‘No one thought we could do it': How a trip to the pub helped the Vixens win a grand final for the ages

Sydney Morning Herald

a day ago

That's precisely what the team did – heading to a local pub a few weeks later for a team bonding session.
'It's a comment that Simone said over the years plenty of times, and it's not necessarily about going to the pub,' Moloney explained in a post-match interview after the grand final.
'But we knew exactly what that meant, and we did go and do a team bonding session. We headed to the pub, we had our Coke zeros and watched the State of Origin.
'You know, it wasn't about the pub, but it was about spending some time together – remembering why we do this.'
The Vixens' season then underwent an extraordinary metamorphosis, with the Melbourne side winning eight of their next 10 games to reach back-to-back grand finals.
The Vixens opened Saturday's grand final on the front foot, with Moloney delivering a flawless centre pass, allowing star goal shooter Sophie Garbin to net the opening goal.
The Fever countered quickly, recovering the ball in their front third and delivering quickly to Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, the competition's most dominant force and its best shooter.
Both teams upped the tempo in the second quarter, with the Vixens calling a timeout and captain Kate Moloney calling on the team to put their opponents under pressure. The third quarter saw the Vixens pull in front, much to the delight of the roaring Rod Laver Arena crowd.
Play intensified in the fourth, with the Vixens managing to pull ahead. Frustration in the Fever team saw them fumble some crucial passes as the clock ticked down and pressure intensified.
Loading
But they continued to target Fowler-Nembhard, and she continued to loom as the heartbreaker for the Vixens until the home side regained their composure in the dying minutes and held on to possession for dear life.
At the final whistle there were smiles, tears and cheers as the Vixens rushed from all corners to embrace each other as I gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas blared out across the stadium.
It was redemption for the Vixens, who lost last year's decider to Adelaide by two goals and were beaten by the Fever twice during the 2025 season. It was also fairytale finish for McKinnis, who leaves behind a legacy of three premierships and three minor premierships.
After the game, McKinnis said she couldn't quite believe the team had won.
'I still can't believe that we did it, but I'm just extremely proud of the team and the girls – the way they attacked the game and the way they played,' she explained.
McKinnis never lost faith in her group.
'I thought we were the one team that could beat them,' she said of the Fever, who finished on top of the ladder with a 12-2 record and had a 13-game winning streak.
The veteran coach said she was looking forward to having a break, but did not rule out a return to coaching.
Loading
During the awards presentation, Moloney thanked the fans 'for not giving up on us in round six' and expressed her gratitude to her McKinnis.
'You are an incredible leader. This club would not be the same without you,' Moloney said.
'When you walked in the doors 13 years ago, you taught us how hard we had to work, you showed us some tough love, but most importantly you cared for us, you believed in us, and you nurtured every single athlete that walked through those doors, and you made them better.'
By contrast, Fever skipper Jess Anstiss was heartbroken after her side's loss.
'It's pure devastation to be honest,' she said.
'It's hard to get the words out.
'I don't think we brought our A-game and Vixens did.'
It was Melbourne's first Super Netball title in five years – since they defeated the Fever in 2020. Just last week, the Vixens only advanced to this season's decider after overcoming a double-digit three-quarter-time deficit in the preliminary final against a red-hot NSW Swifts.