THE final match of Suncorp Super Netball Round 3 saw an intense table-topping clash between the Melbourne Vixens and Sunshine Coast Lightning, with the Vixens coming out with a bang and holding off a hungry Lightning outfit for a massive 63-51 victory to remain undefeated at the top of the ladder. In Kate Moloney’s 100th national league game, the Vixens rallied around their co-captain and put out a stellar first half performance that kept the Lightning at arms length away from a comeback.

An opening goal from Tegan Philip started proceedings, with tight circle defence down both ends proving how split this game would be from the get-go. The height difference – 15cm to be precise – between Kate Eddy and Laura Scherian was evident early, with Eddy getting the early break with her immense hands over pressure. Meanwhile, Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni did a solid job early confusing the space and causing a few turnovers, though the midcourt then coughed up multiple passes allowing the Vixens to extend a lead. The defensive pressure from both sides kept the ball ping-ponging early but the likes of Eddy, Jo Weston and Emily Mannix all racked up early gains with an unmoving attackline stagnant with Steph Wood playing despite carrying a niggling knee injury. With a heap of patience around the circle, the Vixens had all the momentum early with an 8-2 lead and eight minutes left in the first quarter as the Lightning called the first timeout. 

A big change on the frontline saw Wood removed from the court with Cara Koenen in goal attack alongside Peace Proscovia and the high ball into Proscovia paying off immediately and adding a few goals to their tally off a turnover. Credit to the Lightning circle defence, the Vixens were forced to turn back to the transverse line on multiple occasions, although the Lightning were not having much luck either with impressive body on body defensive pressure forcing the Lightning to chip away the scoreline despite the super shot period beginning. A few wins off Vixens centre passes saw the Lightning begin to turn the tables, taking the scoreline back to just three goals. The Vixens vision down the court paid off, with Liz Watson and Weston unafraid of the wind up pass and fake into the circle, drawing Maweni away from the post and seeing Caitlin Thwaites finish the first with a super shot to drag the lead back out to five at the first break.

A Lightning centre pass to begin the second saw the side put a score on the board to start the quarter before the Vixens reciprocated with one of their own, but were held up through the midcourt with Laura Scherian’s speed and Jacqui Russell’s hustle forcing a patient approach to circle edge. Weston’s hard work through the midcourt continued to pay off, also holding Koenen well and denying any easy ball at the post. Philip’s confidence improved as the time continued, with an 11-goal lead suddenly seeing the Vixens well in control.

Defensive hustle from the Lightning saw sparks of what the side is capable of, with a held ball call on Watson seeing the ball rocket back the other end for an eventual Wood goal. But follow-up wins from Russell and Laura Langman did not pay off, with the Vixens getting hands to the loose ball and winning on the rebound from an inaccurate Lightning goal circle. The super shot period saw the Vixens draw out their lead as Thwaites and Philip put on a long bomb clinic, and Annika Lee-Jones took the court to put further hands over pressure on the shot. Another huge Russell intercept saw little reward for the Lightning who continued to struggle to find the post. It was only super shot inaccuracy that kept the Lightning in with a chance, credit to the extra height from Lee-Jones, with the 18 goals to eight quarter seeing the Vixens head into half time with a 15-goal lead. 

The Lightning started the third quarter with a shooting accuracy of just 69 per cent and needed to put on the accelerator soon if they were to have a chance at victory. A new-look attacking lineup for the Vixens saw Thwaites start on the bench as Mwai Kumwenda took the court. It takes a lot to send Pretorius to the bench and a different lineup defensively, with Maweni out in the unfamiliar goal defence position while Maddy McAuliffe stepped into centre and Langman sent back to wing defence to shut down Watson. Some better movement in attack saw the Lightning chip away at the scoreline, with Wood beginning to put some goals on the board and feeding much better to Koenen. Debutant Ash Unie took the court for the Lightning, and while she injected a bit more speed into goal defence she just could not match Philip for class with the experienced Vixens goal circle continuing to pay off against the young defensive combination. 

At the other end, Jacqui Newton got her chance on court out in goal defence, giving Weston a rest and on her first hunt almost came up with a huge take, continuing to go looking for the ball but not finding purchase. Pretorius and Maweni returned to the court as the two teams continued to go goal for goal, with the super shot period starting and Kadie-Ann Dehaney rotating into goal keeper. Four consecutive goals – including one super shot – from the Lightning saw the margin narrow once more to 10 goals, seeing the Vixens call their first timeout for the match. The Lightning defence was beginning to really pick up, forcing slow ball movement from the Vixens and dangerous feeds along wing the Lightning to cause some doubt around circle edge. The Lightning still trailed by 11 goals at the final change, but given their steal of momentum late in the quarter they gave Vixens something to think about if they were to maintain top spot. 

A huge final quarter began, with the two sides continuing to go goal for goal as the pressure mounted and errors from both defensive units unable to pick off the loose ball. Better movement in attack from the Lighting saw a couple of crucial goals go their way, with multiple options to the ball paying off where it had struggled to find connections early. Another change up in attack for the Vixens saw Thwaites return to the court for Philip, though the midcourt hunt from the Lightning made it tough for the Vixens to transition down court with their usual speed and precision. As Thwaites drew attention from both defenders, Kumwenda had a blinding start to the quarter, and the final five minutes saw the Vixens with a 13-goal lead but the super shot paying dividends for Wood to reduce the margin. Some clever ball movement kept the Lightning in the match but tight defence limited long range shots from the side, as Mannix racked up a heap of turnover ball with her clean footwork to block access to Koenen. A massive effort from the Vixens saw a huge 12 goal margin to finish the match, defeating the hungry Lightning 66-48.

The Vixens racked up a heap more penalties than the Lightning but their ability to win ball back paid off, with new centurion Moloney winning player of the match for her efforts with 13 assists and an intercept, opening up space time and time again for Watson (26 assists from 43 feeds). It was another shared effort from the goaling trio with Kumwenda leading the charge (21 goals from 23 attempts) and Philip (19 at 76 per cent accuracy) and Thwaites (17 at 71 per cent) both shooting three super shots apiece. Mannix was huge with seven gains (three intercepts, three deflections and a rebound) while Weston racked up six pickups to go with her three gains. For the Lightning, Pretorius and Wood led the charge with Pretorius’s three gains (two intercepts) and Wood’s ability to impact both in and out of the circle (13 goal assists, two pickups and 11 goals at 65 per cent) keeping the Lightning in touch on the scoreboard. Koenen carried much of the shooting load with 30 from 34, while Scherian aided on circle edge well with 13 assists.

>>>VIXENS TEAM PAGE
>>>LIGHTNING TEAM PAGE
>>>FULL MATCH STATS

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MELBOURNE VIXENS 16 | 18 | 15 | 14 (63)
SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 11 | 8 | 19 | 13 (51)

STARTING SEVEN:

Vixens

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

Lightning

GS: Peace Proscovia
GA: Steph Wood
WA: Laura Scherian
C: Laura Langman
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
GD: Karla Pretorius
GK: Phumza Maweni