The win was the Vixens’ third in a row and was built on a fast-paced brand of netball the brave Swifts were unable to match.
Both sides were dealt injury problems during the week, with the Vixens losing goalkeeper Emily Mannix to a dislocated finger while the Swifts will have to play out their season without young gun Claire O’Brien who ruptured her Achilles tendon.
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Swifts
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MATCH-UP
The Numbers
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Vixens
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28
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Mins. in Possession
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31
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9
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Gain
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20
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5
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Intercepts
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10
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18
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Deflections
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19
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95
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Goal Shooting %
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94
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It was unclear how the Vixens would respond to the loss of Mannix, but they responded emphatically with her replacement Kadie-Ann Dehaney finishing with three intercepts in a willing performance at the back.
The win was largely constructed around excellent ball movement, with Nissan MVP Liz Watson finishing with a game-high 40 assists, while centre Kate Moloney had 17.
The match started at a cracking pace with the goals flowing freely and the Vixens taking an early 7-4 advantage with goal shooter Mwai Kumwenda routinely working outside of the goal circle to feed goal attack Tegan Philip.
While the loss of Mannix cannot be understated for the Vixens, Dehaney was sublime in the first quarter. She routinely got a hand to the ball as Melbourne eased out to a 14-7 advantage.
The Swifts came roaring back into the contest, though, with Sam Wallace shooting flawlessly from the front and the Vixens called a timeout to talk it over late in the quarter. Ultimately the visitors took a 20-16 lead into the first break.
Watson was dishing off assists at will for the Vixens, with 20 by the midway point of the second quarter, but the Swifts remained within arm’s reach as Wallace’s perfect 20/20 kept them just three goals in arrears.
The Vixens ramped up the match speed again to produce a big finish to the quarter, running the Swifts off their feet to take a 37-29 advantage into halftime.
That lead pushed out to as many as 11 in the third quarter as the Swifts struggled to find answers to match the Vixens energy and ball movement precision. A three-goal blitz from Wallace helped stem the flow and Helen Housby denied the Vixens the bonus point for the third quarter, with a late shot from long range, but still the Swifts trailed 52-44 heading into the final quarter.
The Vixens again surged to open the final quarter, pushing the lead back out to 12. The Swifts fought hard to the finish, though, with a four-goal run ensuring they took a bonus point out of the match for their efforts.
Q1: Swifts 16 v Vixens 20
Q2: Swifts 13 v Vixens 17
Q3: Swifts 15 v Vixens 15
Q4: Swifts 14 v Vixens 13
Suncorp Super Netball premiership points
Vixens 6
Swifts 1
*No bonus point awarded for drawn third quarter
Swifts shooting statistics
Sam Wallace 48/50
Helen Housby 10/11
Vixens shooting statistics
Mwai Kumwenda 37/39
Tegan Philip 28/30
Swifts starting seven
GS: Sam Wallace, GA: Helen Housby, WA: Paige Hadley, C: Maddy Proud, WD: Abbey McCulloch, GD: Maddy Turner, GK: Sarah Klau
Vixens starting seven
GS: Mwai Kumwenda, GA: Tegan Philip, WA: Liz Watson, C: Kate Moloney, WD: Renae Ingles, GD: Jo Weston, GK: Kadie-Ann Dehaney
Nissan MVP: Liz Watson
