A WEEK is a long time in sport and it showed out on the court when Melbourne Vixens downed Collingwood Magpies by 13 goals (62-49) at the State Netball and Hockey Centre today. In doing so, the Vixens booked a place in the preliminary final against NSW Swifts next week, enjoying the first finals win since the competition became Suncorp Super Netball (SSN). Both sides have struggled with consistency throughout the season but the Vixens managed to put out a four quarter performance when it counted.

With centre pass in hand, captain Kate Moloney spurred her side into attack with her strong drives and lightning hands. It was a shaky start to the game with both sides feeling each other out and forcing turnovers with a wayward pass in the Vixens goal circle followed by a Collingwood held ball forcing the ball to ebb and flow down the court. But it was the Vixens that settled first credit to Caitlin Thwaites and Tegan Philip controlling the attacking third with their clever movement, silky passes and accuracy to post. Down by five goals at the 10 minute mark of the quarter the Magpies called a timeout, but it was to no avail with the Vixens lifting their intensity and contesting every single pass. Philip showcased her dominance, commanding the ball and outclassing April Brandley with her dynamic drives. The Vixens’ pressure in defence forced plenty of turnovers with Emily Mannix creating doubt in the feeders’ minds. The Vixens pushed hard throughout the quarter, working the angles and capitalising on turnovers, scoring a whopping 20 goals to nine and establishing an 11-goal lead heading into the quarter time break.

The Melbourne Vixens continued their merry way using the ball with precision and slicing through the Magpies defence. They denied Collingwood any easy access into the goal circle and applied plenty of scoreboard pressure piling on 14 goals to 10. The Magpies simply had no answers in defence with both Geva Mentor and Brandley combining for a whopping 16 penalties in the term. The connection between Nat Medhurst (seven goals from nine attempts) and Shimona Nelson (42 from 46) seemed shaky throughout the game with Medhurst hesitant to release the ball with confidence into the circle. Midway through the quarter the play got messy with both sides scrapping hard to claim ascendancy and steady the ship but once again it was the Vixens that regained composure with Liz Watson finding plenty of space in the attacking third and feeding the ball into Thwaites and Philip with ease. Defensively Mannix stepped up another gear, nullifying Nelson under the post and applying a truckload of pressure on every pass. She confused the space time and time again pushing Nelson wide and racking up three gains and two intercepts to help spur her side onto a 15-goal lead.

The Vixens clearly had a point to prove and came out with a real vengeance. They continued to dominate across the court with the Magpies throwing everything at them but it was not enough to stop the Vixens. Collingwood forced a turnover in the first minute of the quarter but threw the ball away, gifting the Vixens with yet another goal. Thwaites put on a clinic at the post, holding strong and using her netball smarts to out-position Mentor on every occasion. Defensively the Magpies had no answers with the ball entering the circle with ease time and time again. Kimiora Poi lifted her load in attack to come out hard at the centre pass but her connection with Nelson and Medhurst was simply not there. Mentor worked tirelessly to try and regain possession for her side with a clever tip on the shot and then skill to gather but once again the Magpies could not convert. Jo Weston showcased her defensive flair with a huge intercept midway through the term despite pulling up sore after the contest. With the game slipping away and the Vixens nudging out to a whopping 18-goal lead the Magpies rallied, piling on a couple of consecutive goals to get back within 12. Kim Ravaillion picked up defensively with a clever tip and quick transition down the court while the connection between Medhurst and Nelson started to kick into gear. With the Magpies building momentum and finding better space in attack the Vixens called a timeout, but it was the Magpies that made the change with Melissa Bragg coming on in wing defence. It took a few minutes for the Pies to settle with Bragg fumbling a few passes but Collingwood were still in the hunt, reducing the margin to 13 goals.

With a spot in the preliminary final on the line the Vixens capitalised on their home court advantage and piled on the pain. Despite Nelson nailing the first goal of the quarter the Vixens showed pure grit and determination to win ball back and use their speed to keep the Magpies on their toes. Both Thwaites (29 goals from 33 attempts) and Philip (29 from 36) shone in the goal circle picking up crucial rebounds and backing themselves from range. Although it was goal for goal early in the term the Vixens made the first move, forcing the Magpies into creating a turnover and then streaming down the court and adding another goal to their total. Renae Ingles denied Poi across the court using her long wingspan to block her vision while her drive through the midcourt was second to none. With seven minutes left Mwai Kumwenda made her way onto the court to replace Thwaites while Lara Dunkley also pulled on the centre bib with the two having an immediate impact. In the end the Vixens proved far too strong for the Magpies who simply could not replicate the same intensity as their opponents, going down by 13 goals.

STARTING LINE-UP:

Melbourne Vixens:

GS | Caitlin Thwaites
GA | Tegan Philip
WA | Liz Watson
C | Kate Moloney
WD | Renae Ingles
GD | Jo Weston
GK | Emily Mannix

Collingwood Magpies:

GS | Shimona Nelson
GA | Nat Medhurst
WA | Kimiora Poi
C | Ash Brazill
WD | Kim Ravaillion
GD | April Brandley
GK | Geva Mentor