Bianca Chatfield: Thunderbirds v Vixens Super Netball grand final, Fever fixes and Donnell’s future

Yet this time, for all the right reasons.

After being blown out by Adelaide in the major semi-final, that prelim performance against the Fever was a miraculous turnaround. While the margin was just one point, the Vixens were in stunning form against a West Coast side that turned up ready to play.

The Thunderbirds will have taken note. They’ll be playing a vastly better side in the grand final than the one they’ve dominated in their past two match-ups, if the Vixens bring that level into this weekend.

Bring it on. Given the rich history of Melbourne v Adelaide clashes before Super Netball, it’s amazing that we’d never gotten a Vixens v Thunderbirds SSN final until this season – yet now that rivalry is back on the biggest stage of all.

It will be another big week mentally for the Vixens, getting their heads around going back to Adelaide after the past two results there. But I’ll also be intrigued by how the Thunderbirds have managed both the week off and the pressure of playing a home grand final.

Yes, the time to freshen up is helpful and playing in front of your home fans is great. But it’s a challenge for the T-Birds to deal with the big fuss being made in Adelaide, as opposed to them travelling to Melbourne and being able to block out those distractions for their grand final win last year.

Whatever happens, I really hope we get both teams at their best for this decider, because each can produce brilliant netball.

Distinction

SIMONE McKINNIS

With a fine balance to strike between properly reviewing that major semi and moving forward quickly to the prelim, McKinnis clearly got it spot on. She deserves huge credit for navigating that situation and the success was a mark of her experience.

It’s a whole new week of managing mental challenges for the grand final. The Thunderbirds have wiped the court with the Vixens in their past two meetings but don’t forget, Vixens beat them back in Round 2. Their best is good enough, and that’s what they delivered against the Fever.

For mine, the high risk, high reward netball that Vixens played in the prelim must again be the blueprint in the grand final, especially against that formidable Adelaide defence end. They must play their own game from the outset, either putting the foot down if things are working or making smart changes if they aren’t. They can’t make another tentative start.

This is the Vixens’ third grand final in five years. McKinnis and her players have kept finding a way to push themselves into premiership opportunities, and they’ll all remember what happened in their last grand final over in Perth. Motivation won’t be lacking.

SOPHIE GARBIN AND KIERA AUSTIN

The Vixens shooters copped a lot of flak last week, as two Australian Diamonds stars who were unable to perform in that major semi. Yet they were in scintillating form against the Fever; their connection, their balance across the attack line, their free-flowing game where they take shots without second-guessing themselves. They were nailing both one and two-pointers, and kept creating momentum for their side.

Austin was player of the match, but Garbin was equally impressive for mine. The accuracy to post has been missing in the past few weeks and it was a big game-changer for the Vixens.

Credit, too, to the midcourt. Hannah Mundy provided so much punch in the middle corridor, in that strong combination with Kate Moloney, and she really took charge against Diamonds defender Sunday Aryang at WD. While it wasn’t always clear who was winning that battle, Mundy consistently turned up, finding the top of the circle and eye-contact with her goalers, ripping the ball in when she saw the opportunity, but also exercising tempo and patience; which is something the Thunderbirds do extremely well.

Pass

VIXENS LINE-UP TWEAKS

Last week we discussed the potential for defensive line changes, after the Vixens’ strategy of playing tall against the Thunderbirds didn’t work. Simone made the switch – opting for Rudi Ellis at goal keeper, Jo Weston back at goal defence and Kate Eddy at wing defence, with Emily Mannix on the bench – and it paid off.

The physicality between Ellis and Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard in the first quarter sparked plenty of chatter and for mine, both gave as good as they got. Standing out in front of Fowler-Nembhard, Ellis was really agitating her for the entire first half and came through with some good deflections. While she didn’t get a lot of clean ball, the pressure that Ellis applied was instrumental in Mannix then being able to come on and win some ball. It was a big game-changing moment, the third-quarter switch from Ellis to Mannix; Emily brought crucial impact and it will be intriguing to see if the Vixens apply the same strategy to dealing with Romelda Aiken-George.

Eddy was also a standout, with three gains, two intercepts and a deflection; especially when she’s been riddled with injury all season and hasn’t played a full game since Round 5. Playing 60 minutes at WD and delivering peak form, where she locked down Alice Teague-Neeld and had hands-over pressure while also winning ball, was a major plus for the Vixens. Moloney was equally impressive in her rock-solid approach to guiding her team on and off the court.

The ability to finally go back to that preferred starting seven, which hasn’t been possible for most of the season, is a big relief deep in the finals. Weston typically doesn’t fill the stat sheet, but her work at GD makes an enormous difference to her team and her role playing out on Shanice Beckford pressured the Fever GA into mistakes, while she also offered assistance in the circle against Fowler-Nembhard. It’s what she does so well for the Diamonds and the Vixens will need that form again from Jo on Saturday.

Fail

FEVER LOSING THEIR WAY

While you could argue that Dan Ryan made some of his line-up changes a little too late in the prelim, I can’t fault him in that he seems to have a plan and well thought-out strategy for every moment.

So the fail for mine is that for a second year running, the Fever players haven’t quite been able to get it done in a preliminary final, again missing out on the grand final with a one-goal defeat. During the off-season, perhaps some focus will need to be applied to how the players problem-solve for themselves out on court when the pressure is on. They need to work out why it is that when the big moment arrives, they can’t execute in the same way they have all season.

When their biggest weapon is under threat, in Fowler-Nembhard, who stands up to support her? Alice Teague-Neeld did, and was impressive in partnership in those final moments. Maybe that change could have come sooner, but the million-dollar question for Fever: how do the players work things out for themselves when it matters?

For one, I’d love to see some players like captain Jess Anstiss get really vocal in the huddles. It’s not necessarily her strength but who can support her in that? Which Fever players are actively taking the lead on changing the game when they’re getting beaten?

Dan Ryan appears to have Plan A, B, C, D and E every game. He thinks out everything for his team but especially in big games, there’s always a grey area where things aren’t quite working out exactly to plan – and that’s where his players must stand up and find the way to victory for themselves.

There will be an examination of the playing list. The goal attack role, with Beckford and Olivia Wilkinson, has been under constant scrutiny this season and the starting point for Fever is always what works best around Fowler-Nembhard.

Beckford has had moments where she’s been great and no doubt her first SSN season has been a big shock to the system, with the relentless intensity and pressure she’s dealt by defenders. She’ll only have learned from that and be better for it, if Fever decide she’s the right option moving forward.

Wilkinson has played some good minutes and taken some tough shots at GA, so it will be interesting to see how they approach her development after signing her for three years. Teague-Neeld provides a luxury of options at GA, it’s just a matter of landing on what will deliver success.

Kelsey Browne’s future is again a talking point. She didn’t start against the Vixens, then came on at different times in a C/WA role; though I thought Jordan Cransberg was a better WA option during that last quarter. Does Kelsey get a new contract at Fever? We’ll see. Wing attack remains her better position for mine, so it depends if she serves a purpose in West Coast’s midcourt moving forward.

Defensively, the Fever have come a long way this season. Fran Williams has been a great addition in goal defence, and her combination with Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Sunday Aryang will only get better.

What now for Donnell?

The Firebirds just made the big call to hand their head coach position to Kiri Wills, a former New Zealand Under-21 and Fast5 Ferns coach who has been in charge of Northern Stars in the ANZ Championship since 2018. She wasn’t on anyone’s radar and will no doubt bring fresh ideas and direction to that club at a crucial time in its history. A big job lies ahead of her – with filling the goal shooter position her No.1 priority.

The Firebirds made a massive decision last week by not offering Diamonds GS Donnell Wallam a contract for next season. It felt inevitable that either Wallam or the club would pull the pin on their relationship, and the club got in first.

For the Firebirds to sever ties so matter-of-factly, perhaps they felt the need to move on from Donnell to begin planning for a more successful future. Or, it may turn out that they’re left to rue an inability to make things work with a superstar player. Time will tell.

I hope Wallam finds a home in Super Netball. She can be such an asset to any side and she’s an Australian shooter in a position that has been dominated in recent years by internationals. You’d hate to lose her back to the English Super League; for Donnell to keep improving her game, she needs to be here in the world’s best competition. I’m a big fan of the international presence in our competition but if there’s an Aussie shooter up for grabs who is tall and can shoot huge numbers, surely there’s a place for her somewhere.

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The NSW Swifts are looking for a shooter to replace Sam Wallace-Joseph. Perhaps the Giants, depending on Jo Harten’s fitness and plans for next season. It will be interesting to see what the Mavericks do if Shimona Jok leaves; she may well be on the Firebirds’ radar as a replacement for Wallam and you’d think she’d be eager to lock in a full-time contract after being left on the outer last off-season. She’s too good to sit on the Mavs’ bench, as could happen with Sasha Glasgow returning next season.

My understanding is that Tippah Dwan has been riddled with injuries and barely able to train this season, after arriving at the Firebirds with big expectations. Hopefully an extended off-season will get her body right and she can be a huge asset moving forward for that club. Building a combination with whoever gets the goal shooter position will be a big focus in pre-season.

Jok would be a good fit. Or maybe a New Zealand shooter will be headed across the ditch? We shall wait and see.