ADELAIDE Thunderbirds got their first win on the board, defeating Melbourne Vixens by six goals in a seesawing affair (54-48). It was a relatively sloppy performance by both sides with neither able to really garner any real momentum or control leaving fans and players alike on the edge of their seats. In the end however it was the Thunderbirds that dug deep in the final term to topple the Vixens.

Coming off a stellar win last round, the Vixens came in with a head full of steam. Match-winner and debut superstar Rahni Samason got the nod out in goal attack and did not disappoint slotting the first goal of the game capitalising off a Thunderbirds turnover. It was goal for goal to start the game with the defensive ends picking up a wealth of ball. Kadie-Ann Dehaney took advantage of her height claiming an early scalp on youngster Georgie Horjus with a huge shot rejection before Shamera Sterling got hands to ball for the Thunderbirds up the other end. It was a fast and frantic pace to start the game with the ball swinging back and forth and neither side able to claim clean ball. Dehaney was a real menace down back for the Vixens with the goal keeper creating a wealth of tips and turnovers to help her side push out to a three-goal lead.

Wayward passes in the Thunderbirds attack allowed the Vixens creep out to a five goal lead with Lenize Potgieter not having the desired impact against fellow international Dehaney. With the super shot in play, Sam Gooden was injected into the thick of things and did not disappoint coming on with a hot hand before Matilda Garrett showcased her class screaming through for an intercept as the Thunderbirds narrowed the margin back to two. The momentum swung well and truly in favour of the Thunderbirds as a Jo Weston fumble saw the ball change hands and the Thunderbirds capitalise as they stole the lead. it was turning into a super shot shoot out with both sides willing to back themselves from range but it was the Vixens that held a narrow one goal lead at the break.

The lead once again changed hands as the combination of Potgieter and Horjus got down to business. Hannah Petty upped the ante contesting hard through the midcourt to win ball back for the Thunderbirds as they pushed out to a two goal lead. But before you knew it the Vixens fought back with the switch of Mwai Kumwenda out to goal attack and Samason to goal shooter proving to work wonders. Latanya Wilson made her way onto the court in wing defence replacing Shadine van der Merwe.

It was the Dehaney show as the goal keeper used her fancy footwork to cherry pick an intercept but Sterling was not about to be outdone by her Jamaican counterpart, coming through for an intercept of her own. It was a two-goal ball-game for the Vixens with Hannah Mundy a real steam train in attack, using her strong drives to the top of the circle to keep Wilson out of the action. Gooden closed out the quarter on fire to get the Thunderbirds back within two goals.

After a quiet start to the game Kate Eddy injected herself into the game with the wing defence reeling in an intercept as the Vixens continued to forge ahead out to a four-goal lead. Kate Moloney was an ever-reliable presence through the centre, dictating the flow both in attack and defence and dishing off pinpoint passes into Samason and Kumwenda. The Thunderbirds were laboured in attack with the Vixens implementing some strong hands over pressure and forcing them to go backwards rather than weave their way through the mess.

The tables started to turn in the second half as the Thunderbirds started to rally scoring consecutive goals. Adelaide looked to the bench with Elle McDonald pulling on the centre bib while Garrett and Wilson continued to be influential through transition with long release passes. But the Vixens would not go away keeping within two goals at three quarter time.

With it all to play for in the final term the Melbourne Vixens tinkered with their line-up bringing on Allie Smith in wing defence. The Thunderbirds got a run of goals with the lead ballooning by five – the biggest of the game – and with that the Vixens made further changes as Smith swung into centre and Moloney into wing attack. Melbourne were forced into chase mode but the Thunderbirds were not about to let the win slip through their fingers, clinching a six-goal win.

Potgieter was dominant to post sinking 29 goals from 32 attempts at 91 per cent while the hot hand of Gooden was undeniable with the goaler nailing six of 10 super shots. Horjus was influential with 12 goals at 75 per cent along with a game-high 16 goal assists, with Maisie Nankivell hot on her heels with 15. Sterling was a pest finishing with six gains (four intercepts) as Garrett proved to be a thorn in the Vixens side with three gains (one intercept). Kumwenda was strong with 28 goals from 32 attempts while Samason nailed 14 of her 20 attempts at 70 per cent and recorded a team-high 13 goal assists. Dehaney impressed with her seven gains (three intercepts) as Weston also made her presence felt with four gains and seven deflections.

MELBOURNE VIXENS 14 | 13 | 8 | 13 (48)
ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS 13 | 12 | 12 | 17 (54) 

STARTING SEVEN:

Vixens:

GS: Mwai Kumwenda
GA: Rahni Samason
WA: Hannah Mundy
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Kadie-Ann Dehaney

Thunderbirds:

GS: Lenize Potgieter
GA: Georgie Horjus
WA: Maisie Nankivell
C: Hannah Petty
WD: Shadine van der Merwe
GD: Matilda Garrett
GK: Shamera Sterling

Photo credit: Bradley Kanaris