England international and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Natalie Haythornthwaite has joined the NSW Swifts as a permanent replacement player for the remainder of the season.
Haythornthwaite has just won the English Superleague title for the second year in a row with Wasps Netball and joins the Swifts after Claire O’Brien was ruled out with a season-ending Achilles injury.
The 25-year-old has 28 caps for England since making her international debut against Trinidad & Tobago in 2015.
“When Claire went down with her injury we knew that we had to bring in a specialist wing attack with a proven ability at this level and in Natalie we have that,” Swifts Head Coach Briony Akle said.
“Natalie has been a standout player on the English Club scene for a long time and that has translated to the international setup with the Roses.
“Every game is a must-win for us from here if we are to make the 2018 Finals Series and with Natalie playing so well with Wasps in the Superleague she will arrive battle-hardened and ready to hit the ground running,” she said.
The Swifts currently sit in sixth spot on the ladder and just seven points from the fourth placed Queensland Fire.
They play their final home game of the 2018 Super Netball regular season against ladder leaders West Coast Fever tomorrow night.
Related Articles
Round 2 Suncorp Super Netball Pic Special
60% of girls say 'nothing' can attract them to sport post-COVID
