Fever fire past Vixens

A record-breaking crowd of 12,813 turned RAC Arena into a sea of green as the West Coast Fever surged to their 12th straight victory, overpowering the Melbourne Vixens by 10 goals.

Fresh off securing the minor premiership, Fever showed exactly why they’re the team to beat, delivering a composed and clinical performance to close out the regular season in style. 

There was little to separate the two teams early in a fiercely contested first quarter, with the deadlock not broken until the 12th minute when the home side managed to secure the first break. 

Vixens were impressive defensively, doing well to deny Fever easy access to the circle edge, with Zara Walters a standout, racking up five assists and two pickups in the first half. 

Fever came out firing in the second term, quickly pushing ahead with a 3-1 lead and lifting their defensive pressure. The backline, led by Sunday Aryang, proved sharp and disciplined, keeping Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin quiet.  

Aryang was a standout in defence, racking up three gains, two intercepts, two deflections and a rebound in a dominant first-half display. 

Backed by a composed defensive unit, Fever took a 34-30 lead into the break.  
 
The Vixens made changes to start the second half, reintroducing Garbin and Ellis in an attempt to shift the momentum. Fever struck first, and while the visitors stayed in touch early, it wasn’t long before Fowler-Nembhard put the foot down. 
  
A run of unanswered goals blew the margin out to double digits, as Fever’s clinical centre pass-to-goal rate, sitting at 93% for the quarter, left the Vixens struggling to keep pace at just 53%. 

Ellis opened the final term with a strong defensive play, but it was Alice Teague-Neeld who pounced on the deflection to regain possession. 

Aryang continued her dominant performance, picking up a fifth intercept, as the Vixens faltered with costly turnovers and missed opportunities.  

Teague-Neeld controlled the attacking transitions with precision, while Fever’s defensive unit suffocated the Vixens’ attempts to claw their way back. 

Despite their best efforts, the visitors had no answers.

Aryang capped off a player-of-the-match performance with 6 gains, 4 intercepts, 3 deflections, 2 rebounds and 2 pickups as Fever powered home to a commanding 71–61 win.