Grand Final Match Report | Thunderbirds vs Vixens

After a gallant 60-minute effort, the Vixens fell just short off the back of a fierce performance from Kiera Austin, who was ever-reliable in attack and composed under pressure with her seven super shots at 100%, 21 goals at 87.5% and 19 centre pass receives.

Q1 | Thunderbirds 13–16 Vixens

A Hannah Mundy intercept off the first centre pass saw the Vixens fly out of the gates, placing the Thunderbirds under immediate pressure. The focused, fierce Vixens attack treasured the ball with their short and sharp movements, while their defence sprung onto every wayward pass to open a six-goal lead and force the Thunderbirds into a number of positional changes. As the resettled Adelaide defence upped their intensity, Austin and Sophie Garbin (22 goals, 88%) showed nerves of steel on the shot to hold onto the lead.

Q2 | Thunderbirds 28–28 Vixens

Patience was the name of the game as the Vixens were made to work for every ball in transition down court, often leaning on Jo Weston (1 intercept) and Kate Eddy (1 intercept) for support. Riding the momentum of a raucous home crowd, the Thunderbirds closed in on the Vixens’ lead, as Simone McKinnis enlisted Emily Mannix at goal keeper to disrupt their flow. A timely offensive contact call against Romelda Aiken-George and a clutch Austin super shot saw the scores level at half time.

Q3 | Thunderbirds 42–41 Vixens

Both sides came out firing after the main break with Kate Moloney (31 feeds) leading the charge as a workhorse across the entire court. Her connection with her six teammates was vital in adding to scoreboard, while Mundy’s (35 feeds) speed helped break through the floating Thunderbirds defence. The home side increased their intensity and defensive pressure, taking a one-goal advantage into the final quarter.

Q4 | Thunderbirds 59–57 Vixens

The Thunderbirds pushed open a five-goal lead in the early minutes, forcing the Vixens into a timeout to steady their heads. The Melbourne side began to let the ball fly in attack, while Rudi Ellis (2 deflections) returned at goal keeper with immediate impact in the air. A full team effort, including Austin’s four super shots and a Moloney intercept saw the Vixens claw back the deficit, but it wasn’t enough as the Thunderbirds prevailed.

THE NUMBERS

• 90.5: Young gun Hannah Mundy led the Vixens with 90.5 Nissan Net Points, 35 feeds and 21 centre pass receives. Her speed, power and ability to adapt her game against the toughest defenders will put her in good stead for 2025 and beyond.
• 7: Kiera Austin’s seven super shots from seven attempts were crucial to reeling the Vixens back into the match. Her accuracy under immense arms over pressure and work rate out front made for a fierce grand final performance.

THE COACH SAYS

Head coach Simone McKinnis disappointed with the loss but proud of her team’s performance.

“I was rapt to see them take the game on right from the word go. They hit the court and gave themselves every opportunity to be in the contest. But the Thunderbirds, they’ve been super good all year and they finished it out,” she said.

“We’re disappointed. Our goal was to come here to win and we felt good about being able to step out there and take this game, but that’s the way it goes.”

Captain Kate Moloney shared the sentiment.

“Yeah it’s really tough. Obviously really proud of the fight the girls showed today, I feel like we came out with a plan and I thought it worked really well – we just weren’t able to get over them in the end. But as I said it’s hard, it’s tough, but I’m just really proud of the girls and the fight they showed.”