The NSW Swifts' 17-goal demolition of the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the Super Netball grand final was simply the ultimate upset.

Thrilled to even be playing the final match, the team believed they had already proved their ability and finally conquered the relentless adversity that plagued much of their campaign.

Three season-ending injuries, including a torn ACL for captain Maddy Proud, forced them to seek replacements and build fresh combinations time and time again.

Add to that some really low expectations set by the majority of the netball community and the fact their starting shooter Samantha Wallace was dealing with the emotional toll of her father having suffered his second stroke back home in Trinidad and Tobago.

The World Cup in the middle of the domestic season definitely disrupted the momentum they had going before the break, and also hampered marquee player Helen Housby's fitness coming back as she managed an aggravated thigh injury.

Despite all this, the Swifts held the Super Netball trophy aloft on Sunday.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 31 seconds 31 s The Swifts stopped the Lightning's quest for a three-peat. (Photo: AAP)

From the very first whistle they stamped their dominance on the contest and never looked back.

Scoring three consecutive goals to open the match, they forced the Lightning to make changes inside the first quarter.

Steph Wood went missing early-on and lacked confidence putting the ball up, so Ugandan captain Peace Proscovia was injected into the game much sooner than expected and Cara Koenan moved out to goal attack.

These substitutions worked and kept the Lightning within striking distance at the first break (16-12).

But the Swifts — still trying to prove themselves as more than cannon fodder — pushed on to extend their lead to 31-23 at half-time.

Coming out from the changerooms, both teams were eager as ever, making the third quarter the tightest of the match.

Only two goals separated them during those 15 minutes, but the Swifts' early dominance meant they already had their fingertips on the trophy.

Down 46-36 goals at that point, the usually clinical Sunshine Coast side was left scratching its head.

Sam Wallace's father is struggling after suffering a stroke back in Trinidad and Tobago. ( AAP: Darren England )

Even departing head coach Noeline Taurua, ever the positive thinker, looked weary as her players headed out for the final period of play.

But as the Swifts pushed on, barely skipping a beat with an attacking line that operated with the precision of a Swiss timepiece, Taurua's demeanour became one less hopeful and more accepting, as if she knew the battle was done.

At the sound of the final whistle, Swifts fans in the Brisbane Entertainment Centre let out a deafening roar as they watched their team race to meet in the midcourt and pile on top of each other.

Tears streaked down their face and time stopped while they celebrated the incredible feat the Swifts had just pulled off to squash such a formidable opponent so far from home.

The underdog status coach Briony Akle and her side had channelled all season eventually proved too strong to overcome, and the pledge they made right at the beginning of the season to carry themselves as serious contenders had finally come to fruition.

Wallace, who dedicated her efforts to her father, was crucial, and the 40 goals she sunk at 90.9 per cent saw her awarded grand final MVP.

As was the work of goal keeper Sarah Klau who generated a lot of extra opportunity for the Swifts to convert.

Sarah Klau was a brick wall the Lightning could not get past. ( AAP: Darren England )

Topping the defensive stats with 11 gains (5 intercepts, 1 key deflection and 5 rebounds), she finished a breakout year — in which she debuted at a World Cup — on a high.

Regardless of the result, the Lightning can't be too hard on themselves.

To make it to a grand final three years in a row, especially in the best league in the world, is a testament to the calibre of their playing and coaching staff.

Despite losing their brilliant coach and the question mark still looming over Laura Langman's head, they've signed much of the same talent on for next year and will surely be in the mix again.

But this year the trophy belongs to the Swifts, who I've been told plan to celebrate with the same intensity they brought to the court on Sunday.