THE Queensland Firebirds added another excellent win to their tally this season with a huge six goal victory over the Melbourne Vixens to close out not only Suncorp Super Netball Indigenous Round but also the penultimate round of the 2020 season. The Firebirds did not let up throughout the entire contest, consistently forcing uncharacteristic errors from the minor premiers.

An even start from both sides saw neither waste their centre pass, using space well and finding their goalers with ease. But the Firebirds were the first to get the break off a missed Tegan Philip attempt, adding a few goals to the margin s the attack duo of Tippah Dwan and Romelda Aiken flew early. The Firebirds were bursting with confidence, forcing wasted ball from the Vixens who were without key cog Liz Watson out the front. Trailing by four, the Vixens looked their best when they were able to find Mwai Kumwenda at the post but were given a tough time of it by the Firebirds defensive unit of Gabi Simpson, Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe.

But while the Firebirds had much of the early contest sorted, the Vixens evened up the ledger soon enough as the super shot period came into fruition with Dwan hitting the scoreboard with two quickly. Wasteful passes went against the Vixens as the Firebirds pulled back the momentum once more. Aiken’s excellent season continued, rebounding with ease while the Vixens could not seem to connect the way they intended to, as the Firebirds headed into the first change up by six goals. 

Caitlin Thwaites joined the fray in the second quarter, using her strength to body up on Hinchliffe but it was to no avail when the Vixens attack could not get the ball to her, with Simpson a menace allowing the Firebirds to get out to a 10-goal lead. The Vixens were forced into a second tactical timeout as the defensive lineup made the switch between Kate Eddy and Jo Weston, while Elle McDonald hit the court in wing attack. McDonald seemed to be a better fit against Simpson, holding ground well and aiding the Vixens as they put three straight goals on the board. 

But sloppy ball movement continued to allow the Firebirds to maintain the ascendancy and a 10-goal buffer was solidified by another super shot from Dwan. Thwaites was quick to deliver one back though, while Eddy’s injection into goal defence caused a held ball on Dwan’s next attempt. Suddenly trailing by just five goals, the Vixens made the most of the super shot to manufacture the momentum back in their favour. That being said, the Vixens seemed to be standing still and waiting for the ball, allowing the Firebirds to create small tips here and there. A super shot from Dwan after the siren saw a four goal lead the way of the Firebirds at the main break. 

The Vixens attack had a new look again with Kumwenda and Thwaites combining at the post, and it seemed to be the trick with a 5-1 start to the third quarter. But as she so likes to do, Jenner stepped up when it mattered to continue to spur her side into action. While both sides were managing to create the turnover ball, wasteful passes in transition from Weston saw the Vixens unable to capitalise. Continued clumping from the Vixens saw the Firebirds continue to win back the ball and steal back the lead the Vixens had worked so hard to steal early in the quarter. Simpson was having the game of her life, shutting down McDonald who had a real impact early and Simpson’s combination with Jenner at the centre pass saw the Vixens struggle to make use of their opportunities, trailing by four once more at the final change.

Simpson’s huge impact continued to stand out with the Vixens sloppy passes being stolen away time and time again. But Kadie-Ann Dehaney stepped up when the Vixens needed it, winning the ball off a critical Firebirds centre although the following Vixens centre saw another crucial miss as the Firebirds continued to dominate, extending the lead to 10 goals once more. The Vixens needed to utilise every single chance they had at the super shot, but the Firebirds defence stepped up another level and the purple attack continued to chip away at the other end. Multiple super shots from the Vixens were not enough to get a win on the board, going down by six (64-58).

Aiken was unstoppable at the post with 45 goals from 51 attempts, while Dwan was effective with 16 goals of her own (three super shots). Mahalia Cassidy was excellent with 20 goal assists while the Firebirds defensive trio of Hinchliffe, Jenner and Simpson were impressive with 15 gains between them, including eight intercepts. For the sloppy Vixens, they really missed the effectiveness and continued drive of Watson with Kate Moloney sitting on 19 assists and McDonald next in line with nine. Eddy and Weston picked up two intercepts apiece but overall it was a lack of scoring opportunity for the ladder leaders, with Kumwenda (22 goals) and Thwaites (17, seven super shots) not able to find the post against the huge defensive pressure.

>>> VIXENS TEAM PAGE
>>> LIGHTNING TEAM PAGE
>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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MELBOURNE VIXENS 12 | 19 | 13 | 14 (58)
QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS 18 | 17 | 13 | 16 (64)

Vixens

GS: Mwai Kumwenda
GA: Tegan Philip
WA: Tayla Honey
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Emily Mannix

Firebirds

GS: Romelda Aiken
GA: Tippah Dwan
WA: Lara Dunkley
C: Mahalia Cassidy
WD: Gabi Simpson
GD: Kim Jenner
GK: Tara Hinchliffe