The key takeaways from round four

VIXENS’ SLUGGISH STARTS 
 
The Melbourne Vixens were too good for the Sunshine Coast Lightning at home over the weekend but there’s an issue the side will need to deal with before it starts to become a bigger problem.  
 
In three of the four matches so far, the Vixens have been slow to start. 

Down by only two goals at half time the scoreline was more flattering to the Vixens given they used the Suncorp Super Shots to narrow the margin while the Lightning were yet to use the two-point shot. 

The Vixens sit second on the ladder but they’ve struggled to string together a convincing four-quarter performance so far this season. Still not looking at their best the team will need to find some more consistency as their opponents find their groove and gain momentum. 

The momentum shift for the Vixens on the weekend came as Kate Eddy entered the court. 
 

Often the unsung hero of the side, Eddy’s impact on the court was immediate with her defensive pressure slowing the speed of the Lightning alongside teammates Kate Moloney and Liz Watson who moved into their more familiar positions of centre and wing attack respectively. 

The Vixens’ defensive end was the difference for them on the weekend with all four shooters on court’s accuracy in the nineties, it was the Vixens ability to slow the play and hunt for gains in the second half that spearheaded them to victory. 

The Vixens are yet to lose a fourth quarter but those slow starts could start to haunt them as the season progresses.  
 
GIANTS’ MAIDEN WIN 

In a close Easter Sunday match the GIANTS finally recorded their first win of the season. 

The GIANTS and Thunderbirds were close throughout their clash on the weekend, however, it was the GIANTS who looked in control when the pressure was on and when it mattered most in the final quarter. 
 
Jo Harten and Sophie Dwyer put on a Suncorp Super Shot clinic in the final quarter looking at ease while slotting in the goals that would enable them to take a comfortable lead in the final few minutes of the match after trailing at the start of the fourth quarter. 
 
The pressure from Amy Parmenter throughout the match was suffocating with the wing defence tallying up four gains and two intercepts. Her shutdown speed forced the Thunderbirds to pass the ball around often before feeding into the circle. While Maddie Hay lifted the side in the attacking end of the midcourt with a standout 47 feeds. 
 

The Thunderbirds were good throughout the match and put up a good fight, however, having lost their last two matches in tight contests the GIANTS were more determined to not let the win slip away and they completely controlled that final quarter scoring 18 goals to 10.  
 
Not strangers to a slow season start the question now is whether the GIANTS' win against the Thunderbirds is the start of their march up the ladder or will the Magpies get the better of them this weekend?  
 
FEVER STAMP AUTHORITY 
 
The reigning premiers added another win to their tally for 2023 with a convincing 11-goal win over the NSW Swifts.  
 
It wasn’t completely smooth sailing for the Fever though with the side losing their first opening quarter of the season with the Swifts keeping up with them for the first half of the match. 

But their dominance in the third quarter was undeniable and their potential to play that well should have the other teams on notice and wary of the damage the Fever can do. 
 
Dan Ryan’s decision to move Jess Anstiss into the centre position paid dividends with her defensive mindset and agility assisting the Fever in finding another level through the midcourt.  
 

This paired with the defensive trio of Sunday Aryang, Kim Jenner and Courtney Bruce provided the side the opportunity to score and with the sharp shooting of Jhaniele Fowler and Sasha Glasgow in the goal circle the Fever converted all of their gains in the third and a total of 12 for the match compared to the Swifts' three.  
 
The Fever’s ability to apply pressure while staying in play was also exceptional in the third term with only seven penalties to the Swifts 21, if the Fever are able to apply that clean pressure across four quarters and with Fowler and Glasgow only missing a combined four goals for the match they’re going to be extremely hard for any side to defeat in 2023. 
 
It's still early in the season, however, the prospect of the Fever going back-to-back looks more convincing with every match.