Vixens injury blow as midcourt star Hannah Mundy sidelined with a stress-related foot injury
The Melbourne Vixens are on a five-game winning streak as they storm towards the Super Netball finals, but they have now been dealt a big injury blow.
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Melbourne Vixens’ charge towards the Super Netball finals has been dealt a major blow with midcourt star Hannah Mundy set to be sidelined for an extended period with a stress-related foot injury.
Mundy was ruled out of last week’s round 11 win over the Sunshine Coast Lighting and now the Vixens have revealed the wing attack’s recovery from the injury was likely to extend towards the end of the 2025 season.
The 24-year-old, the daughter of former Diamonds’ star wing attack Shelley O’Donnell, has been in strong form for the Vixens and was ranked fourth in the competition for feeds and goal assists before the injury ruled her out last week.
The Vixens’ 11th player, 20-year-old midcourter Tara Watson, will again come into the game day team for Sunday’s clash against the Adelaide Thunderbirds at John Cain Arena.
In the Vixens’ favour, they have a strong replacement in midcourt young gun Zara Walters to slot into Mundy’s position.
The Vixens sit third on the Super Netball ladder with three rounds remaining in the regular season.
Netball Victoria’s general manager of high performance and pathways Sharelle McMahon said the club was not yet putting a timeline on Mundy’s return.
“This is obviously disappointing news for Hannah, she’s been performing strongly for us all season and having a real impact,” McMahon said.
“Hannah’s in great hands with our world-class medical team, and we know she’ll continue to play an important role for our group as she works through her recovery.
“We’re not putting a specific timeline on her return at this stage, as the nature of this kind of injury means Hannah will be working through an ongoing monitoring and reloading process, but we look forward to welcoming her back on court when the time comes.”
But McMahon said she was excited for the opportunity it opened up for Watson.
“The silver lining of circumstances like these is that it provides an opportunity for emerging talent, and I’m excited to see Tara stepping up into the game day team,” McMahon said.
“Tara’s another great talent from our Victorian pathway, she’s come into the Vixens training environment with a fantastic work ethic and her game has grown a lot already this year, so this next step is an opportunity for her to keep developing and soaking up all the experience around her.”
The Vixens are on a five-game winning streak, which included victory over the ladder-leading New South Wales Swifts.
Meanwhile, the Queensland Firebirds have ruled out goal attack Tippah Dwan for the rest of the season.
Dwan has been sidelined since round four with a knee injury and the club said the call had been made for her to sit out the remaining three games of the season based on updated medial advice.
Samoa international Abigail Latu-Meafou will continue as Dwan’s replacement for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been a very difficult time for Tippah who has been working diligently alongside our medical staff,” Firebirds’ head coach Kiri Wills said.
“As a club we’ll be wrapping our arms around Tippah and doing all we can to support her.”
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Originally published as Vixens injury blow as midcourt star Hannah Mundy sidelined with a stress-related foot injury
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