IN the final game of the round, the Melbourne Vixens asserted their dominance on the competition with an impressive 16 goal win over the GIANTS. We attended the game and took notes on one player from each side analysing their impact on the match.

VIXENS: JO WESTON
By: Sophie Taylor

With poise, balance, speed and skill to her name, it is no wonder that Jo Weston is a well known netball name when it comes to defence. An inert ability to read the play and apply damaging pressure to her opponent, Weston showcased her skill on Sunday as the Vixens hosted the GIANTS, all but tagging prolific England Roses shooter, Jo Harten out of the match.

Weston was phenomenal providing hands-over pressure, moving freely in the circle and focusing all her defensive efforts on Harten as she slowly but surely forced errors around the circle from the GIANTS and made it hard for Harten to receive the ball with clean hands. Her pressure at times rendered Harten sloppy, creating turnovers and rebounds as she bodied Harten into the pack and made it difficult for her to get seperation in the goal circle. Harten was stellar off the ball through the centre third and when feeding to goal shooter, Caitlin Bassett, however was only at four goals from four attempts at half time as she struggled against Weston’s intensity. Despite giving Harten free reign defensively over the centre third, Weston’s speed and clever timing was showcased through defence and the midcourt as she gave herself the space to provide constant backup to her attackers and create movement and flow through a sometimes crowded centre third. The teamwork between Weston and defensive partner in crime, Emily Mannix was showcased in this matchup as the pair took control of the circle and nullified the star power of their opposition, combining to reduce the dominant shooting pair to only 50 attempts.

Weston came away from this matchup with two gains, three deflections and five pickups. Though not necessarily getting the stats on the board to suggest the extent of her influence on court, Weston’s tagging defence, footwork and smooth transition to attack limited options for the GIANTS as they continued to struggle, with their highest quarter score only reaching 14 in the final term as Harten was finally able to work herself into the match. Credit to Weston for putting in the hard yards against the dominant shooter, rendering her to only one goal in the first and a single missed attempt in the third.

GIANTS: KIM GREEN
By: Taylah Melki

It was a disappointing outing for the veteran, Kim Green unable to get a win on the board, but in her 200th game she proved that she is still a force to be reckoned with. She was composed with ball in hand and worked tirelessly throughout the game to try and will her side into the contest.

Green showcased all of her experience and class on court to make timely leads and used her attacking flair to set up clever plays for the GIANTS. She was a little bit shaky at the start of the game, throwing the ball away with three general play turnovers in the first quarter alone which is unlike her, but credit where credit is due superstar wing defence, Renae Ingles applied immense pressure on Green forcing her to the edges of the court and handling errors. But once Green got into the groove of things she was her vintage self, nailing some bullet like passes into the goal circle and placing the ball perfectly into the shooters. Her stretch and ability to take the ball at full speed is second to none, pushing her body to extreme limits to take and control the ball. Green used her turn of speed well to drive to the top of the circle and use the pockets well to set up angle play for the goalers.

While her attacking play is impressive, the defensive effort she puts in across the court is equally as good credit to her ability to read the play. She almost got a huge intercept in the second term hustling hard for good position on the transverse line and getting hands to ball but the ball trickled out of court before she could regain control. She sent shockwaves throughout the stadium moments later, copping a big knock in the GIANTS attacking third and was helped from the court.

But like the true star she is, Green returned in the third and made her way onto court donning the centre bib. Forced to cover more ground her hands at times were a little bit untidy, forced into silly and uncharacteristic errors, but she made up for it with her three foot marking and clever tips around the circle edge to disrupt the Vixens’ attacking play. She worked hard aerially and at ground level to track the ball and regain possession for her side, hustling for the ball. Green contested for every ball with Kate Moloney and ran with her step for step. She provided good voice out on court and did a truckload of work in transition to move the ball down the court and feed into the circle. She provided constant back-up play for the GIANTS and used her dodges to open up space in the attacking third.