Latest news with #MelbourneVixens
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fever reveal driving force behind dominant campaign
West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan has revealed last year's heartbreaking one-goal preliminary final loss to the Melbourne Vixens has been the driving force behind his team's record-breaking 2025 campaign. The Fever and Vixens are the fiercest of rivals, and will face off for Super Netball title glory in Saturday's grand final at Rod Laver Arena. West Coast are on a league-record 13-match winning run, with their 77-45 demolition of the NSW Swifts in the major semi-final their best performance of the season. That display earned the Fever a week off. The Vixens will also enter the decider brimming with confidence after coming from 10 goals down in the last quarter to beat the Swifts 66-65 last week. The Fever and Vixens boast arguably Super Netball's fiercest rivalry. The Vixens beat West Coast 66-64 in the 2020 grand final, before the Fever returned the favour in the 2022 decider with a crushing 70-59 triumph. But the pain of losing last year's preliminary final 73-72 to the Vixens still burns strong for the Fever, and they'll get the chance for revenge on Saturday night. "If we look at the prelim final last year, that's really been the driving force behind this year's campaign - addressing the gaps that we needed to close across the course of the season," Ryan said. "It's a grand final, so it does bring out the best teams. "Whilst we've won by 10 and 11 respectively (this season) we have to anticipate a goal for goal battle that goes right down to the wire." Confidence on the feed 🤝 crucial to Fever's successWatch the SSN Grand Final live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge on Saturday night. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) July 30, 2025 The Fever (12-2) finished on top of the ladder, while the Vixens (8-6) only just scraped into fourth. But under Super Netball's controversial policy of selling the grand final hosting rights before each season, Melbourne will have home-court advantage given the match is being played at Rod Laver Arena. Not that you'll catch the Fever crying foul about it. "I think it poses an even greater challenge that we're all really excited by, to beat the Vixens on their home court," Ryan said. "Every time we've had an away game in the home-and-away season, we've acknowledged that if we're going to win the competition, we have to do it away from home. "I've got great confidence in our group that we can stay really tight in that Fever bubble and stay really locked in and laser-focused about what we need to do together." The Fever, led by superstar goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, will enter the decider as hot favourites - a mantle Ryan is embracing.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Vixens ride wave of emotion into Super Netball decider
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. 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."
West Australian
4 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Netball grand final: West Coast Fever star Fran Williams opens up on rivalry with Melbourne Vixens
West Coast Fever star Fran Williams has opened up on the deep-seated rivalry between her club and Melbourne Vixens before the two powerhouses meet in another Super Netball grand final. Fever players were put through a no-holds barred training session at the Gold Netball Centre on Monday, five days out from their tilt at a second premiership in club history. Williams said it has them primed for Saturday's decider, which will be played in front of a hostile Melbourne crowd. That brutal session came after another intense hit-out in a practice match against the club's male training partners on Saturday, which was part of a ploy to keep their routine the same, even though they had earned preliminary final weekend off. Williams — the England national team captain who joined the club before last season — said the rivalry between the two sides was instilled in players as soon as they arrived at Fever. '(There was an) extra spring in the step for grand final week,' she said. 'Everyone looked extra fierce and feisty and up for the challenge out there today, so it's great. 'We're going in all-guns-blazing. There's a real rivalry, I noticed that when I arrived at Fever, between Vixens and Fever and I think it's because they have had so many tightly-contested finals matches in the past and you kind of inherit that rivalry when you come and join the side. 'One thing we pride ourselves on is that our training environment is as tough as its going to get for us. It's something we know we can do to each other because we have got that connection and trust and comfortable relationships. 'We can challenge and push each other and we know we are doing it to bring out the best in each other.' The Vixens' heart-stopping one-goal victory over NSW Swifts on Sunday afternoon in Sydney meant they earn home-court advantage for the clash, which will be the first netball match ever held at Rod Laver Arena. More than 10,000 fans are expected to pack the venue, including a fleet of Fever fans making the trip across. Since the Super Netball grand final has been put out to tender before each season, the Fever in 2022 and Adelaide last year have fortuitously held home-court advantage. Both teams won, but the Fever are out to buck the trend they started. 'I think just embracing it. How cool for netball that we are getting to play at an iconic sporting venue like Rod Laver and yes it's in Melbourne, but we know that the Green Army will be there supporting there in person... but also at home and getting behind us, you do feel the love,' Williams said. 'Sometimes when you go away our Fever bubble stays really strong and you lean in on each other even more.'
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Vixens to exploit home comforts in netball grand final
The Melbourne Vixens are aiming to go full throttle as they enter the dangerous comfort zone of hosting a Super Netball grand final. Vixens coach Simone McKinnis is urging her side to stay hungry as they prepare to take on a formidable West Coast outfit on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena. The Vixens booked their spot in the decider with a stirring comeback over the NSW Swifts, turning around a 10-goal deficit at the final change to win by one in the dying seconds. West Coast finished on top of the table but McKinnis's side avoid the RAC Arena fortress thanks to Super Netball's controversial policy of selling hosting rights for the decider. A hostile environment at RAC Arena went a long way towards helping West Coast undermine top-two side NSW, with the Fever pulling off a 77-45 semi-final mauling. McKinnis won't let her side become too carried away, given the Vixens' season almost ended when the Swifts powered to a 51-41 lead at three quarter-time. "We lacked a bit of dynamic movement and punch and attack at times," McKinnis said. "When changing in the defensive structures, we didn't adapt well all the time. "We've got to take what we have to out of this because up against a Fever, you don't get a second chance or a look. "They don't give you much chance." Vixens captain Kate Moloney, who played in the club's 2020 grand final win at Brisbane venue Nissan Arena during COVID-19, can only imagine the bonus of creating a fortress for a decider. "It hasn't quite sunk in. That game, just the fight that we showed, I'm pretty exhausted right now," Moloney said. "It's amazing that we get to have (a grand final) at home. "The last grand final that we won was in a hub, and we didn't get to share that with our Melbourne Vixens fans. "They've been with us this whole time. They've sold out John Cain Arena each week. "It's an amazing reward for them as well, that we get to go home and we get the opportunity to hopefully go all the way." The NSW Swifts were left lamenting what could've been after suffering straight-sets finals exits. "We probably just looked a bit too far ahead today," Swifts co-captain Maddy Turner said. "We probably saw ourselves already like, that foot in the grand final at three-quarter time, so again, another learning."
West Australian
4 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Vixens to exploit home comforts in netball grand final
The Melbourne Vixens are aiming to go full throttle as they enter the dangerous comfort zone of hosting a Super Netball grand final. Vixens coach Simone McKinnis is urging her side to stay hungry as they prepare to take on a formidable West Coast outfit on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena. The Vixens booked their spot in the decider with a stirring comeback over the NSW Swifts, turning around a 10-goal deficit at the final change to win by one in the dying seconds. West Coast finished on top of the table but McKinnis's side avoid the RAC Arena fortress thanks to Super Netball's controversial policy of selling hosting rights for the decider. A hostile environment at RAC Arena went a long way towards helping West Coast undermine top-two side NSW, with the Fever pulling off a 77-45 semi-final mauling. McKinnis won't let her side become too carried away, given the Vixens' season almost ended when the Swifts powered to a 51-41 lead at three quarter-time. "We lacked a bit of dynamic movement and punch and attack at times," McKinnis said. "When changing in the defensive structures, we didn't adapt well all the time. "We've got to take what we have to out of this because up against a Fever, you don't get a second chance or a look. "They don't give you much chance." Vixens captain Kate Moloney, who played in the club's 2020 grand final win at Brisbane venue Nissan Arena during COVID-19, can only imagine the bonus of creating a fortress for a decider. "It hasn't quite sunk in. That game, just the fight that we showed, I'm pretty exhausted right now," Moloney said. "It's amazing that we get to have (a grand final) at home. "The last grand final that we won was in a hub, and we didn't get to share that with our Melbourne Vixens fans. "They've been with us this whole time. They've sold out John Cain Arena each week. "It's an amazing reward for them as well, that we get to go home and we get the opportunity to hopefully go all the way." The NSW Swifts were left lamenting what could've been after suffering straight-sets finals exits. "We probably just looked a bit too far ahead today," Swifts co-captain Maddy Turner said. "We probably saw ourselves already like, that foot in the grand final at three-quarter time, so again, another learning."
