ONE of the rivalries of the season between the two 2020 Suncorp Super Netball grand finalists was made much bigger a couple of weeks ago as the Round 8 Clash between the West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens was postponed due to stringent Western Australia border restrictions, as the New South Wales COVID situation worsened. With everything on the line the two sides came into this delayed Thursday night outing fired up and ready to go, although it was the Fever that ultimately ran out victorious, 64-50.

Courtney Bruce was on from the get-go, spoiling the Vixens party from the get-go and causing a held ball off the hand of Kaylia Stanton and getting a sniff on another feed not long after. Some great feeds into Jhaniele Fowler saw the Fever earn the early ascendancy as the Vixens long arm brigade halted movement to circle edge but Verity Charles’ jump feeds paid dividends over the defence of Kate Eddy. In her 100th national league outing, Mwai Kumwenda was up and about early trying to egg her side on, with both sides getting into a rhythm as a 13-7 lead was extended by the Fever. Defensively, the Fever worked in overdrive to force errant and risky passes from the Vixens attack but while it took the Vixens off-guard early, Kate Moloney and Hannah Mundy played the ball around with plenty of patience. 

But suddenly the Vixens had reduced the margin, chipping away with single shots despite the super shot period beginning. The workrate from Jo Weston and Emily Mannix was immense with the goal keeper clearly playing for her position with Kadie-Ann Dehaney on the bench, and a bout of confidence across the court paying off in spades as they evened the ledger at 13-apiece with just over minutes on the clock and forcing a Fever timeout. A Vixens centre to follow saw the side take their first lead of the match before Fowler quickly evened the scores once more, as the Fever defensive unit pounced on the loose ball and stole back the lead once more. Despite both sides claiming great runs throughout the quarter, it was the Fever that led 17-15 at the first break.

It was a goal for goal start to the second term as both sides looked to build off strong opening quarter efforts. A huge battle waged between Stacey Francis-Bayman and Mundy, with Francis-Bayman making herself a real nuisance flying for the loose ball time and time again, as Mundy’s improved feeds into the goal circle paid off. Elsewhere, it was no Sasha Glasgow, no worries for Alice Teague-Neeld, whose vision was on song finding Fowler inside the circle  despite appearing to have the yips under the post credit to the long arms of Weston.

Defensive efforts from the Fever back-end saw the Fever extend a five-goal lead once more as the Vixens called a time out, and Moloney made her intentions clear, hoping to fire her side into action. But it was the Fever that added to the margin, getting out to a game-high eight-goal lead, clogging up the Vixens attack and allowing Francis-Bayman and Sunday Aryang to get involved on the transverse line. The Fever’s confidence was palpable as the Vixens rung in the changes, with Dehaney working her way on court before Ruby Barkmeyer took on the goal attack role with under five minutes on the clock. An immense second quarter effort from the Fever saw them pile on 21-9 to earn a 14-goal lead leading into the second half.

The physicality ramped up as the third term began, with neither side letting up in the contest as the Fever looked to extend their lead and Vixens hoped to fire up and reduce the buffer. Allie Smith hit the court in wing defence and made her mark on Charles straight away, as the Vixens reduced the margin to 10 goals. Jess Anstiss used her physicality to full effect as she tested the whistle, doing everything in her power to limit Moloney’s impact and drive towards the ball. An improved effort from the Vixens saw them control proceedings despite patches of form from the Fever with Fowler continuing to wreak havoc with her height and strength. Charles’ vision continued to pay dividends, but it was the tenacity of Moloney that paid off as the centre turned over the ball and drove strong with Mundy towards circle edge as Kumwenda turned on the super shots. Despite the Fever still looking to hold the momentum, it was the Vixens that claimed the third quarter by a single goal, as they trailed 52-49.

A huge final quarter erupted as the Fever took control once more, firing out of the blocks with a massive 8-1 start hurting the Vixens. A Weston knee niggle did not make things any simpler for the Vixens as Mannix took the court in the unfamiliar goal defence role, while the Fever emptied their bench with Emma Cosh and Olivia Lewis both earning valuable game time with a 19-goal buffer extending out. Barkmeyer and Kumwenda’s movement in the circle paid off as the super shot period came up once more, and while the scoreline still saw the Fever leading by a significant margin, it was the confidence from the side that would benefit, especially with so much still unknown for the upcoming rounds. Hesitance from Cosh both in and outside the circle saw some chances go wanting, with fatigue creeping in through the midcourt and a couple of messy moments from Anstiss shaking the Vixens attackers. Despite leading by 20 goals part way through the final term, the Fever claimed a 14-goal victory over the Vixens, 64-50.

Teague-Neeld earned player of the match despite struggling with accuracy, shooting at 45 per cent accuracy (five goals from 11 attempts) but worked in overdrive in and around the circle, finishing with 19 goal assists and 24 centre pass receives. Fowler (58 from 59) was immense as per usual, as Charles racked up 22 assists, with majority well away from circle edge credit to her vision and speed, while Bruce worked in overdrive finishing with nine gains (six intercepts). For the Vixens, the combination of Moloney (13 assists, five pickups one intercept) and Mundy (12 assists, 22 centre pass receives) was solid as ever, finding Kumwenda well as the goal shooter finished with 35 goals from 41 attempts, including four of eight super shots and four rebounds. Stanton (nine from 14) and Barkmeyer (one from three, all super shots) worked hard to assist, as Mannix, Weston and Dehaney combined for four gains.

WEST COAST FEVER | 17 | 21 | 14 | 12 (64)
MELBOURNE VIXENS | 15 | 9 | 15 | 11 (50)

STARTING SEVENS

Fever

GS: Jhaniele Fowler
GA: Alice Teague-Neeld
WA: Verity Charles
C: Jess Anstiss
WD: Stacey Francis Bayman
GD: Sunday Aryang
GK: Courtney Bruce

Vixens

GS: Mwai Kumwenda
GA: Kaylia Stanton
WA: Hannah Mundy
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Emily Mannix

Picture credit: West Coast Fever