# 2009 Melbourne Vixens season

The 2009 Melbourne Vixens season saw Melbourne Vixens play in the 2009 ANZ Championship. With a team co-captained by Bianca Chatfield and Sharelle McMahon, Melbourne Vixens won 12 of their 13 matches during the regular season and finished as minor premiers. Vixens subsequently defeated Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 58–43 in the major semi-final and Adelaide Thunderbirds 54–46 in the grand final to finish as overall premiers. Vixens hosted the grand final on Sunday 26 July at Hisense Arena.

## Players
### Transfers

Summary of 2009 player movements :
| Gains | Losses |
| Ama Agbeze (West Coast Fever) Kathleen Knott (Victorian Fury) Chelsey Nash (Victorian Fury) Brooke Thompson (Victorian Fury) Sarah Wall | Madison Browne (West Coast Fever) Johannah Curran (West Coast Fever) |

### 2009 team

Source:

## Pre-season

In March 2009, Melbourne Vixens played in the 2009 SOPA Cup, hosted by Netball New South Wales at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Vixens finished third in the tournament behind New South Wales Swifts and Adelaide Thunderbirds.

## Regular season

Melbourne Vixens won 12 of their 13 matches during the regular season. Their only defeat came in Round 10 against Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, their main challengers for top spot. Vixens had to win their final two home matches with plenty of goals to guarantee top place. After a 63–35 win against Canterbury Tactix in Round 13, Vixens' defeated Central Pulse 80–39 in Round 14 to secure the minor premiership.

### Fixtures and results
#### Round 6

Melbourne Vixens received a bye

#### Round 14

Sources:

### Final table

2009 ANZ Championship laddervte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | G% | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Vixens | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 769 | 614 | 125.24 | 24 |
| 2 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 673 | 562 | 119.75 | 22 |
| 3 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 698 | 579 | 120.55 | 20 |
| 4 | Southern Steel | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 662 | 645 | 102.64 | 16 |
| 5 | Queensland Firebirds | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 700 | 690 | 101.45 | 16 |
| 6 | Canterbury Tactix | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 639 | 662 | 96.53 | 10 |
| 7 | West Coast Fever | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 666 | 735 | 90.61 | 10 |
| 8 | Northern Mystics | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 642 | 727 | 88.31 | 6 |
| 9 | New South Wales Swifts | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 709 | 748 | 94.79 | 4 |
| 10 | Central Pulse | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 594 | 790 | 75.19 | 2 |
| Updated 20 February 2021 ||||||||||
Qualified for Major semi-final Qualified for Minor semi-final
* Pld = Games played
* W = Win (2 points)
* D = Draw (1 point)
* L = Loss (0 points)
* GF = Goals For (Total goals scored)
* GA = Goals Against (Total goals conceded)
* G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
* Pts = Points
Source:

## Playoffs
### Major semi-final

| Sunday 12 July 14:30 (UTC+10) | Melbourne Vixens | 58–43 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Hisense Arena |
| Hisense Arena |||
| Sunday 12 July 14:30 (UTC+10) | Caitlin Thwaites 35/41 (85%) Sharelle McMahon 21/22 (95%) Ashlee Howard 2/2 (100%) | | Irene van Dyk 24/25 (96%) Maria Tutaia 19/23 (83%) | Hisense Arena |
Sources:

### Grand final

| Sunday 26 July 14:30 (UTC+10) | Melbourne Vixens | 54–46 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Hisense Arena Attendance: 9,500 |
| Hisense Arena Attendance: 9,500 |||
| Sunday 26 July 14:30 (UTC+10) | Caitlin Thwaites 31/39 (79%) Sharelle McMahon 23/28 (82%) | | Kate Beveridge 28/34 (82%) Natalie Medhurst 18/23 (78%) Jane Altschwager 1/2 (50%) | Hisense Arena Attendance: 9,500 |
Sources:

## Award winners
### Vixens awards

| Award | Winner |
| Best and Fairest | Sharelle McMahon |
| Player of the Finals | Bianca Chatfield |
| Coaches’ Award | Renae Hallinan |
| Rookie of the Year | Chelsey Nash |
| Best Club Person | Bree McDonald |
| Excellence in Sport and Life Award | Renae Hallinan |

### Australian Netball Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Liz Ellis Diamond | Julie Corletto |
| Australian ANZ Championship Coach of the Year | Julie Hoornweg |
Sources:

## Gallery

* 7 March 2009; Renae Hallinan (left) of Melbourne Vixens and Kimberlee Green (right) of New South Wales Swifts during the pre-season tournament, the 2009 SOPA Cup.