Vixens beat Swifts by one goal to reach grand final
The Swifts were in pole position to reach the decider after building a 10-goal lead at the final break of their preliminary final at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.
But the Vixens, determined to extend retiring coach Simone McKinnis's reign by one more week, sprung to life and built a 65-64 lead.
Swifts star Grace Nweke levelled the scores at 65-65, before Vixens goalshooter Sophie Garbin returned serve to restore the visitors' one-goal lead.
Housby then had the chance to send the game into extra time when she received the ball in the circle in the dying seconds, but sent it over.
The Vixens face West Coast in next Saturday's grand final and will enjoy home-court advantage at Rod Laver Arena under Super Netball's controversial policy of selling hosting rights for the decider.
Vixens shooter Garbin was on song with 46 goals from 47 attempts, while captain Kate Moloney finished with 24 goal assists and 35 feeds.
The visitors were cleaner and took their chances better in a frantic opening term to take a 15-12 lead at the first break.
But the home side wrestled back momentum when Nweke pulled off seven consecutive goals, launching the Swifts ahead 31-29 in the second quarter.
Nweke's attacking work was complemented by wing defence Sharni Lambden, who worked hard to nullify Vixen opponent Zara Walters.
Vixens coach McKinnis was forced to turn to the bench in a bid to free up their attack, handing Tara Watson her Super Netball debut in place of Walters.
McKinnis again threw around the magnets when the Swifts burst to a six-goal lead midway through the third term, moving Diamonds star Jo Weston into wing defence and bringing Kate Eddy into goal defence.
But NSW rolled with the punches and broke out to a 51-41 lead, before the Vixens came home in a flurry.
Swifts centre and co-captain Paige Hadley's impact was immediately felt on return from a foot injury, as Nweke rediscovered her form in attack with 53 goals from 58 attempts.
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Simone McKinnis stunned the netball world when she announced her 13th season at the Melbourne Vixens would be her last. It proved the turning point that took the Vixens from strugglers to Super Netball grand finalists. Now, they will hope to ride that wave of emotion to glory. Melbourne will face the West Coast Fever in Saturday's decider at John Cain Arena after mounting an emotional comeback from 10 goals down at the final change to beat NSW by one goal last week. It meant McKinnis's decorated career stretches into one more game - a tilt at a third national league title. McKinnis announced after her 200th game in May - a defeat to Sunshine Coast Lightning - that she would be moving on, before later joking her "flat" charges, then sitting 2-4, needed to head to the pub. Since then, Melbourne have won eight of 10 games to reach their second consecutive decider. "The turning point was moving on, having that announcement," McKinnis said on Wednesday. "It was just, 'alright, that's out there. Let's just go and have fun.' "I think that was the turning point for us." McKinnis admits a third triumph would be particularly special. "It'd be enormous. It would be brilliant," she said. "Because I'm just so super proud of how we've got here from where we started this season, and how we've got to this position, and I'm not sure that many people would have seen us in the grand final. "So I'm just super proud of the girls." Defender Kate Eddy started her career as a training partner at the Vixens and apart from two years at the Swifts, has only played under McKinnis. She and her teammates, fuelled by the fire of losing last year's grand final to NSW, are trying not to think too much about their coach's last hurrah. "After the siren goes, I think it'll be lots of emotions and everything as well next week," Eddy said. "But trying to put out all of my energy and focus into this week, because obviously Simone means the world to all of us and to me as well. "So it'll be really hard. But try not to think about that too much." First, the Vixens need to get the better of the Fever, who have beaten them twice this season, with star goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard averaging 60 goals in those two games. Eddy stressed the Vixens' full-court defence needed to stop the ball getting to Fowler-Nembhard, while McKinnis wants her charges switched on early. "You're never out of the contest until the whistle is gone and final siren's gone. It's never over," McKinnis said. "But ... you can't afford to be giving a team like Fever that sort of head start. "The important part for us is being able to put that pressure on and show our intent and purpose right from the first whistle." Simone McKinnis stunned the netball world when she announced her 13th season at the Melbourne Vixens would be her last. It proved the turning point that took the Vixens from strugglers to Super Netball grand finalists. Now, they will hope to ride that wave of emotion to glory. Melbourne will face the West Coast Fever in Saturday's decider at John Cain Arena after mounting an emotional comeback from 10 goals down at the final change to beat NSW by one goal last week. It meant McKinnis's decorated career stretches into one more game - a tilt at a third national league title. McKinnis announced after her 200th game in May - a defeat to Sunshine Coast Lightning - that she would be moving on, before later joking her "flat" charges, then sitting 2-4, needed to head to the pub. Since then, Melbourne have won eight of 10 games to reach their second consecutive decider. "The turning point was moving on, having that announcement," McKinnis said on Wednesday. "It was just, 'alright, that's out there. Let's just go and have fun.' "I think that was the turning point for us." McKinnis admits a third triumph would be particularly special. "It'd be enormous. It would be brilliant," she said. "Because I'm just so super proud of how we've got here from where we started this season, and how we've got to this position, and I'm not sure that many people would have seen us in the grand final. "So I'm just super proud of the girls." Defender Kate Eddy started her career as a training partner at the Vixens and apart from two years at the Swifts, has only played under McKinnis. She and her teammates, fuelled by the fire of losing last year's grand final to NSW, are trying not to think too much about their coach's last hurrah. "After the siren goes, I think it'll be lots of emotions and everything as well next week," Eddy said. "But trying to put out all of my energy and focus into this week, because obviously Simone means the world to all of us and to me as well. "So it'll be really hard. But try not to think about that too much." First, the Vixens need to get the better of the Fever, who have beaten them twice this season, with star goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard averaging 60 goals in those two games. Eddy stressed the Vixens' full-court defence needed to stop the ball getting to Fowler-Nembhard, while McKinnis wants her charges switched on early. "You're never out of the contest until the whistle is gone and final siren's gone. It's never over," McKinnis said. "But ... you can't afford to be giving a team like Fever that sort of head start. "The important part for us is being able to put that pressure on and show our intent and purpose right from the first whistle." Simone McKinnis stunned the netball world when she announced her 13th season at the Melbourne Vixens would be her last. It proved the turning point that took the Vixens from strugglers to Super Netball grand finalists. Now, they will hope to ride that wave of emotion to glory. 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"Because I'm just so super proud of how we've got here from where we started this season, and how we've got to this position, and I'm not sure that many people would have seen us in the grand final. "So I'm just super proud of the girls." Defender Kate Eddy started her career as a training partner at the Vixens and apart from two years at the Swifts, has only played under McKinnis. She and her teammates, fuelled by the fire of losing last year's grand final to NSW, are trying not to think too much about their coach's last hurrah. "After the siren goes, I think it'll be lots of emotions and everything as well next week," Eddy said. "But trying to put out all of my energy and focus into this week, because obviously Simone means the world to all of us and to me as well. "So it'll be really hard. But try not to think about that too much." First, the Vixens need to get the better of the Fever, who have beaten them twice this season, with star goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard averaging 60 goals in those two games. Eddy stressed the Vixens' full-court defence needed to stop the ball getting to Fowler-Nembhard, while McKinnis wants her charges switched on early. "You're never out of the contest until the whistle is gone and final siren's gone. It's never over," McKinnis said. "But ... you can't afford to be giving a team like Fever that sort of head start. "The important part for us is being able to put that pressure on and show our intent and purpose right from the first whistle."
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