Semi Final Match Report | Thunderbirds vs Vixens

Off the back of powerful performances from player of the match Kiera Austin and shooting partner Sophie Garbin, the result means the Vixens will travel to face the loser of this afternoon’s major semi final between the West Coast Fever and NSW Swifts.

Q1 | Thunderbirds 11–13 Vixens
With so much to play for, both sides came out firing. The home side got out by three after a few early turnovers cost the Vixens, but a stellar intercept from Kate Eddy (3 intercepts) brought them back in the contest, before the relentless work rate of captain Kate Moloney (23 feeds, 12 goal assists) and smothering unit defence in the back half saw the Vixens push out by two. The Thunderbirds' defence held strong, isolating the ball carrier and covering any options to the ball from the away team. Austin (23 feeds, 20 goal assists) got her eye in early with impressive goal efficiency and one-twos with Garbin (39/42, 93%). The Vixens made the Thunderbirds work for everything, forcing them into short ball movement and some uncharacteristic turnovers in the first term. The Thunderbirds lifted their intensity in the final minutes, but the Vixens held onto a two-goal lead at quarter time.

Q2 | Thunderbirds 25–28 Vixens
The Thunderbirds lifted their circle defence early in the second term, forcing the Vixens to be patient and use their resets to work to circle edge. Garbin remained strong under the post, ripping the ball in and finishing the first half at 100% accuracy. The Vixens' unit defence continued to dominate early in the second term, while Walters’ movement and circle drives created plenty of opportunity down the other end. The Vixens hunted every loose ball as they kept their two-goal lead in a tight contest. Two super shots from Austin extended the margin to five, but Georgie Horjus delivered two of her own to keep the Thunderbirds in touch. Intense hands-over pressure all over the court paid off with Moloney claiming a gained ball late in the term to keep her side at three goals up at the main break.

Q3 | Thunderbirds 42–46 Vixens
The Thunderbirds came out firing and levelled the scores within three and a half minutes. Vixens head coach Simone McKinnis called a tactical time out to settle her troops, swinging a defensive change with Jo Weston to WD and Eddy into GD. The Vixens remained calm, regaining their two-goal lead while Ellis (4 deflections, 1 intercept, 1 gain) flew for every ball on Romelda Aiken-George. Another clutch intercept from Eddy, kickstarting a clean transition play into Garbin saw the Vixens stretch the margin to four goals with the power five looming. Horjus again landed two super shots late in the third term, with Austin responding with two of her own down the other end to settle her side's lead at three-quarter time.

Q4 | Thunderbirds 56–58 Vixens
A rebound by Latanya Wilson got the Thunderbirds humming early, closing the margin to a goal within the opening minutes. With the scores going goal-for-goal, the Vixens remained composed in front of a raging Thunderbirds crowd. Moloney remained a constant option to the ball, controlling her side’s momentum and keeping the basics in check. It was a nail-biting final few minutes, with Horjus again of fire from the super shot zone helping her side to hit the front with two minutes to play. In a moment of pure excellence by player of the match Austin, a clutch super shot with a minute to play saw the Vixens able to tick down the clock, finally meeting Garbin under the post to stretch the margin to two goals, sewing up a gritty win against the reigning premiers at home.

THE NUMBERS
5 – Player of the match Kiera Austin dominated under the post, scoring 5/5 crucial super shots under intense pressure. The Diamonds star also banked 114 Net Points and had 26 feeds of her own in a display of pure class and determination in front of an away crowd.

THE COACH SAYS
Simone McKinnis was impressed with her side's composure in a high pressure environment in front of a buzzing Adelaide home crowd.

"They were fearless. They backed themselves and they took on the game."

"There was a calmness and a freedom about what they were doing. That composure I thought I was brilliant. At different times, different people stood up and they were strong."

"It's a really noisy crowd here, but it's like it was just them [the Vixens]. The eye contact and the connection... it didn't matter what was happening outside of that and I thought that was really impressive."

NEXT UP
The Vixens will await the result of this afternoon’s major semi final between West Coast Fever and the NSW Swifts to determine their opponent and fixture for next weekend’s preliminary final.

ALL IN. ALL VIXEN.