Vixens go down to the Thunderbirds

Unfortunately, Victoria’s Covid-19 outbreak meant the game was moved to USC Stadium, and while it was a Vixens’ home game, it was evident a home crowd roar could’ve spurred the team on.

A tight first half had the Vixens holding control of the game, however a patchy third quarter with missed opportunities allowed for the Thunderbirds to take away the win.

Last week’s goaling combination of MJ and Rahni remained, each switching between GA and GS at the breaks. However, with the duo making 10 less attempts than the previous week including four less Super Shots, the impact was not there.

Dehaney got her hands to the ball at every chance she had, ending with six gains, four intercepts and four deflections and was a serious contender for Player of the Match.

Head coach Simone McKinnis said the inconsistency cost the Vixens the win.

“It is disappointing. We were wanting to continue on from the signs we showed last week, and there was some really positive work out there in the first half,” said McKinnis.

“I thought defensively we did some really great things, particularly in the first quarter where we set some high standards. We just weren’t getting the ball that we were meant to in the end.

“I think we lacked a bit of spark and energy, and we were wanting to find that thing that lifted us. We had a moment there where we got ourselves back into contention, but it was probably just too many mistakes at costly times that cost us.

“It’s a sign for the team that it’s the consistency across the whole game - being able to put it out there at that high level, high intensity, execution for the whole 60 minutes that’s missing.”

The Vixens will face Collingwood Magpies next week, with an announcement on the location and time expected tomorrow.