SUNSHINE Coast Lightning have escaped a close shave after claiming a five-goal victory over the Melbourne Vixens, 56-51. A huge first half from the Lightning set up an 11-goal margin at the main break, before the reigning premiers fought back to produce a remarkable comeback but unfortunately just fall short of the result they wanted.

The Lightning came out with a point to prove from the get-go, with a phenomenal start seeing the side pile on three straight goals off a broken Vixens centre to create a lead which they maintained for the remainder of the match. The combination of Steph Wood and Cara Koenen was rightfully credited by the Vixens defenders in Jo Weston and Kadie-Ann Dehaney – who got the start over Emily Mannix with the other defender on limited minutes due to being unwell during the week – as the Lightning attackers got right to work and did not relent out the front. At the other end, the Vixens attack was rendered messy and crowded by the impressive effort of Maddy McAuliffe, Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni who forced errant passes with their double-up on Mwai Kumwenda, forcing Kaylia Stanton to shoulder some of the goaling load as the Vixens struggled to make use of the turnover ball the defensive end was creating. A Wood super shot allowed the Lightning to stop a three goal run from Kumwenda and regain momentum, running out the remainder of the quarter with a four-goal lead.

A huge second quarter showcased the explosiveness of the Lightning when they get going, racing out to a nine-goal lead almost immediately as Koenen blew Mannix out of the water with her quick footwork and goalline drive, forcing the hand of Simone McKinnis who added Ruby Barkmeyer and Dehaney back to the fray, but it was too little, too late as the Lightning went on another five-goal run to extend their run and prove just what they are capable of. It was a five gain to two quarter as Pretorius starred against the inexperienced Barkmeyer, while both McAuliffe and Mahalia Cassidy got in on the fun with an intercept apiece and speedster Laura Scherian outclassed Kate Eddy with her drives to circle edge. A significant 11-goal margin saw the Lightning head into the second half with their heads held high.

It was a renewed Vixens side that stepped onto the court in the third term though, as the change was made for dogged defender Allie Smith to tag out Scherian and Hannah Mundy stepped up in the front-end, tidying up her hands to propel ball into Kumwenda. The Vixens were still under a mountain of pressure which saw the Lightning put on two goals for every one the Vixens scored, seeing a change as Stanton replaced Kumwenda and forced a different approach from the Lightning defence. Whilst the Vixens then lacked the accuracy of the Malawian sharpshooter, they gained a shared workrate in the front-end as Kate Shimmin was handed the goal keeper bib to take on some of the defensive load and create more hands over pressure in the circle. A third quarter win to the Vixens at the front-end went a long way to allowing the back-end to step up too, as Weston worked her way into the game, and the Lightning were uncharacteristically penalty-ridden.

Whilst Smith’s workrate on Scherian was not super noticeable in the third quarter, it was evident in the final term with the wing attack failing to find the ball near circle edge and forcing Wood to step up in attack. Defensively, not much changed for the Vixens as Mannix and Weston continued to pressurise the circle, however it was the midcourt effort that changed up as Kate Moloney, Smith and Mundy worked to win back ball and reduced their error-rate, allowing the combination of Kumwenda and Barkmeyer to utilise the turnover ball and pile on the offensive pressure they had lacked earlier. Intriguingly Peace Proscovia was handed the goal shooter bib despite Koenen ruling the roost, however a nine-goal to five start to the term saw the young Aussie take the court once more as the Vixens crept up on the scoreboard. It was too late though, even with the super shot in play, as the Vixens were unable to whittle down the eventual six-goal margin.

It was McAuliffe who was handed the player of the match award, impressing with her ability to transition through midcourt and track both Mundy and Moloney. She picked up two intercepts and four pickups for only two penalties and one turnover, and was joined by Pretorius and Maweni on two intercepts apiece to go with their respective five and four gains. Koenen was influential as ever with 43 goals at 91 per cent while Wood put up nine goals (one super shot) from 13 attempts in a quiet day at the office, credit to Weston’s work rate. Weston finished with four gains to lead the Vixens pack, as Dehaney (two intercepts) and Mannix (five deflections) worked hard down back, and Moloney picked up an errant intercept through the midcourt to go with her 14 goal assists. Despite being rendered slightly less accurate than intended, the Vixens three-pronged attack in Kumwenda (25 goals from 26 attempts, including two super shots), Barkmeyer (12 from 18, one super shot) and Stanton (10 from 16, one super shot) had an excellent second half and will want to build on that, especially if the side can limit the general play turnovers.

MELBOURNE VIXENS 11 | 9 | 16 | 15 (51)
SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 15 | 16 | 15 | 10 (56)

STARTING SEVENS

Vixens:

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

Lightning:

GS: Cara Koenen
GA: Steph Wood
WA: Laura Scherian
C: Mahalia Cassidy
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
GD: Karla Pretorius
GK: Phumza Maweni

Picture credit: Graham Denholm/Getty Images