Super Netball grand final 2025: Melbourne Vixens Super Shot blitz urged against West Coast Fever, game plan vs Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, expert tips

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Smashed stigmas, Diamonds hopes and deep pain: Inside Fever’s astonishing grand final charge

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How to watch Super Netball final as historic change revealed

LAUNCH A SUPER SHOT BLITZ

Trading blows in one-point play is a mighty grind against the Fever when mighty goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard invariably shoots massive volume with elite accuracy.

Five-time premiership winning shooter Cath Cox reckons a change-up is in order from the Vixens’ all-Diamonds goal circle of Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin. It’s time for a surprise two-point blitz.

“I’d like to see them attack the Super Shot early,” Cox told foxsports.com.au.

“I think if you’re going regular time versus regular time, the Fever’s probably going to win out because they can score so consistently and so quickly. But they don’t really have a Super Shot specialist that they’ll want to have on the court. You bring a Liv Wilkinson on and I think you lose a bit of punch in that goal attack role.

“So if I was the Vixens, I’d be attacking it in the first 15 minutes, not necessarily waiting until they’re behind. You only have to be behind by a couple in the first quarter, behind by a couple in the second and suddenly you’ve got a decent margin you’ve got to make up and you’re under pressure. But if they can sink those from the start, just naturally when they come up, then I reckon it’s gonna put a bit of pressure on the West Coast Fever.”

Austin is unquestionably the spearhead for the Power5 periods having made 45 Super Shots this season, including 4/5 last weekend in the prelim miracle and 5/5 in a minor semi-final win over Adelaide.

“She’s had the hot hand the last two weeks, that’s for sure,” said Cox, adding that the Vixens goalers were a crucial factor whatever their strategy, and irrespective of some criticism this season.

“I reckon them having to do the finals the hard way has been really good for them, because it’s proven they can stand up in those moments and play great netball when the pressure’s on. Even the Vixens’ last six games, the majority of them have been three goals or less and they’ve won them, they’ve fought them out and won them.

“I think they’ll take a lot of confidence from that going into this game, that no matter what it’s like, they can win these tight ones and they’ve got the side to do it, one that can keep composure. That’s definitely around that attack line that they’ve got, Austin in particular. My god, she’s been in great form.”

PLAY SMART, LIMIT TURNOVERS

For all her brilliance, Austin leads Super Netball for turnovers (97) and Garbin (68) rates equal third. Excessive gifting of the ball to Fever will prove fatal.

Fever’s defensive trio of Sunday Aryang, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Fran Williams, plus Jess Anstiss at wing defence, will give the Vixens persistent headaches and the passing/feeding must be meticulous.

“Any game, it’s such a fine line between concentrating on your own game plan but then paying respect to you opponents. I think the Vixens will have to; you can’t go in there playing your own game plan when you know you’re against such an athletic, aerial, physical defensive unit,” Cox said.

“I think the game plan that they’ll go in with will be probably pretty similar to what they went with against the Adelaide Thunderbirds, they’ll want to keep the ball short, sharp and out of the air. Keep possession and keep themselves out of dangerous spaces.

“This game will be super physical, there’s no two ways about that, and I think it’s about being really smart when you’ve got the ball in your hands, so that you keep yourself out of trouble.”

The Vixens welcome back a key midcourter for the grand final: Diamonds squad member Hannah Mundy, yet to feature in the finals due to a foot injury but now ready to unleash at wing attack.

“She’s been training with us and completed full trainings,” McKinnis said on Friday.

“This week was probably just the last step for her, getting through Wednesday and reinforcing she’s good to go.”

STOP JHANIELE VIA TEAGUE-NEELD

Once Fowler-Nembhard has the ball in her hands at the post, it’s over. Ditto if she gets a clear look at any half-decent feed lobbed her way.

The only way for Vixens to stop the five-time SSN MVP is to disrupt her clean flow of ball. That primarily means stopping wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld, who leads the league for goal assists this season (315), and also rising star Jordan Cransberg.

“It’s trying to stop the ball before it gets into the circle and I think there are definitely opportunities for us to get ball outside of that circle, because we know that she (Fowler-Nembhard) is such a powerhouse in the circle,” Vixens wing defence Kate Eddy told Fox Sports News, defiantly branding the Fever “beatable”.

Yet Cox says stopping Teague-Neeld, who earned a long-awaited Diamond squad selection this year, is easier said than done.

“She’s got impeccable timing, I think her feed is second to none and she’s really smart,” Cox said.

“Most sides will know that the key to beating the Fever is to cut her out of the contest but they still haven’t been able to do that all year. It just goes to show how strong she is.”

Fever coach Dan Ryan won’t sit idle if his megastar goal shooter is somehow being starved. He has pulled some clever trick shots in midcourt this season with captain Anstiss and Zoe Cransberg, while goal attack Shanice Beckford has had a strong campaign.

“To win this competition every single player needs to pull their weight and do their role, and every role is slightly different and we’ve got a team of 10 that we have great confidence to turn to at any point in time,” Ryan said.

“Jhaniele is obviously a focal point for us, and she’s always a focal point in opposition game plans as well, but we really back in every position on the court to bring out the best in each other and support each other on that court.”

West Coast beat the Vixens in both prior meetings this season, by 10 and 11-goal margins.

“You definitely take confidence from that and take confidence and belief from the last couple of weeks as well,” Anstiss said.

“It’s just about showing up on grand final day and being able to produce our best performance yet.”

PLAY FOR THE COACH AND CROWD

Has McKinnis got one last magic trick up her sleeve, as her players ride the emotion of one last match under her coaching? Will her oft-criticised ‘Plan A or bust’ philosophy of relentless pressure netball hold up over a full game against Fever?

“We have to be at our absolute best, individually and collectively as a team, and I think that anything bar that is not going to cut it,” McKinnis said.

“We have to have real clarity and intention about what we’re doing out there, we have to put them under as much pressure as we can and we have to go for it back ourselves in attack. Tough ask, but I believe we can do it.”

And when McKinnis tells her players they can do it, they tend to believe her.

“I’ve had the pleasure of being under Simone as a player in my last year playing, and she delivers the best pre-game speeches in the change room. I could listen to them all day, she’s so inspiring,” said Cox, a premiership player under McKinnis in 2014.

“What a legacy she leaves as a player and a coach. But it would be so sweet for them to be able to get the job done and give her the perfect fairytale ending.”

Eddy said: “It’s just the feeling that you get when Simone talks. You go into battle for her, to do absolutely anything.”

The departing coach gave a brilliant three-quarter time speech in the prelim, urging her players to throw out the game plan and simply have an almighty crack. While it seemed to come out of nowhere, the Vixens had gradually built the capacity for such a showing over the previous six weeks.

“The quarter that they played in the preliminary final, that last 15 minutes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them execute so flawlessly and have so much confidence in each other,” said Bianca Chatfield, Vixens’ 2014 premiership captain.

“Seeing that they can do it is what makes me believe they can get the win; however, playing that game and style for 15 minutes when you’re up against a team who can do it for 60, that’s where the challenge lies.”

Cox said: “The shackles are a bit off, in terms of them going out there and having a good crack. I don’t know that anyone genuinely expects them to beat the West Coast Fever, which is kind of a great position to be in before a big game.”

With the Victorian government having bought hosting rights to the Super Netball grand final, Vixens are the home team despite Fever being the minor premiers. With a packed Rod Laver Arena awaiting the Melbourne side, for the first grand final in the Victorian capital since that Vixens title 11 years ago, it may be a significant advantage.

“How special that we get to play at Rod Laver Arena, the first time since 2012, in front of hopefully a record crowd of 14,000 people. I think it just shows where women’s sport is, where netball is at the moment,” Vixens captain Kate Moloney said.

SUPER NETBALL GRAND FINAL EXPERT TIPS

Caitlin Thwaites

Winner: Vixens. Peaking at the right time, they will embrace the underdog status and take huge confidence and momentum from executing under pressure in the prelim. Also with the home crowd behind them and doing it for Simone one last time.

Margin: 2

MVP: Kip Austin. A lot on her shoulders to get this win, but Garbin stepping up and supporting will take some of that pressure off.

X-Factor: Kadie-Ann Dehaney. She will have a fly get some speccies, disrupt and play the mental game against the shooters that the fans love to see!

Kelsey Browne

Winner: Fever. They’ve been unstoppable everywhere for the last 12 weeks. A premiership is a deserved finish to 2025 for Dan, Jhaniele, the playing group and departing general manager Sue Gaudion. However, Vixens have the perfect story to play for. Sending off Simone McKinnis after 13 seasons with a premiership not many thought you could steal? Iconic.

Margin: 3

MVP: Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. We didn’t think it was possible – the GOAT came back in 2025 better than ever! Agile, strong and can shoot from anywhere. The cherry on top of a stellar season.

X-Factor: Fran Williams. Job doer. Ball winner. A luxury in all three defensive positions. Fran Williams is the glue for the Fever. Let’s not forget the 60-minute performance she had against Austin and the Vixens in Round 3. A real weapon off the bench for Dan Ryan.

Cath Cox

Winner: Fever. Too good and too strong, as the season has progressed so have they.

Margin: 7

MVP: Alice Teague-Neeld

X-Factor: Kadie-Ann Dehaney

Madison Browne

Winner: Vixens

Margin: 2

MVP: Kiera Austin

X-Factor: Kate Eddy

Jo Harten

Winner: Fever

Margin: 7

MVP: Alice Teague-Neeld

X-Factor: Kiera Austin