Versatile Vixens surge in fortress

By Phina Newton

In front of a home crowd with the likes of Hannah Mundy and Jo Weston able to play freely, the Melbourne Vixens were able to overpower the Queensland Firebirds.

It was a tight and fast-paced first quarter, both teams confident in their attack. The Vixens moved the ball quickly up the court, they presented multiple options and were able to find the right one time after time. Their moving circle style assisted in this, their agility a different look to what the Firebirds were up against last week.

Down the other end, Donnell Wallam was having her way one-on-one with Emily Mannix. Tippah Dwan was doing well to draw Weston out to ensure the circle was free for her GS, she only took three shots herself.

Sophie Garbin was the target for the Vixens, Firebirds’ defenders were applying plenty of pressure and were able to grab rebounds off any missed shots.

Neither team had much luck from the super shot range, Kiera Austin nailing the first and only one in the final minute.

After a relatively even start, the Vixens dominated this second quarter. Their looks were a lot cleaner, they stayed disciplined to send the ball down the middle and both shooters found their rhythm, shooting at a higher percentage than in the first.

The biggest difference between teams this quarter was the predictability of the Firebirds, whose only option seemed to be the long feed into Wallam. Whereas, the Vixens had a variety of options, and the Firebirds' defenders were kept guessing. This is where the lead started to branch out, and the Firebirds were forced to make some changes.

Emily Moore was put in for Dwan, in what was her first minutes of the season. However, it was not the shooters that were the problem, the Firebirds continuously threw the ball away in the midcourt, the likes of Weston was able to creep out and earn intercepts for her team.

Wallam was able to nail a couple of super shots but it was too late – the lead had snuck out to 10 for the Vixens heading into the half.

The beginning of the third quarter saw a few position changes for the Firebirds, but it was not the start that they were after, and it looked as if the Vixens might run away with it.

The Vixens may have gotten a little ahead of themselves however, and as the physicality lifted, the Firebirds showed no plans of going away. Some sustained pressure saw them win more ball and it was Moore who proved to be a great call from Firebirds' coaching staff. She shot at 100 per cent for the quarter and was able to sink two super shots once the Power 5 siren sang. The margin was now only seven goals and a comeback was within reach.

Despite their hard-fought effort to remain in the game, the experienced Vixens team proved too strong for the Firebirds. Down the stretch, it was the familiarity they had with each other that allowed them to push ahead and take over the game.

Both teams went head-to-head defensively, but offensively, the Firebirds struggled in attack. Despite their impressive accuracy, it was their volume that proved insufficient.