Super Netball: Vixens seal finals spot in two-point thriller against the Firebirds as Fever lock in top spot
The Vixens survived a nail biting final-quarter push from the wooden spooners to seal their place in the Super Netball finals, as the Fever underlined their premiership favouritism.
The Melbourne Vixens have survived a nail biting final-quarter push from the competition wooden spooners to seal their place in the Super Netball finals.
Outstanding long-range shooting from the Queensland Firebirds in the final super shot period allowed the visitors to claw their way within one point with just a minute left in the match but the Vixens weathered the storm to clinch a 64-62 win that sealed them third place heading into the final fixture and a guaranteed place in the finals.
In what could have been Simone McKinnis’s final match coaching at John Cain Arena - hosting rights for the minor semi-final will be decided in the final round of fixtures - the Vixens raced to a five-goal lead after the first quarter in a performance that seemed to set the tone for a comfortable win.
The Queenslanders were unable to move from the bottom of the ladder but had plenty to play for, with just four players so far contracted for next season and were determined to be disruptors.
They turned the match on its head in a 19-13 second term that handed them a one-point halftime lead and the promise of a grinding match.
The Vixens rebounded again in the third but the game tightened up again when Emily Moore and Abigail Latu-Meafou slotted a combined three super shots in the final term, with the Vixens just getting over the line.
“It was a massive result for us and probably a much better result than how we handled the game last week,” Vixens goaler Kiera Austin said of her side being swamped by the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the final term last week.
“Massive credit to the Firebirds, they came out firing but it was great practice for us to work the ball around in the end and come away with the win.”
DOING IT FOR SIMONE
McKinnis announced weeks ago she will step down from coaching the club at the end of the season and would prefer there’s little fuss around her tenure coming to an end.
But the two-time premiership coach admitted there had been nerves and emotion when she arrived at John Cain Arena for what may have been her last game in charge at the venue.
“Surprisingly, I didn’t know there was but when I arrived today, there was,” McKinnis said of the emotion that flooded her arriving at a match she knew her family and friends had gathered to watch.
“In the game not so much because I was just like, get the job done.”
Vixens captain Kate Moloney said it was important to win not just for the team but for their coach.
“Simone doesn’t like us talking about it too much but it is really important for us - it’s important for us as a team to win, we want to be the best team we can,” Moloney said.
“And on a side note to that is we want to send Simone off on the best note we can. She’s given so much to our club and hopefully we can keep the winning going.”
CRUCIAL VIXENS WIN
Wins to both the Lightning and Thunderbirds on Saturday put the defending premiers and Sunshine Coast side level on points with the Vixens, who needed to beat the Firebirds to lock up a finals spot.
With the Thunderbirds and Lightning playing each other in the final round, one will knock the other out but the Vixens could still lose third place - and hosting rights in the minor semi-final - unless they are able to upset competition favourites West Coast Fever in Perth in the final round.
“It’s a massive game for us and really good prep for us to go into finals,” Austin said of the clash.
“Exciting that that solidified us heading into finals but for us, building on that confidence, trusting each other, letting the ball go, you want to start going on that climb now and I think the girls are putting in some really good efforts, so just keep working along.”
BIRDIES GALLANT IN DEFEAT
The Firebirds extended their unenviable club record run of losses to 11 in a row but there were again promising signs.
Macy Gardner one of just four players signed for next season, was among their best, with 11 goal assists, 20 feeds and two gains in her 50th Super Netball match.
Captain and defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran and imports, defensive midcourter Imogen Allison and shooter Mary Cholhok are the other players whose futures are guaranteed for 2026, while goal attacks Latu-Meafou and Moore did their best in an effort to prove their worth for new contracts.
The Firebirds round out the season with a home match against the NSW Swifts on Sunday.
FEVER SEALS MINOR PREMIERSHIP
West Coast Fever have sealed their first minor premiership and underlined their favouritism for the Super Netball title after a league-record 11th consecutive win.
Heading into the match determined to remedy their slightly wobbly third period, the Fever won the term 20-11 to give themselves an unbeatable 12-point lead heading into the final term, eventually winning 73-56.
While they sit in seventh place on the ladder, the Giants were playing for pride but were among the form teams in the competition heading into the match, having won three of their past four matches since the addition of defender Casey Kopua.
Her match-up against star Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard - reigniting a rivalry that started in the ANZ Championship in New Zealand more than a decade ago and continued on the international scene for the Silver Ferns and Sunshine Girls - was set to be a feature of the match but the Jamaican star won a points victory with 63 goals.
While Fowler-Nembhard poured in the points, the difference was made at the other end of the court, where constant pressure and some poor play from the Giants, who turned over the ball 16 times, starved their shooters of ball.
Diamonds defender Sunday Aryang, who played in both circle defence and in the midcourt after teammate Zoe Cransberg suffered a nasty headknock on the court following a challenge against Jamie-Lee Price, finished with seven gains, including three intercepts and four deflections in an outstanding performance.
“I feel like the previous game it just felt like a hard grind shutting down the opponent I’m on, whereas this game I could look around a bit more and go flying for ball, which was nice,” Aryang said.
The green army turned out in force to watch the Fever seal the minor premiership, with a regular-season record 11,899 fans swarming to RAC Arena in Perth to watch the team seal club history.
Aryang said the team would celebrate - but not for long.
“I think we’ll probably sit in (this feeling) until after this game and then we’ll probably go back to focusing on the next round and just stay locked in for that game as well,” she said.
FEVER DESERVED FAVOURITES
Few would have ranked the Fever favourites to win the title after they lost their opening two games of the season, going down to the NSW Swifts and then Queensland Firebirds.
They were though without talismanic shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, who started the season on the sidelines after a tragic miscarriage in January.
Since her return though, the Fever have not lost, notching a league-record 11th consecutive win with their victory over the Giants.
While it’s not just down to the Jamaican great, she’s the glue holding the team together and giving them enormous confidence and despite the NSW Swifts’ winning run to start the season, they are now short-priced title favourites.
Defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney, who played her 100th game on Sunday, said the Fever, who exited in the first week of the finals last season, were paying attention to the small details this year.
“We want to be relentless and we want to win the hunger battle - the one per centers are definitely a massive importance this year for us to win,” she said.
“I feel like the hustle to get the loose ball, the missed shots of the super shots to get the rebound and take it down court to punish (the opposition), I feel like that’s what’s going to take us into the finals this year.”
PLAYING FOR FUN
The Giants are playing disruptors in the back half of the season and while they eventually went down by 17 points, they took to the challenge of facing the competition favourites with optimism and had plenty of fun on the court.
Kopua and Fowler-Nembhard greeted each other like long lost friends when they ran on to the court but as soon as the opening whistle went, the contest was on.
Like many in the bottom four, the Giants are playing for pride and contracts and their clash against the Mavericks next week in what will be a battle for sixth place, will be keenly fought.
Coach Julie Fitzgerald and co-captain Jo Harten are among those off contract at the end of the season and the club will be looking for clarity around many of its roles.
CRANSBERG SHOWS FEVER DEPTH
While she was forced off court for a HIA she eventually passed following a heavy clash with Price that led to her head crashing into the court, Zoe Cransberg showed Fever coach Dan Ryan she has what it takes if she’s needed in the finals.
With twin and midcourter Jordan Cransberg forced out ahead of the match, Zoe gained the start at centre and didn’t take a backward step against Diamonds midcourter Price.
Fever’s ability to shuffle its players though - shifting captain Jess Anstiss into centre, bringing Aryang out to wing defence and playing Fran Williams in the defensive circle for extended minutes before handing rising star Caitlyn Brown a debut - was a great sign for their continued success.
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