Round 4 Match Report | Mavericks vs Vixens

In the third Melbourne Derby meet-up against the Mavericks, the Vixens have come away with an eight-goal win, overcoming a last quarter resurgence by the cross-town rivals.

Stellar performances from Hannah Mundy and round 4 MVP Sophie Garbin, as well as clean and quick ball movement helped secure the win at John Cain Arena.

Q1 | Mavericks 15–16 Vixens
Picking up from where they defensively left off last week, the Vixens set the tone early forcing their the Mavericks to turn the ball over with intense hands over pressure. The Vixens scored quickly early, converting well from turnovers with assistance from dynamic midcourt duo in Hannah Mundy (40 feeds) and Kate Moloney (21 feeds), who were on from the get-go. The pair found Kiera Austin (19/22) and Sophie Garbin (45/52) under the post almost with ease, while the shooting duo maintained accuracy and composure. The Mavericks stayed close with some impressive circle defence from Kim Jenner and Liv Lewis, making for a competitive contest at the Vixens shooting end. With Amy Parmenter’s relentless midcourt defence and Shimona Jok’s precision, the Mavericks trailed by only one goal at the first break, setting up an exciting second quarter at John Cain Arena.

Q2 | Mavericks 26 – 35 Vixens
Maintaining their momentum, the Vixens pushed out the margin to a 5-goal lead early. The Mavericks called a time out to recalibrate, while the Vixens kept scoring quickly with purposeful ball movement down the court. Eyes were set on a physical match-up against Jo Weston (3 gains, 3 deflections, 3 rebounds) and Sasha Glasglow in the circle, with Weston holding up the fort defensively and hunting down loose balls ferociously. At the opposite end, Garbin’s superb foot work and non-stop movement created constant opportunities for the attacking end, making her difficult to stop under the post. With Jok hard to stop midway through the second quarter, Simone McKinnis swung a defensive change with three minutes to play, with young defender Maggie Caris going into GK for Rudi Ellis. A few late super shots from Kiera Austin (3/4 super shots) helped gain breathing room for the Vixens going into the second half of the derby, pushing the margin out to nine goals at the main break.

Q3 | Mavericks 40–52 Vixens
The Mavericks found some form early in the third quarter, forcing two Vixens turnovers in the first two minutes, and quickly bringing the margin to six goals. Ellis was welcomed back into GK to try and halt Jok’s influence, while the Vixens found some stability in front of a buzzing derby crowd. It was a stellar performance from Hannah Mundy (23 goal assists) and Sophie Garbin who seamlessly bounced off each other, converted quickly and made it difficult for the Mavericks defenders. With five minutes to play in the third term, the Vixens full court defence and unforgiving conversion under the post saw the margin be pushed out to 11 goals, and eventually when the siren sounded, went into the final quarter 12 goals up.

Q4 | Mavericks 59–67 Vixens
With one quarter to play, the Mavericks came out firing in the opening minutes to try and lessen the Vixens influence and fight back in front of their home crowd. With shooting pair in Jok and Uneeq Palavi finding each other with a bit more ease this quarter, the Vixens had to stay focused and find their rhythm again. With eight minutes to play, and just eight goals the difference, the Vixens called a time out to recoup. The tactical time out took immediate effect, led by a steady skipper in Kate Moloney (10 goal assists) and intense hands over by Ellis, Weston and Kate Eddy, who had eight deflections between them. The final quarter was full of momentum swings with the Mavericks calling a time out with four and a half minutes to play, and nine goals the difference. A late tip from Austin who delivered to Garbin at the other end cemented their second win this season, and their third win from three derbies with the Mavericks.

THE NUMBERS
86 – With Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin playing the full 60 minutes, they both banked 86% goal efficiency. Garbin shot with confidence scoring 45/52, while her diamonds shooting partner netted 19/22, in a classy display of accuracy, quick movement and goaling craft. Their accuracy pulled the Vixens across the line as their relentless attack on the ball made the midcourt to goal circle transition look seamless.
3 – Three is the lucky number for the Vixens who have come up against the Melbourne Mavericks three times in the derby and have taken out all three of the wins. They will meet each other again in the Vixens' home game in Round 9 at John Cain Arena.

THE COACH SAYS
Head coach Simone McKinnis was pleased with her side's ability to go back to doing what they do best, particularly praising Sophie Garbin's stellar performance:

"I thought she was fantastic ... her takes under the post were brilliant. She made people confident to let the ball go and give it to her because she had that presence and was demanding in that circle. I thought it was fantastic."

NEXT UP
The Vixens hit the road in Round 5, heading north to take on traditional rivals the NSW Swifts at Ken Rosewall Arena on Sunday 11 May.

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