IN a match that could have completely changed up the ladder, the final match of Suncorp Super Netball’s Round 7 saw a hard slog and an ugly win to the Melbourne Vixens, defeating Adelaide Thunderbirds by seven goals (50-43) in what was a much tighter contest than the final margin suggested. While last time the two sides met the Thunderbirds came from behind for victory, it was theVixens who flipped the switch for the win this time around to remain at the top of the ladder.

A confident start from the whole Vixens attack unit saw the side start strong but it went much the same for the Thunderbirds, with neither side willing to take any major risks from the get-go. While Shamera Sterling had the Vixens’ number last time they met, the Melbourne side was patient early with Caitlin Thwaites doing a heap of work driving out the top of the circle to negate Sterling’s ability to impact on the cross court ball. But the Jamaican keeper was quick to adjust, gobbling up a couple of sloppy passes as fellow goal keeper Emily Mannix also had a stellar start.

While the Vixens were suffering minor errors out the front due to the hands over pressure from Layla Guscoth, the Thunderbirds were hasty out the front, racing down the court and allowing thee Vixens to get a hand in. While the Vixens seemed to have much of the momentum early, extending a 6-2 lead, soon enough the Thunderbirds had evened up the ledger thanks to the lethal combination of Chelsea Pitman and Lenize Potgieter. With a heap of messiness from both sides and a lot of predictable movements, a tactical timeout was called by the Vixens.

With so much of the match going goal for goal after the Vixens’ strong start, the worst case scenario happened, with a rolled ankle to Sterling during the super shot period forcing a change with Kate Shimmin taking the court in her place. But that only seemed to spur on the Thunderbirds, extending a solid lead thanks to constant hands over pressure forcing held ball calls left, right and centre, with the work rate from Shadine van der Merwe keeping Liz Watson off circle edge paying dividends for the Thunderbirds. They had a solid five goal lead heading into the second quarter, with an enticing battle to come.

Fortunately for the Thunderbirds, Sterling returned to the court after the first break, while the Vixens shuffled their attack with Mwai Kumwenda taking the court in shooter as Thwaites stepped out to goal attack. Sitting at 100 per cent accuracy, the Thunderbirds may have been fumbling down court but were hitting the scoreboard with ease. There was plenty of frustration emanating from the scrappy Vixens, with Watson being blocked on every drive by van der Merwe and sending the side scrambling in attack.

A huge matchup through the centre between Kate Moloney and Maisie Nankivell saw neither player give an inch, wrestling for possession as the Thunderbirds went for every single ball that came their way. But while the Vixens were not always able to take advantage of their opportunities, the side was still managing to win back a heap of ball and continued to edge back the margin. But the Thunderbirds continued to have all the momentum, blocking the Vixens’ clean drives through the midcourt and holding up against the star-studded midcourt. A huge last few minutes saw the momentum swing the Vixens’ way but the Thunderbirds managed to keep their noses in front, ahead by four goals at the main break.

A huge second half was brewing, if the defensive effort in the first 30 minutes was anything to go by, with the lowest half time scores for the season so far with 44 goals scored. The two sides started the third term much the same as the first, seeing the Vixens chip away at the margin for a one goal deficit across the first few minutes and holding up Nankivell and Pitman in attack. After that early run though the scoreline ebbed and flowed relatively evenly once more, while Sasha Glasgow joined the fray out in goal attack and made an impact immediately with a great grab off balance. Glasgow put up her 500th career goal as the Thunderbirds fought back control, edging out to a four goal lead once more. 

A goal from Tegan Philip levelled the score for the first time since the first quarter – returning to the court after a shaky start – with another goal following as the Vixens extended a five goal run before the Thunderbirds could put a stop to it. With the super shot period came an opportunity for both teams to lift offensively, but it was the two goal keepers that did the job, picking up a gain apiece while Sterling’s impressive lean saw the keeper collect another deflection over Philip’s shot. With scores level at three quarter time, only time would tell which team could pull out a victory in such a seesawing contest.

A great Vixens start to the final quarter – credit to Mannix once more – saw the Vixens start with another solid run, putting five goals on the board completely unanswered despite continued pressure from van der Merwe around circle edge and up the court. It was Thwaites’ influence that kicked it up a notch, while small errors from Hannah Petty and the attacking unit of the Thunderbirds sloppy on the feed. Soon enough Petty headed to the bench with Nankivell back in centre, but with the Vixens dominating time in possession the Thunderbirds needed to really lift out the front. 

As the Vixens looked like they were about to run away with it, the Thunderbirds’ defence stepped up once more with both sides desperate for the loose ball and much of it going to the Thunderbirds thanks to the effort of Sterling on the deflection and hunt of Nankivell on the chase. With a three goal margin, the two sides could not be split since the Vixens’ run, with the Thunderbirds just too good at predicting the side’s movement down court. What the Thunderbirds were doing so well was the constant pressure around circle edge, not allowing any easy ball into the Vixens shooters and allowing Moloney to take speedy drives but blocking vision and drives once she had ball in hand. But it was the Vixens who were able to maintain control after their earlier comeback, chipping away and taking advantage of opportunities better as the Thunderbirds attracted more and more whistle. Experience and connections paid off for the Vixens, as they ran out seven-goal victors, 50-43 after a hard slog. 

Player of the match Mannix was monumental, registering eight intercepts and 10 deflections (two to advantage) while Sterling was on fire as per usual with nine gains (five intercepts, four deflections). Jo Weston (four gains) and van der Merwe (two intercepts) both had their moments – and van der Merwe’s effort limiting Watson (27 assists) to no end, effectively allowing the Thunderbirds to maintain control for much of the first half. While Kate Eddy was quiet stats-wise, she did a heap of work to limit Pitman’s access to circle edge, seeing the wing attack rack up just the 13 assists and seven turnovers. Looking to the goalers, Thwaites topscored with 30 from 32 with Potgieter just behind her shooting 29 from 31, while Philip finished with 14 goals after a shaky start and Horjus put up nine at 69 per cent accuracy.

>>>THUNDERBIRDS TEAM PAGE
>>>VIXENS TEAM PAGE
>>>FULL MATCH STATS

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ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS 14 | 10 | 12 | 7 (43)
MELBOURNE VIXENS 9 | 11 | 16 | 14 (50)

Thunderbirds

GS: Lenize Potgieter
GA: Georgie Horjus
WA: Chelsea Pitman
C: Maisie Nankivell
WD: Shadine van der Merwe
GD: Layla Guscoth
GK: Shamera Sterling

Magpies

GS: Caitlin Thwaites
GA: Tegan Philip
WA: Liz Watson
C: Kate Moloney
WD: Kate Eddy
GD: Jo Weston
GK: Emily Mannix