Swifts look to slow fast starting Vixens

NSW Swifts coach Briony Akle wants a strong start from her side to sap the newly found confidence of Super Netball preliminary final opponent Melbourne Vixens.

Akle doubts her club's regular season dominance of Vixens will count for anything on Sunday.

Swifts won both regular season clashes, amazingly taking 15 points to the Vixens' one.

But both sides have stumbled of late.

Vixens suffered successive losses to each of the other three semi-finalists, before beating local rivals Collingwood Magpies 62-49 in last Sunday's minor semi-final.

Swifts have lost three of their last five, going down 58-48 away to minor premiers Sunshine Cast Lightning in last Saturday's major semi-final.

The Diamonds-studded Vixens breathed new life into their flagging campaign, as they scorched Collingwood 20-9 in the first quarter and led by as much as 19 in the third.

That set up a preliminary final showdown at Sydney's Quaycentre with the Swifts, who were outscored 18-10 by Lightning in a decisive third quarter

"We put it down to probably seven minutes of netball that cost us that game, for three quarters we did really well," Akle said.

'"We've addressed that third quarter."

The winner of Sunday's game faces a daunting grand final assignment away to two-time defending champions, the Lightning.

Akle was wary of a Vixens side infused with confidence and didn't expect the Swifts' earlier wins over them to give them any kind of a psychological advantage in Sunday's game.

'We've put that behind us and say 'yup, that was great at the time during the rounds, but finals are a different ball-game,'" Akle said.

"Vixens are coming off a fantastic win against Collingwood and they will be full of confidence and we know that, even though we've beaten them twice, in finals you start again and that's how we're looking at it.

"We've got to to turn up and start well, and get on top of them early because otherwise I think they'll take that confidence into our game."

Akle nominated wing attack Liz Watson and goalkeeper Emily Mannix as two danger players to her side after watching them star against Collingwood.

"I think they started the ball rolling and then the rest of the team did really well around them," Akle said.