THE Melbourne Vixens have cemented their spot in the top four credit to their ability to rally under pressure and work their way through the opposition defence. Though they have not always put their best foot forward so far throughout the season, they have had moments of brilliance dancing down the court and leaving the opposition for dust with their speed and connections.

Ladder: 3rd
Win-loss: 6-1-2
Percentage: 112.32%
Bonus points: 22

Overview:

They have shown that they know how to win and can do so in an emphatic fashion with big wins against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, Queensland Firebirds and GIANTS. The Vixens have the most Diamonds representatives in the competition with six players named in the squad, albeit three announced as training partners. Of their squad of 10, eight have international duties with Ine-Mari Venter and Kadie-Ann Dehaney representing their respective countries.

Surprises:

New recruit Caitlin Thwaites has slotted right back into the mix and continued her dominant form to post owning the goal circle and commanding the ball. The goal shooter has been near on impossible to fault credit to her impeccable timing and range to turn and shoot from wherever she is in the circle. However, it is her connection and work with Tegan Philip that has been the most integral for the Vixens with the pair proving to be a dominant duo time and time again. They create good space for one another and with the moving circle prove to be hard to stop when on song. Both goalers share the load with the shooter to shooter interplay second to none, finding each other on the drive and constantly repositioning to provide better options in the ring.

Improvements:

With star power across the court the Vixens have the players to take out the competition, but it is their inability to back up their performance week in, week out that lets them down. The Vixens ooze class and skill but lack consistency to put out four quarter performances and maintain their pressure across a couple of rounds. Normally renowned for their cautious and calculated approach, the Vixens have been unable to employ the same game style throughout the season.

Expectations:

If they can build up pressure and put out solid performances for more than one round at a time expect the Vixens to push hard into the finals.