MELBOURNE, CMC – New South Wales Swifts head coach Briony Akle confirmed that ace Trinidad & Tobago goal shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph was dropped when their side slumped to a 64-58 defeat against Melbourne Mavericks in the Super Netball League this past Saturday in Australia.
Wallace-Joseph, 00, has been on the comeback trail following a career-threatening knee injury. There was massive speculation about her fitness after she started on the bench, and she appeared stiff in recent matches.
Contrary to expectations, Akle and fellow goal shooter Helen Housby confirmed that Wallace-Joseph was not injured, and the decision for teenager Grace Whyte to replace the three-time Swifts Most Valuable Player was a surprising and decisive move.
“She’s not injured. We’ve just made a call on our 11th player this week, so we’ve brought Grace in halfway through the season and will see what we can do there,” Akle told Fox Netball, hinting at a potential change in the team’s strategy with the new player.
Swifts specifically listed Whyte in the shooting end for the past weekend, yet she spent half of her 30 minutes on the court in the wing attack position.
Earlier in the week, Akle had spoken about the team’s anger after recording the lowest-ever Super Netball total in the seventh round: 33 goals.
Observers suggested the decision to omit Wallace-Joseph felt like a move made under pressure. Whether the change was a knee-jerk reaction or justified remained open to question after the Swifts stumbled to a second successive loss.
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