NETBALL
By LIAM DURKIN
TRAIN like a Vixen.
Local netball lovers were given an early Christmas present, with the Melbourne Vixens coming to town last month.
The Suncorp Super Netball champions visited schools and conducted a meet-and-greet at Monash Reserve, Newborough.
Victoria’s typically unpredictable weather unfortunately saw conditions change in an instant, meaning a scheduled clinic was cancelled.
That did little to dampen spirits however, and kids revelled in the chance to snap a photo, have a chat, and ask questions of their favourite players.
The visit was far from a token tick-the-box exercise either, with the Vixens bringing all their big guns to the Latrobe Valley, including Australian netball royalty Sharelle McMahon.
McMahon, now the Vixens’ general manager of high performance and pathways, hoped fans got a boost out of being up close and personal to the stars.
“The excitement and joy that you can see on all the kids was really great to see. Latrobe council, being able to be supported to be
able to come into this area is fantastic,” she said.
“It is great for these young netballers as they are coming through to be able to see their heroes, learn some tips and tricks from them, on the same courts they play.”
On her impression of the netball facility on offer at Newborough (used by Moe District Netball Association), McMahon believed the multi-court complex had a big say in the overall quality of netball in the region.
“It’s got a very long history of strength, the Gippsland and Latrobe area,” she said.
“We’ve had a lot of great talent coming through our pathways in different ways, some who have gone all the way to the top.
“We contract 10 athletes, so if you look at that, it takes 10,000 Netball Vic members to create one Vixen, so everyone in all the areas, there is some great strength down here, do a great job in being able to create those opportunities.”
Wonthaggi’s Zali Anderson is currently a training partner with the Vixens, while former Moe player Montana Holmes enjoyed Suncorp stints with Melbourne Mavericks and Collingwood before the Magpies folded.
There is general consensus Moe’s A Grade netball team, which has won the last three Gippsland League premierships, would be among the strongest country teams in the state.
Virtually every Moe player has played at Victorian Netball League level (one grade below Suncorp), while Gippsland itself has a VNL team competing in the top Championship level.
Moe netballer Rachael Blackshaw also works for Netball Victoria in the role of VNL competitions coordinator.
Blackshaw was back home for the Vixens visit, as was the Suncorp Super Netball trophy, won last season after a genuine fairytale finish by the girls in navy blue and jade.
The Vixens overcame an early season slump to sneak into finals by a game, before going on to win all three finals by less than two goals.
McMahon, who won two netball World Cups and two Commonwealth Games gold medals, rated the 2025 Vixens premiership as “up there” in the highlights of her career.
“Going over to Adelaide and winning (the semi-final), heading up to Sydney and coming back from 11 goals down (in the preliminary), and then that exhibition we had at Rod Laver Arena (for the grand final), it really was an amazing atmosphere. It was so exciting to be a part of that,” she said.
There was further local connections to the Vixens championship, with Moe netballer Georgia Moody among the crowd. She is best mates with Vixens wing attack Hannah Mundy.
The Vixens dropped four of their first six games last season, prompting coach Simone McKinnis to bring out the now famous line “maybe we just need to go to the pub”.
Whether parmas and beers formed part of the solution is unknown, however the Vixens won six of their next eight games.
Keeping things in perspective, McMahon said the throwaway wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously, much like most of what is spoken and written about in sport.
“That element of being a bit light-hearted and having a bit of a joke with your mates, which is what that was. To be able to have a laugh and have some fun while we’re on the journey of playing our sport (at) whatever level it is, is really important,” she said.
“You get a lot of feedback from lots of different areas. They (the players) are very resilient – you have to be.”
That resilience could see Gippsland youngsters go from training like a Vixen to one day, becoming a Vixen.
