Super Netball Grand Final Wrap

Ellie Wilmore

Match Overview

The Vixens have taken home the gold, winning first place in the Suncorp Super Netball season, 2025! They have done the impossible! They pushed themselves, defeating the West Coast Fever despite the Fever's record-breaking win streak and seeming invincibility. They send off their retiring coach, Simone Mckinnis, with an incredibly memorable game, and overall, an incredibly memorable season as a whole. 

Match Thoughts

The game we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! The underdogs that were originally in third place, the Vixens going up against the formidable 13-game winning-streak of the Fever. This game was easily the most intense of the entire Suncorp Super Netball season. The teams were neck and neck, the Vixens matching every single score that the Fever made, and barely tipping them over the edge. Every single quarter ended with the Vixens just eclipsing the score that the Fever challenged them to overcome- it was clear that both teams wanted victory so badly.

The first quarter ended with a score of 16-17, the Vixens winning by a single point. 

In the second quarter, the Vixens made the gap slightly bigger, leading by two points at the end, 31-33. 

In the third quarter, the Vixens grew the gap once more, with the score ending up being 43-48 points, the Vixens now putting 5 points between them and the record-breaking West Coast Fever! 

It was really the final quarter however that pushed these two teams to the brink. Goal after goal, the Fever caught up to the Vixens, and a tactical time out was called by the West Coast Fever with just 2 minutes and 36 seconds left on the clock. The fever had nearly completely bridged the gap between the two scores, with the Fever at 56, and the Vixens at 58. The Fever come together, getting their morale boost from Dan Ryan. “We are right where we need to be. Put them under the pump.” With strong encouragement from Dan, the Fever huddled together, before going out to the court with renewed vigour and spirit. Was this enough to tip the Vixens over the edge?

With just over two minutes to go, the Vixens knew they had the Fever backed into a corner. They knew they had the upper hand, and so they continued to power on right up until the end of the match. In the next 30 seconds, Kiera Austin scored another goal after a physical obstruction left her with one player down to pull the ball away from her. Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard proceeded to get incredibly close to pulling off a very beneficial supershot for the Fever, but unfortunately the shot did not make the ring. However, a penalty was called due to a contact, to the displeasure of many Vixens fans, who can be heard discouraging the referee’s call. Nembhard takes yet another shot right afterwards, misses, but yet another penalty was called directly afterward. They say third time’s the charm, and the saying held true for Nembhard, scoring her super shot after her third attempt. Dan Ryan applauds her from the side of her court, and the hopes are high for the Fever as they minimise the point difference between them and the Vixens. With one minute to go, the score was 58-59, the Vixens then fought back, continuously passing the ball back and forth, namely Moloney, Austin and Weston fought both throughout the mid-court and their third to keep the ball in the hands of their team, attacking and dodging defenders.

With no goals being scored, and the fight between the two teams getting intense, the Fever trying their best to defend, and the Vixens struggling to make the ball get to their goal circle, the cheers of the Vixens fans only grew louder as fans painstakingly watched the time tick down to single digits. In the last 7 seconds, an opening is found, and a super shot is attempted. Despite the shot missing in the last second of the match, the Vixens claim victory for their team, giving their coach what is being called a “fairytale finish”, for coach Simone McKinnis. The ball is thrown in the air in celebration as the girls come together and jump for joy at their previously considered impossible victory. They even tried to put Simone Mckinnis up on their shoulders, to celebrate her commitment to the team in all her 13 years of coaching.

Some final words are spoken from the player of the match, Jo Weston. “I just feel on top of the world! That was just such an incredible team performance. I can’t believe we won!” Weston exclaims such words of pride, breathless and smiling ear to ear. She then talks about the impact Simone has had on the teams. “She’s just been such a formidable leader, she’s been so influential. I’m so happy we can send her out, it’s rare! You get fairytales like this!” Simone was applauded as she walked over to be handed her medals, and was honoured in Captain Kate Moloney’s speech, such as saying things like: “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.” and “You taught us how hard we had to work, you showed us some tough love, but most importantly, you cared for us, believed in us, and you nurtured every single athlete that walked through those doors.” Moloney finished  honouring Mckinnis by handing her a bouquet after such a heartwarming speech. Suncorp finished off the season both with such a fitting send off for Simone, but also with a check to the Confident Girls Foundation, with 56,800$. 

A fairytale finish it really is, and that concludes the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball Season. The Vixens really ended the season with a smile, giving McKinnis a game she’ll be certain to never forget. 

This was Suncorp Super Netball 2025, and it’s only a matter of time before the next season hits.