LAST time the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Melbourne Vixens met saw a comfortable win by the Vixens and a 16-goal margin that the Thunderbirds were unwilling to submit to again. The six-goal victory this time around was not the margin the Vixens wanted for Tegan Philip’s milestone game – overtaking Bianca Chatfield for the most games at the club – but it was a win all the same, which the Vixens needed coming back from the Netball World Cup, sitting in third on the ladder.

A big late exclusion for the Thunderbirds saw Maria Folau pulled out of the lineup ahead of the match, with Victorian Fury’s Emma Ryde pulled into the fray. Meanwhile, Vixens fan favourites Mwai Kumwenda and Kim Commane were selected for the side’s extended lineup, though neither player took the court. It was a very defensive first half, with the Vixens getting a handy lead early in the first before the Thunderbirds found some form thanks to the defensive prowess and long arms of Kate Shimmin and Shamera Sterling. While it did not look it on the scoreboard, the Thunderbirds made the Vixens work for every ball into the circle, finding difficulty using the space and giving away too many easy balls. Down the other end, despite the late exclusion of star goaler, Folau, it seemed to be business as usual in attack for the Thunderbirds with Sasha Glasgow rotating well with Cody Lange. However despite relative ease getting into the circle, the likes of Jo Weston and Emily Mannix did their best to cause issues, forcing the Thunderbirds to shoot from distance and denying easy rebounds.

With a four-goal margin at the end of the first, the Vixens had the lead but were unable to extend it to their full capacity with the relatively young Thunderbirds side unwilling to let the game slip away. The two sides went goal for goal in the second, with both sides capitalising off their own centre passes and turnover after turnover denying opportunity to both extend and reduce the lead. Late replacement and ex-Vixens training partner Ryde took the court in goal shooter and proved an instant threat to the Vixens, with her height and strength making her a difficult target to stop at the post, forcing a final minutes change to the Vixens lineup with Kadie-Ann Dehaney taking the court in goal keeper. While the ball started moving more smoothly in attack for the Thunderbirds, it was another story altogether for the Vixens whose movement seemed stilted, with hesitance letting go of the ball a big issue with the likes of Sterling and Shimmin finding plenty of air ball. While the Vixens’ telltale cleanliness and patience eventually worked the ball into the circle, the side was fortunate that the Thunderbirds were not scoring well off turnover opportunities. The mostly even quarter saw the Vixens finally break away towards the end of the term, extending the margin to six goals thanks to the defensive effort of Dehaney on Ryde, with the pair teammates in the Australian Netball League. While the Vixens had more scoring opportunities, the Thunderbirds shot true with 100 per cent accuracy in the second compared to the Vixens’ 86 per cent.

The second half saw the two sides equalise, with the Vixens unwilling to let go of their lead but the Thunderbirds matching them almost goal for goal, with no bonus points handed out. The third quarter saw a flurry of changes across the court, with both sides fighting for control. The Thunderbirds took a chance on the youth coming through the ranks, with Maisie Nankivell taking the court in wing defence on fresh legs to make work harder for the ailing Liz Watsonin wing attack, while Glasgow put on a show in the goal circle shooting from all over the circle while out in the unfamiliar position of goal attack. The Vixens produced some great turnovers with the help of Renae Ingles using her strength and speed to corner Chelsea Pitman and send the ball back up the court, while Dehaney put out a stellar performance forcing Ryde away from the post and over the goal line time and time again, working well with Mannix and Weston to confuse the space. A tactical timeout with four minutes left in the quarter saw Kelly Altmann take the court for Hannah Petty with Shadine Van Der Merwe re-taking the court in goal defence, while the Vixens made an unprecedented change in attack with Caitlin Thwaites switching into goal attack as Philip sat back in goal shooter, with the aim to use Philip’s stellar footwork to open up the circle and run Sterling off her feet in defence. A last ditch effort from Dehaney denied a bonus point to the Thunderbirds, with the Vixens scraping by with the narrowest of saves before the whistle.

The final quarter saw the Thunderbirds get so close yet so far once more, unable to steal away a bonus point once more, with the clinical Vixens going back to basics to scrape the win. The Thunderbirds continued their form in getting young players out on court, emptying their bench with young defender Chelsea Blackman taking on Thwaites for the final five minutes, looking to win the bonus point rather than the match but unable to finish with the win or bonus point. Player of the Match in her milestone game, Philip lead the goaling tally with 33 goals from 40 attempts, almost matched by Thwaites with 30 from 33. Despite a quiet game for the most part, Watson came away with 27 assists from 43 feeds and 31 centre pass receives, combining well with captain, Kate Moloney who finished with 25 assists from 34 feeds and three pickups. Defensively, Ingles and Dehaney starred with three intercepts apiece, combining for 10 deflections and followed closely by Mannix with two intercepts. For the Thunderbirds, Glasgow (28 goals from 32) and Ryde (28 goals from 30) paired well to combine for 90 per cent accuracy, fed well by Pitman (18 assists from 29 feeds, 30 centre pass receives). Sterling finished with seven gains and three intercepts, while Nankivell also came up with three gains in her 30 minutes on court.

STARTING SEVEN

MELBOURNE VIXENS
GK | Emily Mannix
GD | Jo Weston
WD | Renae Ingles
C | Kate Moloney
WA | Liz Watson
GA | Tegan Philip
GS | Caitlin Thwaites

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS
GK | Shamera Sterling
GD | Kate Shimmin
WD | Shadine Van Der Merwe
C | Hannah Petty
WA | Chelsea Pitman
GA | Sasha Glasgow
GS | Cody Lange