By Stephanie Smarrelli
It’s a feeling she says has never gone away.
Sitting in the Vixens changing rooms at the State Netball Centre she calls home, the enormity of pulling on the navy dress this weekend for her 200th national league match isn’t lost on her.
"There's something special about pulling on the navy blue and the history that is here,” Moloney said.
“Even just talking about it, I can feel it.
“It's something I dreamed of as a young girl to play netball for the Vixens and the Diamonds, and to be able to say I've done that 200 times for the Vixens is pretty special.”
Moloney’s netball career began just like everyone else's down at the local courts.
“I played netball on a Saturday morning in Diamond Creek for Sacred Heart Netball Club and when I look back, I loved playing all sports, but netball was the one I truly loved,” she said.
Moloney first fell in love with the game when she was playing in Diamond Creek.
“I used to spend my Saturday mornings coaching, umpiring and playing down there.
“It really is where my love for the game began, I love going past on a Saturday morning and seeing all the young girls playing because they're some of my favourite memories.”
Fast forward to now, and those early memories have turned into something far bigger.
This weekend, against the Queensland Firebirds, Moloney brings up 200 national league games and at the same time becomes the first player to reach 150 Suncorp Super Netball matches – just beating teammate Jo Weston to the latter milestone.
“Joey won't be happy with that,” Moloney laughed.
“It's not something you set out to achieve, but it's special to get there and to be the first one to do that,” she said.
“It shows how lucky I've been, I haven't had any injuries or anything like that, I've only missed the one game due to COVID.
“I've been very lucky with the longevity and the durability I've had within the sport, and that's thanks to the people around me that have helped me along the way.”
Reflecting on her journey Moloney credits a few of those closest to her for shaping her into the netballer she is today.
"It's hard to go past my mum and dad and all the support they gave to me,” she said.
Moloney still feels the same as she did when she first pulled on a Vixens dress.
“Then at the Vixens the likes of Simone McKinnis, who coached me for 13 years, has had a massive impact on me and my career, as has my current coach Di Honey, who has been around for a long time as well.
“The girls I've played alongside, my first captain in Bianca Chatfield, the list really does go on – I've been incredibly lucky with the support that I've been given.”
When Moloney walks out this weekend, it won’t just feel like another milestone; it’ll feel like home.
"It's going to be special on Sunday to be playing at John Cain Arena,” she said.
“It's my favourite place to play because it's been the court that I've played on for a long time, and I've had incredible support from the Melbourne Vixens’ fanbase there.
“They show up every single week, they've given me so much love over the years – some of the members from when I started in 2013 were there before me and they're still here, and to be able to see them at the games still is amazing.
“I'll have family and friends in the crowd too, I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully we can get the win.”
When the Melbourne Vixens come to mind it’s hard to picture anyone but Moloney at the helm.
The midcourter is known for playing with her heart on her sleeve and putting her body on the line week after week to spur her teammates on to victory.
"My leadership skills have developed a lot since 2013,” she said.
Moloney cherishes the support from the fans as well as her family and friends.
“I was a young, raw kid coming into the Melbourne Vixens and I learned a lot from the other players when I first started.
“Bianca Chatfield really took me under her wing, she showed me what it meant to play for the Vixens, to love this club and to lead this club.
“I used to get in a bit more trouble than I do now, but I've learned a lot along the way and when I was given the honour of taking over the captaincy in 2017 that was really special to me.
“To be able to lead this team for my 10th year now is a privilege and I love it.”
Moloney’s genuine love for the club and its people comes across with every word she speaks.
Being able to reach her 200th game at the one club makes it even more remarkable to her.
“I love this club so much, I don't think that's a surprise to anyone,” she said.
“The Vixens gave me an opportunity as a young 20-year-old to pull on the navy blue dress and to be able to represent the state before that as a junior.
Moloney is grateful for the Vixens' support.
“So to follow that through and say I’ve played 200 games with the one club is really special to me.
"I owe so much to Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens for the opportunities they've given me.”
Still, she admits she never really saw the milestone coming.
“There's 13 or 14 games in a season, it takes a really long time to reach 200, I never thought I’d get to this point,” she said.
“In a way it has come around quickly, I don't feel like I've been here for 14 years.
“It blows my mind a little that I'm still able to do this.”
That’s what stands out most to Moloney – not the number, but the feeling behind it.
"Throughout my ANZ and SSN career I've been extremely lucky,” she said.
Moloney can't believe she's played so many games for the Vixens.
“What makes it so easy is that I get to do what I love every single day.
“I get to come here, train and throw a ball around. I'm one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to do this.
“There's moments where it's hard, you're training, you're getting smashed on the court but at the end of the day I get to do what a lot of people dream to be able to do and that's a real privilege and honour.”
That perspective doesn’t just come from the good moments; it’s been shaped just as much by the grind, the setbacks, and learning how quickly things can change in elite sport.
A three-time premiership player, Moloney confessed she took the first one for granted.
“My first premiership I won in my second year in 2014, and I thought ‘this is easy, we're going to win heaps of these,’” she said.
“It wasn't until it took me another six years to win one that I realised how hard premierships in this competition are to win.
“To do that in Brisbane in the hub when many people were going through some really tough times, for us to be away from home and represent Victoria was really special.”
While favourites are hard to pick, she can’t deny the goosebumps of 2025.
The 2025 premiership is one Moloney will never forget.
“We went through so much as a team last year and it wasn't smooth sailing, it was tough but that's what makes it special,” she said.
“We were the underdog, no one thought we were going to be able to do it.
“When you pull on the navy blue dress there's an expectation that you go out and win, but last year there was this underdog feeling we hadn't had much before.
“There wasn't so much a relief of winning, it was just pure joy and happiness that we were able to do it.
“To do it for Simone in her last year and to do it with this group of girls was a lot of fun and definitely stands out for me.”
When Moloney thinks about what comes next, it’s simple and grounded in the same values she started with.
“I've always set out that I want to leave this club in a better place than when I first walked in the doors,” she said.
“I really hope that I’ve done that through my career and hopefully when I finish up, I'll be able to say that the club's in a much better position than it was when I first walked in.”
Universally admired throughout the netball world, from the way the Vixens' skipper's teammates, fans, coaches and competitors speak of her, you get the sense she’s already done just that.
