A HUGE table-topping clash opened Round 9 of Suncorp Super Netball, with the Melbourne Vixens and NSW Swifts going head-to-head for the first time this season and the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup. There was a lot on the line for both teams heading into this matchup, with both the Swifts and Vixens hoping to continue their respective dominance with the winner to take top spot and bragging rights at the midway point of the season. It was the Vixens that got the chocolates on this occasion, winning back the trophy and sitting pretty at the top of the ladder after the 63-60 win.

An even start saw neither side skip a beat, with some pinpoint passes from Liz Watson and Maddy Proud opening proceedings. While both sides were winning off their own centre pass, it was the Vixens who managed to get the first break after a really tight start. The Vixens were getting hands to more ball but seemed to be unable to convert the turnover to goals seeing the Swifts tie up the scores at eight goals apiece by the midway point of the quarter. The battle between Helen Housby and Jo Weston was always going to be a huge battle and it did not disappoint, with both players playing a significant role early and a handy Housby goal off a turnover taking the Swifts to a two-goal lead. A change in goal attack saw Tegan Philip on for Caitlin Thwaites just prior to the super shot period, with the tight battle continuing.

Tight full court defence was the name of the game, limiting speed through the midcourt and delaying setup around circle edge. Watson and Paige Hadley stayed toe-to-toe, with the due unable to be split across the court and using their respective ability to transition between both attack and defence with ease to create a tantalising circle edge contest. While the Vixens continued to create turnovers, the Swifts were far better taking advantage of the Vixens’ errors, seeing the Swifts ahead by one goal at the first change. 

Maddy Turner joined Sarah Klau at the defensive end to start the second, with the more predictable defensive end giving the Vixens a look in and Mwai Kumwenda having a blinder against Klau. A couple of wasted Swifts opportunities saw the Vixens grab a few in a row and a 7-3 start to the term. But the Vixens could not afford to get comfortable, with the Swifts one of the best teams when it comes to fighting back to a lead. A tactical timeout saw Sophie Garbin enter the court in goal attack, picking up the loose ball immediately while Tayla Fraser took the court in centre not long after. Sam Wallace was a force to be reckoned with at the post, finding the ball with ease and winning the battle against Emily Mannix.

The Swifts defence switched on after the tactical timeout, clogging up the Vixens attack and forcing a lot of chipping around the goal circle. Suddenly a six-goal lead had dribbled down to three as Swifts put a couple goals on the board and their changes seem to pay dividends, causing Simone McKinnis to call a timeout of her own with just over five minutes left in the quarter. The timeout saw Thwaites and Housby both head back to the goal attack position for their respective teams, but it was the Swifts that benefited off the timeout with a turnover, goal and super shot to take a two goal lead. Suddenly it looked like the Swifts were well in control, seeing McKinnis sub in Kadie-Ann Dehaney to try and limit Wallace’s huge impact. The seesawing quarter did not let up, seeing the Vixens even up the ledger come half-time at 30 goals apiece.

A massive second half started with a Swifts centre pass and resulting goal, with a change for Hadley rotating into centre opening up the attack-line well. Continuous hustle from both sides saw very little easy ball getting into the circle, with neither side able to cleanly get ball away and using the rolling subs liberally. Klau had a great start to the quarter shutting Kumwenda down fairly well but Thwaites was there to mop up the scraps and added a few goals to her tally to keep the Vixens in the game. While the switch of Hadley into centre paid dividends for the Swifts offence, it allowed Watson to do what she does best in attack, opening up space and adjusting her feed into the circle. The two sides refused to be split, with both sides winning off their own centre pass and trading blows. But it was the Vixens that eventually got the break with five minutes on the clock, maintaining it for the remainder of the quarter for a four goal lead at the final change despite a super shot from Wallace. While Kate Eddy had been quiet early, her third quarter was immense, using her great arms over pressure to impact continuously. 

A huge seesawing matchup all came down to the final term, and if the earlier quarters were anything to go off it would be a thriller. Another even start saw neither side skip a beat, with what looked like calf pain to Housby from friendly fire throwing an early spanner in the works. Both sides continued to fire from all cylinders, with little getting in their way but for an untimely offensive contact from Kumwenda seeing the Swifts gain two goals back. 

It was Briony Akle who made the change this time, putting Lauren Moore into goal keeper and Klau out to goal defence, with a huge height difference between Klau and Philip. Patience through the midcourt was the play of the day, with neither side overly hasty with ball in hand or forcing super shots. The two goal shooters continued to win their respective contests, though all four defenders were continuously working hard to create turnovers. While it had been Hadley and Watson to watch early, it was one between Proud and Kate Moloney that took much of the centre stage in the final quarter with neither player willing to give an inch and going hard for every ball. Suddenly two super shots to Wallace saw a four-goal margin, with huge amount of defensive pressure forcing a midcourt error from Watson and suddenly the Swifts had a sniff and just one goal down with under two minutes on the clock. While the Vixens were happy to chip away with the single goals, the Swifts were prepared to take risks with the super shot. Patience down court won out for the Vixens, wasting forty seconds of the last minute chipping away down court and holding on under pressure for a hard fought three-goal win (63-60). 

Kumwenda and Wallace were both huge to post, with both players putting up the exact same shooting stats – 45 goals from 50 attempts – with Wallace managing three super shots to lead the court tally. Watson was the difference for the Vixens with a whopping 37 goal assists from 53 feeds, with Moloney and Nat Haythornthwaite both next in line with 15 apiece. A full court defence from both sides saw 36 deflections across the court, with Dehaney leading the charge with seven (two to advantage) and four other players managing four deflections apiece, including player of the match Weston, who finished with five gains from four deflections and an intercept, also managing five pickups. While not a stats-stuffing performance, Hadley was also huge racking up two intercepts.

>>>VIXENS TEAM PAGE
>>>SWIFTS TEAM PAGE
>>>FULL MATCH STATS

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MELBOURNE VIXENS 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 (63)
NSW SWIFTS 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 (60)

Vixens

GS: Mwai Kumwenda
GA: Caitlin Thwaites
WA: Lizzy Watson
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Emily Mannix

Swifts

GS: Sam Wallace
GA: Helen Housby
WA: Nat Haythornthwaite
C: Maddy Proud
WD: Paige Hadley
GD: Lauren Moore
GK: Sarah Klau