Vixens come unstuck to Swifts

With the top three teams essentially locked in, the Vixens were playing for a chance at top spot heading into the finals in three weeks.

A shaky start set the Vixens up for the game, unable to get within reach of the Swifts. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Vixens managed their only bonus point, winning the quarter by two goals.

A physical game from the get-go, Weston, Mannix and Dehaney rotated in the defensive circle while Mwai Kumwenda replaced Caitlin Thwaites in the second quarter in an effort to defeat Klau.

Vixens’ defender, Emily Mannix said the team was disappointed in the loss, particularly in the lead up to finals.

“It was a disappointing loss, and we do put pressure on ourselves because we know that we’re better than that,” said Mannix.

“That game didn’t reflect what kind of team we are, and we’re disappointed with that leading into the backend of the season.

“It’s taken us too long to get into games, so tonight it started from there and then we were in chase-mode. The changes we made happened quite seamlessly, we just weren’t able to score or apply that pressure to get on top of the Swifts.

“We need to be better, especially next week against Lightning; they’re a quality team so we need to tidy our game up and look at what we can do as we edge closer to finals.”

The Melbourne Vixens return to Melbourne Arena next Sunday for the final home game of the year. Tickets are available from Ticketek.