ADELAIDE Thunderbirds stunned the Melbourne Vixens to secure their second win for the season and announce themselves as serious contenders for 2020 (54-47). It was a seesawing affair throughout with the Vixens holding the lead for majority of the match before a gallant Thunderbirds side wrestled back the momentum thanks to a dominant final term.

It was a scrappy start to the game as ball flew over the sideline for both sides as the Thunderbirds and Vixens looked to find their feet in attack and defence. Unable to capitalise on their first play from the centre pass, Adelaide won the ball back to nail the first goal of the game through the hands of sharpshooter Lenize Potgieter. The ball ebbed and flowed up the court with neither team able to generate any real continuity. Mwai Kumwnda delivered an uncharacteristic miss from directly under the post however all was not lost as Caitlin Thwaites picked up the scraps to get the Vixens on the board. It was clear Shamera Sterling had to come to play in the opening minutes of the quarter with her hands over pressure and hustle on the rebound on full display. The Vixens were not as fluent in attack as the increased defensive pressure from Sterling and Layla Guscoth forced them to swing the ball around the court.

The height mismatch was starting to take its toll as Georgie Horjus tried to use her speed to zip around the court but goal defence Jo Weston had her pegged with her physicality and lean over the shot to all but cancel her out. Vixens held onto a two-goal lead with Thwaites and Kumwenda plying their trade while up the other end Potgieter displayed her smarts to utilise the backspace. A huge play from Sterling was rewarded by Shadine van der Merwe on the circle edge with the wing defence backing up the tip as Potgieter delivered on the scoreboard. Adelaide took the lead at the five minute mark but the Vixens quickly answered stringing together three consecutive goals. Neither side could claim any type of ascendancy as only one goal separating them at quarter time.

Adelaide levelled the scores within the first minute of the term before the Vixens put the foot down with their speed down court and ability to finish off plays. A couple of missed opportunities from the Thunderbirds allowed the Vixens to stretch the lead back out to three goals as they looked more composed in attack thanks to the precise ball movement of Liz Watson. Four goals to one in the first three minutes saw the Thunderbirds call a timeout with Sterling coming out of the huddle firing to clench another intercept and most importantly was rewarded for her efforts with a Potgieter goal.

Kate Eddy impressed in goal defence nullifying the influence of Sasha Glasgow and winning ball back with her tenacity and constant physical pressure to shut down the space. The overall intensity from the Vixens increased as they really started to motor and pull away letting their signature ball speed led the way. But the Thunderbirds were not about to shy away with Glasgow delivering an important super shot to draw the margin back to three goals and keep her side within touch. Sterling continued her merry way forcing Tegan Philip into a held ball however the girls in pink struggled to capitalise on their chances. The final minutes of the quarter were scrappy for both sides as the Thunderbirds got back to within one goal again.

Miscommunication in the Vixens attack end saw van der Merwe take a big intercept to set the wheels in motion for Adelaide. It was goal for goal early in the third with each team scoring off their centre pass and looking to work the ball down to circle edge. Maisie Nankivell switched into wing attack and the move seemed to pay dividends creating a wealth of space in the attacking third with her hard drive into the pocket and pin point feeds. Meanwhile the Vixens looked to the bench with Jacqui Newton donning the goal defence bib in hope to provide a spark in defence and win some turnover ball.

Potgieter continued to have a field day as the goal shooter starred with her nifty footwork and change of direction to catch Emily Mannix off-guard while Hannah Petty showcased her desperation throwing her body at everything to win ball back. Kate Moloney struggled to have her normal output against Petty while Tayla Honey had a couple of shaky moments in attack with her loopy passes into Kumwenda in the goal circle. Back-to-back goals from the Thunderbirds gifted them a three-goal lead as Horjus found her range from distance before the experience of Thwaites up the other end delivered to sink a timely super shot.

With the game on the line the Thunderbirds could sense the victory, hunting each and every ball that came their way to hit the lead with a tick over 11 minutes left in the term and did not look back. Potgieter and Horjus dominated under the post with the latter coming alive with her vision and spatial awareness on full display to slice up the Vixens defence. A huge defensive play from the Thunderbirds saw them really assert themselves on the game and steadily extend the lead to five goals. Kadie-Ann Dehaney entered the game but Potgieter seemed unfazed by the long reach of the Jamaican goal keeper going about her business and while Thwaites delivered at the post with another super shot to cut the margin to two goals Horjus answered the call with a two-goal shot of her own to swing things back into the Thunderbirds favour. With time ticking down Chlesea Pitman steadied the ship with her clever ball placement as Adelaide ran out seven goal victors.

With options aplenty in the goal circle it was Kumwenda that seemed to be the mainstay in at goal shooter while both Philip and Thwaites added value to the scoreboard. The ever accurate Potgieter led the charge for the Thunderbirds while Glasgow relished her time on court especially when it came to the super shot much like youngster Horjus who continued to deliver from range.

Watson had the ball on a string for the Vixens collecting 18 goal assists apiece and while Pitman was strong while on court with her pin point passes managing seven goal assists. After a strong performance last week, Mannix struggled to back it up only managing three gains while Sterling starred from start to finish to win MVP honours thanks to her incredible defensive efforts to collect six gains, two intercepts, two rebounds and nine deflections.

>>> VIXENS TEAM PAGE

>>> THUNDERBIRDS TEAM PAGE

>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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MELBOURNE VIXENS 11 | 12 | 14 | 10 (47)
ADELAIDE THUNDERBIDS 10 | 12 | 13 | 19 (54)

STARTING SEVEN:

Melbourne Vixens:

GS: Mwai Kumwenda
GA: Caitlin Thwaites
WA: Liz Watson
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Emily Mannix

Adelaide Thunderbirds:

GS: Lenize Potgieter
GA: Georgie Horjus
WA: Chelsea Pitman
C: Maisie Nankivell
WD: Shadine van der Merwe
GD: Layla Guscoth
GK: Shamera Sterling