW would like to congratulate the following award winners:

2008 QBE & Sydney Swans, 2008 NSW Swifts Most Valued Player – Catherine Cox
Voted on by the coaches of each ANZ Championship team during the regular season; players were nominated in the three specific areas; midcourt, shooters and defenders with the results forwarded to the ANZ Championship office.
The NSW Swifts player that accumulated the most votes during the regular season was Catherine Cox.

2008 NSW Swifts Players Player – Emma Koster
This award was voted on by the 12 NSW Swifts players and is based around performance both on and off the court. Although the NSW Swifts are a high performance team, the importance of being funny and fun both on and off the court was of paramount importance. This player personified these traits.
Inaugural recipient, Emma Koster, personifies this award with her determination and team spirit.

2008 NSW Swifts Member’s Player of the Year – Catherine Cox
Over 350 NSW Swifts members were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite player during the regular season. A 3-2-1 voting system was employed and at the conclusion of the vote tallying, Catherine Cox was announced as the inaugural winner.

In a moving tribute, a presentation was made to retiring vice captain, Selina Gilsenan. NSW Swifts coach, Julie Fitzgerald, summed it up best when speaking about the impact Gilsenan had on the young Swifts team.

“She was an amazing player and a sensational person. She is the sort of person that everyone in the team is that much richer for having got to know.”

In season 2008, the NSW Swifts have proven the ‘tipsters’ wrong by enjoying overwhelming success both on and off the court. With nine wins in a row, from round 7 through to the Grand Final triumph – the league’s new record, the NSW Swifts will be hoping to make it ten when season 2009 kicks off.