Vixens find form after coach's surprising call to exit
In the first match since McKinnis surprised the netball world by announcing she was standing down at the end of this campaign, the Vixens tallied their highest score and biggest winning margin of the season.
"Obviously the news of Simone last week was a big shock to us, so to go out there and play for her is something that really fuels us," Hannah Mundy told Fox Sports after starring in Brisbane.
"Hopefully she's proud of that performance.
"I'm really proud of the girls. We've had a tough couple of weeks. We haven't executed the basic skills we know we have.
"So just to come out and play with freedom and play how we did is really exciting for the rest of our season."
The Vixens faced the possibility of losing three straight games for the first time since 2021.But the visitors produced an improved performance, breaking clear after an even first quarter.
Both sides were guilty of numerous first-half turnovers, but Melbourne became more clinical and efficient as the game progressed, while the Firebirds continued to make mistakes throughout.
The Vixens eked out a four-goal lead by halftime, doubled it to eight at the last change, then scored the first three of the final term to lead by 11.
The Vixens now have a 3-4 record for the year, while the Firebirds (2-5) slumped to a fifth straight loss, and their failure to make the finals since 2018 looks set to extend another season.
Vixens and Diamonds goal attack Kiera Austin, who has been below her best in recent weeks, produced a sparking performance full of energy.
She made all five of her Super Shots, hitting 15 of 18 regular goals as Sophie Garbin landed 42 of 45.
Midcourters Mundy and Kate Moloney gave the Vixens plenty of drive.
Firebirds circle defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran worked hard, totalling match-high tallies of three intercepts and seven gains.
Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok made 26 of 30 shots for Queensland.
Melbourne Vixens have rebounded from the shock news of the impending departure of long-serving coach Simone McKinnis with a 70-52 away win over Queensland Firebirds.
In the first match since McKinnis surprised the netball world by announcing she was standing down at the end of this campaign, the Vixens tallied their highest score and biggest winning margin of the season.
"Obviously the news of Simone last week was a big shock to us, so to go out there and play for her is something that really fuels us," Hannah Mundy told Fox Sports after starring in Brisbane.
"Hopefully she's proud of that performance.
"I'm really proud of the girls. We've had a tough couple of weeks. We haven't executed the basic skills we know we have.
"So just to come out and play with freedom and play how we did is really exciting for the rest of our season."
The Vixens faced the possibility of losing three straight games for the first time since 2021.But the visitors produced an improved performance, breaking clear after an even first quarter.
Both sides were guilty of numerous first-half turnovers, but Melbourne became more clinical and efficient as the game progressed, while the Firebirds continued to make mistakes throughout.
The Vixens eked out a four-goal lead by halftime, doubled it to eight at the last change, then scored the first three of the final term to lead by 11.
The Vixens now have a 3-4 record for the year, while the Firebirds (2-5) slumped to a fifth straight loss, and their failure to make the finals since 2018 looks set to extend another season.
Vixens and Diamonds goal attack Kiera Austin, who has been below her best in recent weeks, produced a sparking performance full of energy.
She made all five of her Super Shots, hitting 15 of 18 regular goals as Sophie Garbin landed 42 of 45.
Midcourters Mundy and Kate Moloney gave the Vixens plenty of drive.
Firebirds circle defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran worked hard, totalling match-high tallies of three intercepts and seven gains.
Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok made 26 of 30 shots for Queensland.
Melbourne Vixens have rebounded from the shock news of the impending departure of long-serving coach Simone McKinnis with a 70-52 away win over Queensland Firebirds.
In the first match since McKinnis surprised the netball world by announcing she was standing down at the end of this campaign, the Vixens tallied their highest score and biggest winning margin of the season.
"Obviously the news of Simone last week was a big shock to us, so to go out there and play for her is something that really fuels us," Hannah Mundy told Fox Sports after starring in Brisbane.
"Hopefully she's proud of that performance.
"I'm really proud of the girls. We've had a tough couple of weeks. We haven't executed the basic skills we know we have.
"So just to come out and play with freedom and play how we did is really exciting for the rest of our season."
The Vixens faced the possibility of losing three straight games for the first time since 2021.But the visitors produced an improved performance, breaking clear after an even first quarter.
Both sides were guilty of numerous first-half turnovers, but Melbourne became more clinical and efficient as the game progressed, while the Firebirds continued to make mistakes throughout.
The Vixens eked out a four-goal lead by halftime, doubled it to eight at the last change, then scored the first three of the final term to lead by 11.
The Vixens now have a 3-4 record for the year, while the Firebirds (2-5) slumped to a fifth straight loss, and their failure to make the finals since 2018 looks set to extend another season.
Vixens and Diamonds goal attack Kiera Austin, who has been below her best in recent weeks, produced a sparking performance full of energy.
She made all five of her Super Shots, hitting 15 of 18 regular goals as Sophie Garbin landed 42 of 45.
Midcourters Mundy and Kate Moloney gave the Vixens plenty of drive.
Firebirds circle defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran worked hard, totalling match-high tallies of three intercepts and seven gains.
Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok made 26 of 30 shots for Queensland.
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The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Super Netball Grand Final 2025: Melbourne Vixens win, highlights
The Melbourne Vixens have handed coach Simone McKinnis the ultimate farewell gift, engineering a stunning form turnaround to beat raging favourites West Coast Fever 59-58 in a thrilling Super Netball grand final. If McKinnis celebrated the fairytale, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was a close runner-up after her super shot — just her seventh of the season — clawed the Fever to within one goal and gave them the hint of a miraculous comeback after they started the final period five goals down. But it was not to be, the Vixens playing the ball around in the final minute and Kiera Austin sending up a shot — that toppled off the rim — but still sent a raucous crowd of 15,013 raucous fans at Rod Laver Arena into raptures. The Vixens attacked the game from the start, playing a fearless and physical brand of netball to beat the Fever at their own game. There were plenty of heroes for the Vixens but the efforts of Diamonds defender Jo Weston, who has played her entire national league career under McKinnis, were outstanding. The celebrations start for Rudi Ellis and Sophie Garbin. Weston was an everywhere woman in defence, seemingly unwilling to allow her side to lose. 'I just feel on top of the world, that was such an incredible team performance,' she said of a result that halted the Fever's 13-match winning streak. 'I can't believe we won.' Seemingly down and out halfway through the season, with just a 16 per cent statistical chance of making the top four, the Vixens have rallied, clawing their way into the playoffs and winning three knockout finals in a row to lift the premiership trophy. Di Honey, Assistant Coach of the Vixens. 'I think we felt the Thunderbirds (in the knockout final) was going to be our biggest hurdle given our last year's results against them and after that we just had this real belief we could do anything,' Weston said. 'I still can't get over it, it's very special.' The Vixens players rushed as one to McKinnis, their spiritual leader whose composed and uplifting speech in last week's preliminary final lifted her side from a seemingly unwinnable position into the grand final. Weston paid tribute to the only woman she's known as a head coach at this level. 'I feel like a lot of us have been trying not to think about (the end) because every time I see her … you think this could be the last time we see her (coaching),' Weston said of McKinnis. 'She's been such a formidable leader, she's been so influential on so many of us and she's been the only coach I've had for the Vixens. 'It's very rare you get fairytales like this. It's just insane.' Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis presents the player of the match medal to Kiera Austin. FAIRYTALES AND NIGHTMARES It may have been a fairytale ending for McKinnis but it was far from that for the Fever. After back-to-back preliminary final losses by a single goal in 2023 and 2024, it was another single-goal defeat for the West Coast and one that will hurt deeply. 'This one hurts but I know that we'll come back better next year,' Fever captain Jess Anstiss said. There were two incredible narratives in this match - McKinnis's career ending and the inspirational comeback of Fowler-Nembhard, the Fever's talismanic goaler who missed the first two games of the season after the devastating loss of her pregnancy. Despite that, she ended the season as the league's leading goal scorer, averaging just over 52 goals per game. Kate Moloney and Kate Eddy chair off departing coach Simone McKinnis. She had 51 goals in the decider, including a super shot that almost inspired a win but couldn't quite get her side across the line. Fowler-Nembhard has shown with her outstanding performances again this season she's the shooting GOAT but she was certainly made to work for her chances. Rudi Ellis wore her like a glove at 'keeper and her physicality clearly frustrated the Jamaican great, finishing with three gains, including an intercept. Such is her dominance, Fowler-Nembhard always comes in for extra attention but her emotions rarely boil over. But with Ellis doing an outstanding job of maintaining front position and winning the odd ball, she was not getting things all her own way. There were plenty of Fever fans inside Rod Laver Arena but the Melbourne crowd was boisterous in its support of the Vixens, effectively becoming another player for the home side. Kate Eddy and Hannah Mundy of the Vixens. SUPER NETBALL'S SUPER FINAL The Vixens were always going to have to be brave to win the match and player of the match Kiera Austin led that journey in the opening term, converting her first super shot opportunity to level the scores up. All up, Austin finished with three two-point goals in nerveless shots that turned the match, as well as a stellar defensive effort. The Vixens took a single-point lead to the opening break and while the Fever got things back on level pegging early in the second when Jordan Cransberg won turnover ball, where they had been able to turn those moments into runs earlier in the season, the Vixens were able to stem the tide, keeping themselves in the game. They won three of the four quarters and while the Fever won the last, their fightback just wasn't enough.
West Australian
9 hours ago
- West Australian
GEORGIE PARKER: Melbourne Vixens' grand final win over West Coast Fever a terrific showcase event
'Can you get me tickets for the grand final?', is usually only a message I receive in the last weekend in September for the AFL. But, this year I was receiving them for a different sport, netball. It feels as though Super Netball is only getting better and has more interest year after year, and this year's grand final was no different. I couldn't get any, of course, because it was sold out. So, in front of a loud, sellout crowd of 15,013, the Melbourne Vixens pulled off a fairy tale one goal win over the West Coast Fever on Saturday night. A result that not only crowned a new champion, but in a match that, in my opinion, cemented Super Netball as the premier women's sporting league in Australia. The game had everything. The underdog Vixens, written off by many earlier in the season, clinched a win against a Fever side that had won 13 games straight. It marked the end of an era for Vixens coach Simone McKinnis, who bowed out after 13 years at the helm. And it showcased netball at its best – fast, skilful, insanely athletic, dramatic, and most of all, elite. But beyond the final, you can't help but remember just how far Super Netball has come, and how it's had to do it the hard way. My cousin played for the Thunderbirds in the early 2000s, so watching the differences in the league now compared to then, by how they train (no more after work training sessions) and how professional they are obviously backed by a real income, is huge. Unlike the AFLW, NRLW, or WBBL, all excellent leagues in their own right, and ones I support and love, Super Netball has built its empire without the safety net of a men's competition propping it up. While the others benefited from being extensions of established men's brands, they can expand, take risks, and grow with big financial losses in the hope it will pay dividends. Meanwhile, netball has done the hard yards solo. That's not a criticism of those leagues, far from it (with the female athletic talent in the country I believe they just jumped on too late), but when women's footy and cricket arrived, netball found itself fighting a battle on a few fronts. Firstly, it was losing not just some of its best junior athletes to rival sports but senior, established players who jumped codes. I played with former Australian netball captain, Sharni Norder (nee Layton) at Collingwood in the AFLW for example. Netball also saw corporate sponsorship dollars flow to women's arms of already well funded men's codes and female players, relatively new in the sporting world, rather than their league and their established players. How many netballers do you see on insurance, car or phone network ads? It's a scenario that could have buried the game, like it has with many other sports. Instead, Super Netball doubled down and knew it had a product worth fighting for. It developed world class pathways and a league that invited the best in the world to compete. It built a compelling product, that serviced its very loyal fans, but at the same time made it a game anyone would want to watch. It did this without being tied to a men's league, which meant it had to work harder, market smarter, and demand more from every part of the sport. Two years ago, players took a stand in a heated pay dispute with Netball Australia. At the time, some questioned the timing and ethics. Now, after a season like this, the fight from the players feels justified. The athletes knew their worth, and they've proved it every week since. This final was everything elite women's sport should be. It was fiercely contested, beautifully played, and impossible to look away from. It also caught the attention of Hollywood legend Whoopi Goldberg, a surprise entrant into the netball conversation, who announced this year she's backing the league and plans to bring it to a broader audience through her major network AWSN (All Women Sport Network). I can imagine her and her team would have watched the grand final and thought it had been money well spent. The Vixens' dramatic finish to the season has been the best possible advertisement for netball. Super Netball didn't just survive the storm of competing codes, it weathered it, evolved, and emerged stronger. Now it's not just competing, it's leading and is easily the best in the country. So while it does have a three decade head start on women playing footy and cricket at the same level, it's given us an idea on what standard we can expect with time, and doesn't it look great?
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
From finals longshots to champions: Why Vixens' win was a triumph for Australian netball
'You'd be hard pressed to beat it,' McMahon said. Melbourne finished fourth on the ladder and were underdog finalists, but they pipped the red-hot favourites 59-58 in front of a boisterous and energetic crowd of 15,013. It was also the farewell moment for Vixens coach Simone McKinnis, who had already announced her resignation after 13 years at the helm. On Sunday morning at the spiritual home of netball in Melbourne, Royal Park, the Vixens, slightly bleary-eyed, happily signed autographs and posed for photos with their loyal fans. It was a far cry from earlier in the season, when their campaign was in peril with a 2-4 win-loss record. Vixens captain Kate Moloney knew the odds were stacked against them, but they never gave up. 'I got told there was a stat that it was a 14 per cent chance we could finish fourth at that stage after around six,' Moloney said on Sunday. 'Pretty incredible that we're able to get on a good run and got ourselves in the top four. And once you're there, anything's possible. 'The group just fought every week. We had challenges week in, week out, to make sure that we could get to this grand final. But I think it really match-hardened us.' The magnitude of what the Vixens achieved took a moment to dawn on McKinnis. 'I think maybe I was in a little bit of shock because you know it's there in the distance … and you know that that's what you're after, but you're never really thinking about it,' McKinnis said on Sunday. McMahon, who led the Vixens to the 2009 title, and now serves as netball's high-performance chief in Victoria, said: 'I'm just incredibly proud of this team and what they've been able to achieve this year. 'To have a start like we had, backs against the wall, and be able to fight our way out of that situation and find ourselves holding up the trophy at the end of the season is a great testament to their resilience and just their drive and passion.' The drama of the finals series and the sold-out grand final crowd was a landmark moment for a sport that was dogged by an ugly pay dispute in 2023, which was eventually resolved when a collective agreement was signed that included players sharing revenue with Netball Australia for the first time. Loading And only two months ago, Netball Australia announced it had entered a three-year broadcast deal with Whoopi Goldberg's All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) that will expose Australian netball to more than 65 countries. 'There's been a lot of work done behind the scenes over the last 18 months to two years,' Ellis said. 'I think a lot of the credit has to go to our CEO Stacey West, who came in at a particularly difficult moment for the sport, and she steadied the ship. 'We've got a great story to tell. The story that was told a couple of years ago ... probably wasn't great. That's not to say that everything's perfect [now, but] there is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes. 'I keep saying to everyone 'let's not carried away, there's still plenty to do in the next 18 months to make sure that we put our game on the best footing possible for the next 10 years'. 'Certainly, it would be nice to ... look at last night and put the line in the sand, and say, 'right now, all eyes towards the future, we are telling a story of optimism and growth and excitement'.'
