How the Vixens defied the odds

By Stephanie Smarrelli 
 
“It’s been a bit of do or die all season.” 

The Melbourne Vixens have fought their way to the Grand Final throughout the season. 

They fell agonisingly short in last year’s Grand Final but have earned their place on Grand Final Day again this year. 

But it’s been a challenge, starting the season with two wins from their opening six matches the Vixens have defied the odds to make it. 

We caught up with Vixens goal shooter Sophie Garbin ahead of the big game. 

She acknowledged the team didn’t start the season how they would have hoped.  

“Hearing the news of it being Simone’s last year with the club took a toll on a few people mentally in those weeks,” Garbin said. 

“But once we moved on from that and got that belief back, we slowly built over a couple of weeks it wasn't one week or one thing that turned our season around. 

“Each week we're going out, taking each game at a time and trying to keep improving whether it's in attack or defence.” 

Garbin confessed she still gets a bit nervous before big matches. 

“There’s that little bit of extra pressure in finals because they are all do or die, but this year we've had a really good mindset around taking each match as it comes,” she said. 

“Because we didn't lock in our finals spot until the second last round, we've had a lot of practice in big games throughout the season.  

“Finals do have a little more pressure on them but it's not a massive jump to what we’ve faced each week during the season.”  

Reflecting on last week’s Preliminary Final win, Garbin was stunned by the result. 

“Being in another Grand Final came as a bit of a shock,” she said. 

“I’m grateful to be in another one so soon but at one point during the Preliminary Final I did lose a little bit of hope. 

“But we came out in that fourth quarter, really focused and were able to finish off strong and get that Grand Final spot.” 

She hopes this weekend the Vixens won’t need to fight back in the last quarter to seal the premiership. 

“It's been great having two really close games the last two weeks and being in different situations both times,” she said. 

“The Thunderbirds came back at us late and then us being able to come back at the Swifts will help going into this week against Fever. 

“But we don't want to let them get out to a 10-goal lead because Fever are a team that will punish you.” 

Garbin confessed the side will be pushing themselves a bit harder this weekend knowing it’s the last time Simone McKinnis will coach the Vixens. 

“It’s hard to get to a grand final and hard to win one,” she said. 

“We want to take the opportunity for ourselves and for Simone, we know it's going to be her last one and we all have a lot of respect and care for her.  

“We would love to send her out on a high. 

“It's been half the journey to get to the Grand Final, we've worked so hard, it would be a shame if we let it slip when we're this close.”  

The Vixens will be laser-focused on producing a strong performance this weekend. 

“It's about getting that four quarter consistent performance,” she said. 

“We didn't play our best the whole game against the Swifts and were able to come out strong in the last quarter which really helped but for us if we get a strong start and we're able to maintain that we'll be in really good stead heading into the final quarter. 

“We know we can close out games and win if it's close, but defence is going to be massive.  

“They've got a superstar in their shooting circle in Jhaniele so we’ll make sure we help out Rudi and Maggie when the ball gets back there and make sure we're winning ball all the way down the court.”  

Last year’s Grand Final loss is another motivator for Garbin to put her best performance out on the court. 

"I've taken a lot of learnings from last year's Final Series,” she said. 

“Being able to have the experience of that loss helps with motivation this year. 

“But it also helps with nerves and mindset going into the Grand Final.” 

Having played last year’s Grand Final away from home, she’s excited for the match to be in Melbourne this year. 

"Being able to play at home in front of the Vixens fans is super exciting,” she said. 

“They're absolutely insane, it's going to be awesome to be in front of a crowd that's cheering for us because the last couple of weeks we've been away."  

Having grown up in WA, Garbin will come up against a close friend this weekend. 

“One of my best friends is Jess Anstiss so I'd like to have bragging rights over her,” she said. 

"But for everyone there's that motivation of wanting to beat the best and this season Fever have been the best. 

“Everyone loves to beat Fever, and they’ve set the tone and been the benchmark which is motivating for us.”  

The Vixens are yet to defeat Fever in 2025, but Garbin isn’t daunted by that. 

“I don't think we've played our best against Fever this year,” she said. 

“That's a credit to them; they haven't let us play our best.  

“For us the focus will be converting the ball we do turn over. 

“We know it's going to be hard to win because they are such a clinical team and they have that big target in Jhaniele so making sure we can build on the ball and put pressure on that way is important. 

“In attack, we need to play with the freedom we played with on the weekend, letting the ball go, taking the drives, and bringing that consistency for four quarters.”  

Garbin herself will be ready for whoever Dan Ryan sends her way on Saturday. 

“They've got lots of options in the defensive end and they have used most of their bench this year,” she said. 

“For us preparation is making sure we watch a lot of footage on each of the different players.  

“I've been lucky enough to play against all of their defenders so have a little bit of experience which is good. 

“In attack, we will need to recognise when those changes are made and adjust what needs to be adjusted.” 

A dual premiership player with the Swifts, Garbin is hungry for her third title.  

“I've been very lucky to already have two with the Swifts but as more of an impact player coming off the bench,” she said. 

“Being in the role I am with the Vixens to win a premiership would be very satisfying, especially after the season we've had. 

“Every team had a different journey, we didn't have the greatest start to the season, but we never lost belief which has kept us in good stead to now be contesting the final game of the season. 

"Having the Grand Final loss last year hurt a lot so I would love to get one back.”

You can watch Saturday’s Grand Final via Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. at 7.30pm AEST.