IN the last match of Round 7 the Collingwood Magpies won their first game against the Melbourne Vixens since their introduction into the competition. We attended the game and took notes on one player from each side, analysing their impact on the match.

MELBOURNE VIXENS: KATE MOLONEY

In a game of more lows than highs for the Melbourne Vixens, captain Kate Moloney was her usual vocal self in at centre ready to push Kim Ravaillion and hopefully lead her side to victory. Her defensive work across the court was pivotal for the Vixens, and though taking the court in wing attack for a period of the match, was a key part of the Vixens’ setup across the court.

Moloney’s presence on court is a game changer for the Vixens, putting in the hard yards on every ball and creating turnovers credit to the pressure placed on the midcourt. The Vixens set up for this match with a very defensive approach, perfect for the defensive minded movement of Moloney who has the speed and cleanliness around the circle to create opportunities out of nothing. While Moloney’s attackers seemed to have difficulty settling early, overthinking and overshooting passes, Moloney stayed composed to keep feeding the ball forward and instructing her teammates to play the Vixens style of game.

Though Moloney’s move to wing attack meant the Vixens lost some of their intensity in the defensive third, her ability to open up space around the goal circle, land on the circle edge and go into every contest strong on Collingwood’s Ash Brazill gave her the one-up as she generated and commanded better ball use in attack. Back in centre for the second half Moloney seemed to not skip a beat, continuing her good form defensively and putting herself in a good position across the court to put pressure on both the pass and receiver. Her intensity caused one major held ball call, while her ability to cross the court quickly makes her a key player in the Vixens midcourt.

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES: KIM RAVAILLION

The Collingwood Magpies centre had a point to prove and she well and truly made it. Her drive through the midcourt and defensive pressure was immense clogging up space in the Vixens attack end and finding good space to penetrate the circle edge.

She found her rhythm early in the game credit to her good strong drives and clever holds around the circle edge to position well and utilise her impressive vision to find Nelson well on the hold. Her defensive effort and strong hands over pressure made her a real threat across the court with her gut running another key element of her game. Her defensive mindset paired well with Kelsey Browne and Nat Medhurst in attack allowing her teammates to stream down the court with precision. She got a few clever deflections and worked hard in transition pushing hard to get down into the pockets and get good feeding position.

She upped her intensity through the second quarter applying good pressure to push her opponent to the sidelines and force the ball out the court. She confused the space well and held her positioning to win the ball back for the Magpies time and time again. She also used her angles and body positioning well coming through the middle channel to open up space for the Pies. Ravaillion highlighted her ability to cut and drive through the space and treasured possession for majority of the game. She applied immense pressure on the ball carrier

She made her way to the bench for a few minutes at the start of the third quarter and then came back on with her defensive intent on display getting straight back into the thick of things. Ravaillion contested every ball that came her way putting pressure on her direct opponent- Kate Moloney.