Vixens have taken out the minor premiership in the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball competition.
Finishing the regular season on a high, the Vixens defeated the West Coast Fever 68-42 in their highest winning margin of the season.
The Vixens displayed their tight, sharp shooting style that we’ve seen all season, leading the Perth side from the first whistle.
A powerful opening quarter saw the Vixens hold a 10-point lead at the first change, with GA Tegan Phillips leading the way as the highest scorer on court at the end of the first quarter.
Defensive duo, Emily Mannix and Jo Weston, wreaked havoc on the Fever throughout the second half restricting West Coast captain, Natalie Medhurst, to just three goals.
Despite tactical changes from the Fever at half-time, the Melbourne Vixens continued to dominate play in the second half taking their lead out to 12 goals heading into the final quarter.
The Vixens took the opportunity to make several tactical changes in the final term, bringing Khao Watts into WA and Kadie-Ann Dehaney into GK. The changes helped the Vixens power aheadscoring a whopping 22 goals and restricting the Fever to a mere 8, widening the margin to 27 goals, the highest of the match.
Although the Fever managed to score one last time in the final 30 seconds of the match, the Vixens comfortably took the win with a 68-42 result, securing the minor premiership and their spot in the major semi-final.
Jo Weston was named MVP for the match, with an impressive 4 intercepts, 3 deflections and 5 gains.
The Melbourne Vixens Head Coach, Simone McKinnis, said she was pleased with the team’s performance tonight and throughout the season.
“I’m really pleased for them and I’m pleased that they have been able to realise how good they can be,” McKinnis said.
“I think we worked hard and we earnt that top spot.”
The minor premiership victory sees the Vixens win a homecourt advantage next weekend in the major semi-final against Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Image: Herald Sun
