Round 5 Preview | Swifts vs Vixens

THE MATCH
NSW Swifts vs Melbourne Vixens
Sunday 11 May, 4pm AEST
Ken Rosewall Arena | Wangal Land

THE TEAM
Kiera Austin (VC)
Maggie Caris
Kate Eddy
Rudi Ellis
Sophie Garbin
Lily Graham
Kate Moloney (C)
Hannah Mundy
Zara Walters
Jo Weston

HOW TO WATCH
Can’t make it to the game? Tune in live or on demand on Kayo Sports, Foxtel or BINGE (Australia), or via Netball Pass (international).

LAST TIME THEY MET
Round 11, 2024
Vixens (69) defeated Swifts (49) at John Cain Arena

WHAT TO EXPECT
In what will be Simone McKinnis' 200^th game as a national league head coach this weekend, the stage is set as the Swifts look to get a hand back on the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup in the first leg on their home soil.

The Swifts are in red-hot form this year, sitting a game clear on top of the table and going into Round 5 undefeated. The Vixens will be wanting to halt the home side's winning streak to create one of their own, looking for their third win this season.

Expect the Vixens to continue their quick ball movement from last week, which saw them score efficiently off their turnovers and move the ball seamlessly in attack. There will be a physical and competitive battle standing in their way in the circle, with Swifts’ defenders Sarah Klau and Teigan O’Shannassy in strong form – coming off their most dynamic and cohesive performance so far this season, Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin will need to utilise their ball movement and footwork to create space.

In the midcourt it will be a battle of who can take their opportunities and score from turnovers, so prepare for a classy display of speed and hard contests with names like Paige Hadley and former Vixen Sharni Lambden taking on Kate Moloney and Hannah Mundy through the middle.

ONE TO WATCH
All eyes will be on the Swifts' goal circle, with star recruit Grace Nweke presenting a tough challenge for the Vixens' defensive unit, and a long-standing rivalry between Helen Housby and Jo Weston out the front.

Weston and Kate Eddy will need every bit of their combined tagging prowess to shut down Housby, particularly when the siren sounds for the Power Five – dangerous from long distance, Housby has scored 14 super shots so far in 2025, and the Vixens will be mindful of the damage the two pointers can cause late in the quarter.

It will take a full-court defensive effort to combat Nweke's height and strength at the post, and coach McKinnis has shown she's unafraid to test her combinations so far this season, so it may be a rotating approach required to shut down access to the New Zealand shooter.

THE NUMBER
200 – Simone McKinnis will coach her 200^th game this Sunday, 186 of those being for the Melbourne Vixens, and 14 for the Canberra Darters. In her time at the Vixens, Simone has coached her side to two premierships in 2014 and 2020, and she will become just the second coach in SSN history to reach the 200-game milestone, after Julie Fitzgerald.

ALL IN. ALL VIXEN.
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