Round 12 Match Report | Vixens vs Thunderbirds

The Vixens won the second and third quarters and fought hard until the final whistle in a bruising contest, but couldn’t get on top of the Thunderbirds, despite strong performances by captain Kate Moloney and Jo Weston.

Q1 | Vixens 14–19 Thunderbirds
All eyes were on a physical match-up between Kiera Austin and Latanya Wilson early, and Rudi Ellis (4 deflections) got an early tip as she squared-up on Romelda Aiken-George. It was high intensity from the onset, and the Thunderbirds brought smothering defence, forcing two early turnovers and extending the lead quickly to four goals. With patient ball movement and relentless offers and re-offers from Moloney (25 feeds, 9 goal assists, 1 intercept), the Vixens worked themselves back into the contest quickly, headlined by shooting efficiency from Sophie Garbin (38/41, 92%). A courageous intercept from Jo Weston (2 rebounds, 2 intercepts, 2 deflections) lifted the momentum for the Vixens, but Lauren Frew and Aiken-George’s attacking connection and influence stuck, seeing the Vixens trail by 5 goals at quarter time.

Q2 | Vixens 29–30 Thunderbirds
An impressive deflection and rebound from Weston and Ellis kick-started the second term for the Vixens who worked tirelessly for gained ball, and converted well in the opening minutes. The Thunderbirds continued to surge and force turnovers, making it difficult for the Vixens to get on a roll. The away side called a tactical time out after a Kate Eddy (1 intercept, 1 deflection) intercept ignited some fire for the home side, but the Vixens continued the momentum with their unit defence forcing a held ball and a turnover soon after the time-out. The margin quickly narrowed to just one goal with the power five looming, as the game continued to go goal-for-goal under the post. Eddy applied relentless arms over pressure outside the circle, flying for every pocket ball, before Austin (28 feeds, 23 goal assists, 2 gains) sunk an impressive last-second super shot, lifting the Vixens to trail by just one goal at the main break.

Q3 | Vixens 46–44 Thunderbirds
With third spot on the line for the Vixens, they came out firing in the second half as each end went goal-for-goal early. Garbin remained strong in the contest, holding her space well and working smoothly with Zara Walters (32 feeds, 13 goal assists, 1 gain) in the attacking end. Austin’s quick thinking in the circle became threatening, she got her eye in early in the term and kept the Vixens on the Thunderbirds' tails for the majority of the quarter. A huge intercept from Moloney lifted the side, and the defence line got to work; Eddy and Weston put on a display of pure determination, contesting every feed and offering at every centre pass. Solid transition play from any gained ball saw the Vixens break away before three quarter time by two goals.

Q4 | Vixens 53–56 Thunderbirds
Every ball and every moment counted as the match became a matter of who could protect their gained ball. Eddy took another superb pocket ball intercept, while Moloney was on the hunt for loose balls, finding space and creating opportunities across the transverse line. Aiken-George and Ellis continued their contest under the post, with the Thunderbirds’ goal shooter capitalising on any advantage. Moloney starred with another fantastic tip which saw the Vixens only a goal down with five minutes to play. A super shot by Georgie Horjus put the Thunderbirds one goal up with two minutes left, as the Vixens scrambled to gain the ball back. A couple of crucial calls in the circle and costly errors saw the Vixens fall by three goals in a game that went down to the wire.

THE NUMBERS
92 – Sophie Garbin impressed, shooting at 92% efficiency under physical defensive pressure from Latanya Wilson, Sanmarie Visserr and Matilda Garrett. Despite the loss, Garbin’s ability to hold her space and contest in the air kept her side right in the contest.
10 – Five of the seven Vixens on court registered at least one gain on the stats sheet, for a total 10 across the match, reflecting the full-court defensive effort that's become the side's trademark.

THE COACH SAYS
Simone McKinnis remained steadfast in her side’s ability to bounce back, noting they'll learn plenty from their narrow loss to the Thunderbirds.

“The past couple of weeks we had that ball movement and speed and that’s an element of our game, but we’ve actually got to be okay with being uncomfortable.

“[Today], we probably lacked the movement and options on the ball at different times. We’ll have a look at that.”

“We won that second and third quarter which was positive … last quarter was disappointing, but we also can’t get hung up on that.”

NEXT UP
The Vixens have back-to-back home games, returning to John Cain Arena to face the Queensland Firebirds at 2pm on Sunday 6 July. Round 13 marks part two of the league-wide First Nations Round, aligning with NAIDOC Week.

ALL IN. ALL VIXEN.
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