'It's not very Vixen-like' - a disappointing loss to Magpies sees Vixens 1-6

With defender Emily Mannix withdrawing from the match mere hours before the first whistle, the Vixens went in with their starting lineup from the last two weeks. Despite the settled team, it was not enough to stop Collingwood from taking control and the win.

The first quarter showed promising signs, with the defenders getting their hands to a lot of ball, and the intensity across court showing an improvement on previous rounds. Dehaney impressed in the first term, making Shimona Nelson work, starting with two deflections and three gains.

With two Super Shots from Gabi Sinclair leveling the score at the first break, Collingwood found momentum and continued to extend their lead across the match.

McKinnis was not impressed with the performance of her side.

“I’ve never been quite so disappointed. It’s not very Vixen-like - it’s not acceptable, and things have to change, and have to be different,” said McKinnis.

“There’s nothing to feel positive about from the game at all. Things have to turn around and things have to be different. And it’s not about talking about it, but it’s the reality about what we are, the actions and what we’re going to do.”

As for what went wrong, McKinnis said “That has been a challenge for us across many games - being able to generate that spark and that momentum.

“It was costly for us, particularly in that second quarter where we scored off one in eight gained balls.

“It’s not the technical side (we need to work on), it’s the mindset. It’s the fight, it’s the fire. Vixens don’t let leads blow up to 10, 15, 20 goals. It’s not acceptable.”

The Vixens will remain in their Queensland hub for the next two weeks, including their bye round next weekend, before heading to Perth to take on West Coast Fever.

Details on their movement post-round 8 will be determined in the coming weeks.