Melbourne Vixens v Queensland Firebirds

It was the Vixens who claimed the first victory of the 2019 Suncorp Super Netball season, fighting off a strong start by the Firebirds to win 73 to 61.

The Queensland side had a strong start to the game with the league’s up and coming defenders Tara Hinchliffe and Kim Jenner dominating in defence.

The duo applied tremendous pressure and forced early errors in the Vixens goal ring with the Firebirds quickly capitalising on the mistakes.

While at the other end of the court Gretel Tippett and Romelda Aiken shot 14 from 15.

However, a resurgent Vixens came back with commanding force in the second quarter to break a tight Firebirds' defence.

Caitlin Thwaites, who was making her return for the Vixens, had her eye in with some accurate shooting a whopping 50 goals at 98 percent, missing just one attempt.

With momentum swinging their way, the Vixens came back even stronger after halftime stretching out to a 55 to 48 lead.

One of the best plays in the match was an intercept by Emily Mannix, who was named the Player of the Match.

Firebirds captain Gabi Simpson maintained strong defensive pressure throughout the match, making life much easier for her fellow defenders, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to withhold the Vixens.