When Melbourne Vixens stars Kate Moloney and Liz Watson are exchanging passes in the heat of Sunday’s Super Netball grand final, they will be calling on a connection that dates back to their teenage years.
In a game that Vixens coach Simone McKinnis has described as the storied club’s most challenging grand final task, the chemistry built over years together will be what the Victorian side will call on.
Kate Moloney and Liz Watson have been playing together for years. The pair were all smiles after the Vixens won the 2020 grand final.Credit:Getty Images
They know they will need every minute of it to get past the West Coast Fever who will have a sell-out, partisan crowd behind them and the game’s most dominant shooter in Jhaniele Fowler looking to take them to their first title.
It’s hard to find an area where the Vixens have an advantage except for the connection between their core four of Moloney and Watson, and defensive pair Emily Mannix and Jo Weston.
Moloney made her debut in 2013, Watson and Weston in the premiership season of 2014 and Mannix in 2015. All four came through the Victorian development pathway.
Moloney recalled her earliest games with Watson were as teenagers entering the Victorian elite pathway, and they, along with Weston and Mannix, have now spent eight years playing on the same team, including winning the premiership in 2020.
Kate Moloney in action in the preliminary final against the GWS Giants.Credit:Getty Images
“Liz would be up there – we probably started playing together in the Victoria Netball League when we were 15 or 16,” Moloney told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
“The four of us have been playing together for a long time throughout our Victoria netball pathway, and it helps so much on the court.”
The Vixens were a shadow of themselves last year, falling to the bottom of the ladder after being hit with the double blow of having Australian Diamonds centre-courter Watson ruled out for the season with a foot injury and the retirements of veteran shooters Caitlin Thwaites and Tegan Philip after the 2020 title.
Less secure clubs would be tempted to start a rebuild and promote some younger players, but the Vixens held steady, choosing to build around their core.
Jo Weston (left) and Emily Mannix.Credit:Getty Images
“No, look, I wasn’t concerned about that,” Moloney replied when asked if she feared the team might start making changes.
“We’ve been so lucky to have a core group of us together. We know each other really well, we’ve got great connections out on the court. We sort of know how each other will respond to certain things.
“Having that belief and connection in each other is really important. But around that core, we’ve been able to add some real strengths this year and I think that’s what really helped take us to another level.”
Super Netball grand final, West Coast Fever v Melbourne Vixens
Sunday 7pm (AEST), RAC Arena, Perth
Teams: Fever: Jess Anstiss, Sunday Aryang, Courtney Bruce, Emma Cosh, Rudi Ellis, Jhaniele Fowler, Stacey Francis-Bayman, Sasha Glasgow, Verity Simmons, Alice Teague-Neeld. Vixens: Kiera Austin, Kate Eddy, Mwai Kumwenda, Olivia Lewis, Emily Mannix, Kate Moloney, Hannah Mundy, Rahni Samason, Liz Watson, Jo Weston.
Head-to-head record this year: 2-1 Vixens. Rd 4: Vixens 75-66; Rd 10: Vixens 70-64; SF: Fever 71-62.
Key match-up: Fever defender Sunday Aryang combined with Courtney Bruce to snuff out many Vixens attacks in the semi-final so shooters Kiera Austin, Mwai Kumwenda and Rahni Samason cannot let them have free reign to intercept. If the Fever defenders have to chase their players, it will change the contest.
Who will win: On form, you can’t go past the Fever but if the Fever freeze on the big stage, Melbourne will take full advantage.
Along with the core four, shooter Mwai Kumwenda has been a part of the team since 2017 and played in the VNL for several years before being promoted to the Vixens, while Diamonds shooter Kiera Austin has fitted in seamlessly this season after travelling south from the Giants.
Watson knows that when the pressure is on and the WA crowd screaming, the connection between the team could be what keeps the Vixens in the contest or takes them to the most unlikely of victories.
“You can’t underestimate that,” Watson said. “There is that core of us, and Simone is really clever with who she brings in and how they fit our culture and what we do.
“I have played with some of these girls for almost 10 years which is just crazy at this level.
“We definitely know each other really well on court, we’re great friends and I think that truly helps us perform out there.
“It will be a massive task but we are all in it together, we want to do it together and you know when someone is performing or needs that little kick, it helps you so much in this kind of game.”
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