The Vixens have had three tough away fixtures back-to-back and have hit a dip in form – losing to both Sunshine Coast Lightning and Giants Netball in the last two rounds.
Today they host a high-flying West Coast Fever and will need all the fan support they can get to help them defeat the Rebel Sport ladder’s current leaders.
Mannix said, “It’ll be really nice to get back home with all our supporters and fans there cheering us on – we’ve missed that support, no one has really been cheering for us the past few weeks, so it’ll be really nice to have that back.
“I love the energy from the fans, especially being a defender as you don’t get a lot but when you do, and the crowd gets behind you it definitely sparks you on and gives you that confidence to keep at it and go again and again."
“When the arena is filled up it’s amazing, with nearly everyone cheering you when you do something good in a close match – it’s a special feeling and you get a little burst of energy when it happens.”
Mannix has her work cut out this weekend, going up against an in-form Fever attacking line-up that boasts the competition’s leading goal-scorer, Jhaniele Fowler.
Despite the opposition, Mannix insists that it’s important for the Vixens to focus on their own game and what they need to do right this afternoon in order to walk away with the honours.
She said, “We’ve not had a huge focus on them and have mainly been working on our own defensive work for the weekend – just looking at it a little bit differently than what we usually would.
“We been practicing different things that work outside the circle and have had a big focus on our attackers when they’re in defence, which will be vital.
The Vixens will be looking to get back to playing the kind of netball they produced in the early rounds of the season, where they won three out of the first four games.
Catch the action live at 3PM (AEST) on Channel 9 today or via the Netball Live app.
