Melbourne Vixens searching for forward spark

MELBOURNE Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg will tinker with her goalers' warm-up this week to find a spark from the start.

Julie Hoornweg

MELBOURNE Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg will tinker with her goalers' warm-up this week to find a spark from the start.

Hoornweg said she had spent the week "talking through some issues" with her shooting department to find a solution to their poor opening and inconsistency.

The Vixens attack was criticised again last weekend for its inability to fire early in their one-goal win over lowly West Coast Fever.

Hoornweg replaced starting goal shooter Kate Beveridge after just one quarter and goal attack Tegan Caldwell at half-time, saying after the match that the team's goalers "didn't stand up".

But the Vixens' coach said the attack end was working through its starting woes.

"We just have to get a better start, we have talked about that," Hoornweg said.

"We'll make another change this week to our warm-up, just a slight change.

"It's just something for the shooters, a little bit of variation for them. They will just get a little bit more movement in the circle."

The most experienced of the Vixens' goalers, Beveridge has slipped behind both Caldwell and rookie Karyn Howarth in the shooting rankings.

But Hoornweg did not want to single out Beveridge, who the week before had played her best game of the season.

The coach backed her to tap into that form again.

"She knows she is not playing as well as she needs to. We have gone back to the basics, reminded her of the things that she is good at and we have got to trust and have confidence in her," she said.

The second-placed Vixens fly to New Zealand on Sunday where they'll spend the week for Monday's clash against Central Pulse and Saturday's against Southern Steel.