Vixens win bragging rights

By Phina Newton.

The first of the Sunday games saw not just a new team in the mix, but a new rivalry begin as well.

The Melbourne Derby between the Melbourne Vixens and the Melbourne Mavericks was as exciting as expected. A relatively close game, the momentum swung throughout, but the game showed the difficulties a completely new team and line-up can face – albeit talented, clearly the Mavericks need more time playing together.

It was the Melbourne Vixens who got off to a good start, the new combination of Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin working well in the goal circle – the aim being to feed it into Garbin. She relished her opportunity to be the GS, rather than the GA as she was in last year’s team, and she finished the first quarter as the leader scorer with 12/13.

For the Melbourne Mavericks, it was their GA who was proving to be a problem, Gabi Sinclair carried the scoring output for the Mavericks, while the Vixens put their efforts into stopping Cardwell. To start, Rudi Ellis was giving her everything, and her effort plays were paying off. Her new role at the Vixens only fuelling her confidence, she used her arm length to put doubt in the feeders’ minds.

While Sinclair held her own in the goal circle, she was subbed off to begin the second quarter, Rolene Streutker put on as GS and Cardwell moved to GA. This combination was likely an effort to confuse the Vixens and force them to change their defensive strategy, however, it offered little. Sinclair was put back on with Cardwell, but her confidence was already damaged, and she started to hesitate on her shots. The momentum of the Mavericks started to waver.

In the first quarter, the Vixens wanted to be clinical, but in doing so were often stagnant. The second term saw them fix their angles and connect better, leading them to find the circle’s edge. Defensively, they were able to cut down their penalties, from 22 in the first to 12 in the second.

Despite being the more experienced team of the two, the Vixens faced injuries with Hannah Mundy and Jo Weston, meaning the young Zara Walters was able to debut and get valuable minutes under her belt. She appeared to transition seamlessly, her feeds into Garbin and Austin perfectly timed, as she led both teams with goal assists – 26 to her name.

While the margin at each break often bore the same number, throughout each quarter the game ebbed and flowed, however, it was primarily the Vixens who were in control. Other than in the first term, the Mavericks trailed for the entire game and were constantly chasing. While the urgency was there for them to win ball, they were unable to capitalise at the other end, either turning the ball over or unable to finish shots. Kim Jenner showed determination in going after the ball, but was only successful on a few occasions, and was otherwise hit with a penalty. Amy Parmenter showed similar desperation in the second half. She was ruthless in her attacks on ball, she saw everything as an opportunity, pouncing on the ball with no fear of contact.

In the third term, the Mavericks knew they had to make a change. They brought back the pair of Streutker and Cardwell as shooters, a move that could be perceived costly in the long run, but also injected Maisie Nankivell for her first minutes of the game. This provided some solid connection, as she had previous playing experience with Cardwell. It worked for a short period of time, however, the Vixens ensured they clogged the transverse line, forcing the likes of Cardwell to work extra hard to get open. 

Down the other end, Jessie Grenvold got her debut and was doing her best to stem the roll of Garbin. Her energy had impact, she was able to apply pressure and rebound when given the chance, but Garbin proved too strong.

While the Vixens found it a lot easier to feed their shooters and move the ball up the court, the additional effort Cardwell faced being GA, meant that she was more fatigued when shooting and her shots started to fall short – meaning her team couldn’t make the most of their opportunities.

The Vixens may not have blown the lead out, but were clearly the stronger team, their experience prevailing. The Mavericks fought tirelessly until the end, the seven-point margin proving this. Ultimately, this game showed that they cannot rely purely on Cardwell, her fellow shooters needing to provide more movement.