FOLLOW LIVE: Fever take on Vixens for Super Netball crown
Fever's defence has been on fire but they've been shaky in offence as the Vixens are doing everything to put body on Fowler-Nembhard.
Both teams have coughed it up but that Rudy Ellis intercept gives the Vixens momentum into the first break.
They've been trying to shoot from two-point range since the Power Five period started and they sink their first.
TURNOVER! Fowler-Nembhard can't gather cleanly and Vixens captilse to hit the lead.
FEV 15 VIX 17
The super shot is the Vixens clearest rode to victory.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has 12/12 to start
Fever lead 12-10
Vixens are overusing the ball in attack and seem a bit gun-shy as a wayward pass goes out of bounds.
This time, the Fever capitalise before Fowler-Nembhard shows great strength to stand tall and sink the shots.
Fever lead 7-5.
Jordan Cransberg sees one go through her hands as the Fever can't capitalise on Kadie-Ann Dehaney's gain.
She's had two already but Fever haven't made the Vixens pay yet.
We're tied up at 4-4.
A nervous start for both teams as Fever turn it over before the Vixens turn it over in transition.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard gets a contact-free and slots her first goal.
The Vixens have the home crowd and also plenty of drive with this to be their coach, Simone McKinnis' last game in charge after announcing her retirement early this year.
They also fell just short in last year's grand final and will be out to atone.
Make no mistake they are a massively dangerous opposition regardless of the Fever's form.
Hello all and welcome to the Super Netball grand final where the West Coast Fever are taking on the Melbourne Vixens at a sellout Rod Laver Arena.
The Fever have won a record 13 straight games but this is the one that matters and they'll have to do it against a hostile home crowd.
Can they keep their cool to claim just their second title? We'll find out shorty.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Olympic dreams, TV deals and a screen of one's own: Inside Netball's ultimate power play
Netball's plan for world domination was on the agenda during a long lunch at Melbourne Park's Centrepiece on Saturday, before the Super Netball grand final across the pavement at Rod Laver Arena. Among the 800 guests were Bridget McKenzie, Nationals senator and demon netballer, and actor Leah Purcell, who once got physical on the court with Australian netball great Vicky Wilson and hasn't let anyone forget it. Purcell is working on a teen TV drama about a bunch of girls gunning for the state championships, strategically timed to coincide with the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Speaking of strategic, also in the room was the Brisbane 2032 executive Brendan Keane, and Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis made no secret of the sport's Big Ambition, to get netty into the Olympics. 'We will push hard for Olympic inclusion,' said Ellis, urging everyone in the room to pledge their support for the cause. (McKenzie obliged). Loading Of course, Foxtel execs were on hand, eager to capitalise on the fairytale ascent of the Melbourne Vixens with a big TV audience. But even then, Ellis was playing the long game; Seven head of sport Chris Jones was among the guests. Nothing like a bit of competitive tension with the rights deal expiring next year. Sadly, a missed opportunity at one Brunswick pub on Saturday night, where requests to switch on the game on one of three TVs were turned down despite protestations that it was a grand final, a Melbourne team, and pinnacle women's sport. As the decider went down to the wire, a large group of discerning female sports fans watched the thrilling finish on a mobile phone as the AFL, the rugby and the NRL played on the big TVs. Posting Through It Former Labor senator and Australia's first Indigenous Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris appears to have suffered little consequence for sharing a series of deeply offensive social media posts about Muslims. Peris was elected a director of Hockey Australia weeks after sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter) from an anonymous account calling Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Olympic dreams, TV deals and a screen of one's own: Inside Netball's ultimate power play
Netball's plan for world domination was on the agenda during a long lunch at Melbourne Park's Centrepiece on Saturday, before the Super Netball grand final across the pavement at Rod Laver Arena. Among the 800 guests were Bridget McKenzie, Nationals senator and demon netballer, and actor Leah Purcell, who once got physical on the court with Australian netball great Vicky Wilson and hasn't let anyone forget it. Purcell is working on a teen TV drama about a bunch of girls gunning for the state championships, strategically timed to coincide with the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Speaking of strategic, also in the room was the Brisbane 2032 executive Brendan Keane, and Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis made no secret of the sport's Big Ambition, to get netty into the Olympics. 'We will push hard for Olympic inclusion,' said Ellis, urging everyone in the room to pledge their support for the cause. (McKenzie obliged). Loading Of course, Foxtel execs were on hand, eager to capitalise on the fairytale ascent of the Melbourne Vixens with a big TV audience. But even then, Ellis was playing the long game; Seven head of sport Chris Jones was among the guests. Nothing like a bit of competitive tension with the rights deal expiring next year. Sadly, a missed opportunity at one Brunswick pub on Saturday night, where requests to switch on the game on one of three TVs were turned down despite protestations that it was a grand final, a Melbourne team, and pinnacle women's sport. As the decider went down to the wire, a large group of discerning female sports fans watched the thrilling finish on a mobile phone as the AFL, the rugby and the NRL played on the big TVs. Posting Through It Former Labor senator and Australia's first Indigenous Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris appears to have suffered little consequence for sharing a series of deeply offensive social media posts about Muslims. Peris was elected a director of Hockey Australia weeks after sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter) from an anonymous account calling Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'.
Sydney Morning Herald
14 hours 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'.'
