Season 2024 stats wrap: Midcourt

By Amelia Barnes

The Melbourne Vixens midcourters reached new heights in 2024, with everyone from the team’s most experienced player to the rookie breaking records.

Kate Moloney

2024 saw Kate Moloney’s best individual performance in an SSN season. 

Playing in her 12th professional netball season, the Vixens captain managed to take her game to the next level, recording more feeds (3rd in the league, and the most of any centre) and second phase receives (6th in the league) than any of her previous SSN seasons.

She achieved these numbers while simultaneously recording her second-lowest number of unforced turnovers, and playing the most minutes of anyone in the league.

Moloney was also no.1 in the league for pickups in 2024 with 34 – five pickups above Jo Weston who came in 2nd. Moloney has historically dominated this stat, topping the league in 2017, 2020, and 2022 before now. She is tied with Weston for the second-most pickups in an SSN season (43 – one behind Paige Hadley’s record of 44 achieved in 2019), which Moloney achieved in 2017, and again in 2020.

Moloney ended 2024 with the highest season Nissan Net Points (NNP) score of her career (1404.5 – 4th overall in the league) and the second-highest season NNP score in Vixens history since NNP records began in 2018. The franchise record is held by Liz Watson, who reached 1466 NNP in 2022. 

At 82.6, Moloney had the highest average NNP score per match of any Vixen in 2024 – a product of a stellar season that saw her achieve over 100 NNP in six matches, including 132 in Round 11. There were only two games this season where Moloney scored fewer than 50 NNP, and none below 31.

Hannah Mundy

Hannah Mundy was also in career-best form in 2024, despite sitting out three matches with injury. 

Playing her fourth year of SSN, the predominant wing attack recorded by far her most goal assists, feeds (7th in the league), centre pass receives (7th in the league), and second phase receives (12th in the league) in a season. 

Mundy sat 4th in the league for goal assists, alongside Moloney in 6th, and Kiera Austin in 8th, making the Vixens the only SSN team to have three players inside the top 10. 

Mundy ended the 2024 season with an average 52.4 NNP per game (55% higher than her career average of 33.8) and 733 NNP in total – a 78% increase on her previous season-best score of 409.5, achieved the previous year. 

She had the most NNP of any Vixen in the grand final at 90.5, contributing 35 feeds, 18 goal assists and only one general play turnover in the match. 

Zara Walters

Zara Walters had a rookie season to remember, coming out firing in her debut game with a huge 81 NNP and 40 feeds. 

The predominant wing attack missed Rounds 3-11 with injury but bounced back with her best performance shortly after in Round 13, with 48 feeds and 1 gain.

Walters’ end-of-season stats are the most dominant of a Vixens rookie in the SSN era. Her average NNP sits at 45.1 – already the third highest in the team.

The 20-year-old also had one of the strongest rookie seasons of any player in SSN history, breaking the rookie record for most goal assists in a game with 28 in Round 13.

Walters and Leesa Mi Mi – who also played her first season as a contracted player in 2024, for the Sunshine Coast Lightning – are also the only SSN rookies in history to record two or more 40+ feed games.

Walters’ individual match record of 113.5 NNP is the second-highest score achieved by a rookie, and the highest of a midcourter rookie, since NNP records began in 2018. The NNP rookie record of 134.5 was set by Tippah Dwan of the Queensland Firebirds in 2020.

With both Walters and Mundy out with injury at various times throughout the 2024 season, training partners and temporary replacement players came into the match day squad in 11 rounds, providing critical midcourt performances of their own.

Four-year training partner Gabby Coffey took to the court in Round 6 and has since signed her first full-time netball contract playing in the UK’s Netball Super League in 2025. Coffey will play for the new Birmingham Panthers side, alongside fellow Victorian Gabby Sinclair. 

Sharni Lambden played four games as a temporary replacement player in 2024 including Round 10 where she recorded 53.5 NNP and 3 gains. Her standout performances earned her the attention of the NSW Swifts, who have given Lambden her first full-time contract for the 2025 season.

Ruby Barkmeyer was called into the match day squad on 11 occasions in 2024, providing invaluable insights to the less experienced shooters and midcourters gained from five years in the Melbourne Vixens’ environment, including 2021 as a contracted athlete. 

All statistics courtesy of Champion Data