# Melbourne Vixens

Melbourne Vixens is an Australian professional netball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball Victoria merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels. Vixens have won three premierships, in 2009, 2014 and 2020.

## History
### ANZ Championship

Between 2008 and 2016, Vixens played in the ANZ Championship. Vixens were formed in late 2007 when Netball Victoria merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels, in order to enter a single team in the 2008 ANZ Championship. During the ANZ Championship era, Vixens won two premierships, in 2009 and 2014. In 2009, with a team co-captained by Bianca Chatfield and Sharelle McMahon, 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 champions.
In 2012, with a team captained by Bianca Chatfield, and featuring Madison Browne, Julie Corletto and Geva Mentor, Vixens finished the season as minor premiers. In the major semi-final they defeated Northern Mystics 56–50. This was the first ever netball match held at Rod Laver Arena. However they lost the grand final 41–38 to Magic and finished the season as runners-up.
In 2014, with a team coached by Simone McKinnis, captained by Bianca Chatfield and also featuring Tegan Caldwell, Geva Mentor, Madison Browne and the veteran Catherine Cox, Vixens won both the minor premiership and the overall championship. Vixens defeated Queensland Firebirds in both the major semi-final and the grand final as they won their second premiership.

#### Regular season statistics

| Season | Position | Won | Drawn | Lost |
| 2008 | 4th | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 | 1st | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 7th | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| 2011 | 5th | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| 2012 | 1st | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 2013 | 2nd | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | 1st | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 2015 | 5th | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016 | 4th | 8 | 0 | 5 |
Premierships Runners Up

### Suncorp Super Netball

Since 2017, Vixens have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. With a team coached by Simone McKinnis and captained by Kate Moloney, Vixens finished the inaugural season as minor premiers. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and preliminary final during the Finals Series and finished third overall. Four Vixens players – Mwai Kumwenda, Tegan Philip, Liz Watson and Jo Weston were named in the 2017 Team of the Year.
In 2020, with a team coached again by Simone McKinnis and co-captained by Kate Moloney and Liz Watson, Vixens finished the season as both minor premiers and overall champions. In the Grand Final they defeated West Coast Fever 66–64.
Following its championship win in 2020, the Vixens struggled in 2021, finishing last and claiming the wooden spoon for the first time in club history.
Vixens dominated the 2022 regular season before a shock defeat in the major semi-final by the West Coast Fever forced them to reach the Grand Final by winning the preliminary final, winning against GIANTS Netball 55-54. The club was unable to beat the Fever in the Grand Final, losing 70-59 and walking away runners-up.

#### Regular season statistics

| Season | Position | Won | Drawn | Lost |
| 2017 | 1st | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 2018 | 5th | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| 2019 | 3rd | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| 2020 | 1st | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 8th | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 2022 | 1st | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 4th | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2nd | 11 | 0 | 3 |
Premierships Minor Premiers Runners Up

## Grand finals
### ANZ Championship

| Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
| 2009 | Melbourne Vixens | 54–46 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Hisense Arena |
| 2012 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 41–38 | Melbourne Vixens | Hisense Arena |
| 2014 | Melbourne Vixens | 53–42 | Queensland Firebirds | Hisense Arena |

### Suncorp Super Netball

| Season | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
| 2020 | Melbourne Vixens | 66–64 | West Coast Fever | Nissan Arena |
| 2022 | West Coast Fever | 70–59 | Melbourne Vixens | RAC Arena |

## Home venues

Vixens main home venue has been John Cain Arena. Between 2008 and 2011 they also played some home games at the State Netball Hockey Centre. Since 2015, Margaret Court Arena has replaced the SNHC as Vixens secondary venue.
| Venue | Years |
| John Cain Arena | 2008– |
| State Netball Hockey Centre | 2008–2011 |
| Rod Laver Arena | 2012 |
| Margaret Court Arena | 2015–2019 |

### Notes

* ^1 Previously known as Vodafone Arena, Hisense Arena and Melbourne Arena

## Current and notable players
### Internationals
#### Australia

| Kiera Austin Kate Beveridge Kelsey Browne Madison Browne Bianca Chatfield Natasha Chokljat Julie Corletto Catherine Cox | Demelza Fellowes Sophie Garbin Renae Hallinan Wendy Jones Sharni Layton Emily Mannix Sharelle McMahon | Kate Moloney Caitlyn Nevins Tegan Philip Caitlin Thwaites Chelsey Tregear Liz Watson Joanna Weston |

#### Australia Fast5

* Karyn Bailey
* Johannah Curran
* Carla Dziwoki
* Amy Steel

#### England

* Ama Agbeze
* Geva Mentor
* Abby Sargent

#### Jamaica

* Kadie-Ann Dehaney

#### Malawi

* Mwai Kumwenda

#### South Africa

* Ine-Marí Venter

### Captains

| | Years |
| 2008–2011 | Sharelle McMahon |
| 2008–2015 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2016 | Madison Browne |
| 2020–2023 | Liz Watson |
| 2017– | Kate Moloney |

### Award winners
#### Australian Netball Awards
##### Liz Ellis Diamond

| Season | Winner |
| 2009 | Julie Corletto |
| 2012 | Madison Browne |
| 2014 | Madison Browne |
| 2018 | Liz Watson |
| 2022 | Liz Watson |
Source:

##### Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year

| Season | Winner |
| 2012 | Madison Browne |

#### Suncorp Super Netball
##### SSN Grand Final MVP

| Season | Player |
| 2020 | Mwai Kumwenda |

##### SSN Team of the Year

| Season | Players |
| 2017 | GS : Mwai Kumwenda, GA: Tegan Philip, WA: Liz Watson, GD: Jo Weston |
| 2018 | WA: Liz Watson |
| 2019 | WA: Liz Watson, C: Kate Moloney, WD: Renae Ingles |
| 2020 | WA: Liz Watson, C: Kate Moloney |
| 2022 | WA: Liz Watson |
| 2023 | WA: Liz Watson |

#### ANZ Championship
##### ANZ Championship MVP

| Season | Player |
| 2016 | Madison Browne |

##### Notes

* ^2 In 2016 Madison Browne was the MVP player in the Australian Conference and Jhaniele Fowler was the MVP player in the New Zealand Conference.

##### ANZ Championship Grand Final MVP

| Season | Player |
| 2009 | Sharelle McMahon |
| 2014 | Tegan Caldwell |
Source:

##### ANZ Championship All Stars

| Season | All Stars |
| 2011 | GA: Sharelle McMahon |
| 2012 | WA: Madison Browne, WD: Julie Corletto, GK: Geva Mentor |
| 2013 | WA: Madison Browne, GK: Geva Mentor |
| 2014 | WA: Madison Browne, GK: Geva Mentor |

#### Vixens awards
##### Sharelle McMahon Medal

Since 2014 the Vixens' most valuable player of season award has been known as the Sharelle McMahon Medal.
| Season | Winner | Runners Up |
| 2008 | Natasha Chokljat | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2009 | Sharelle McMahon | Julie Prendergast, Caitlin Thwaites |
| 2010 | Sharelle McMahon | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2011 | Bianca Chatfield | Madison Browne |
| 2012 | Geva Mentor | Madison Browne |
| 2013 | Madison Browne | Geva Mentor |
| 2014 | Geva Mentor | Madison Browne |
| 2015 | Geva Mentor, Karyn Bailey | Madison Browne, Tegan Philip |
| 2016 | Madison Browne | Geva Mentor |
| 2017 | Liz Watson | Emily Mannix |
| 2018 | Liz Watson | Kate Moloney |
| 2019 | Emily Mannix | Kate Moloney |
| 2020 | Kate Moloney | Jo Weston, Kate Eddy |
| 2021 | Kate Moloney | Mwai Kumwenda |
| 2022 | Liz Watson | Kate Moloney |
| 2023 | Liz Watson | Emily Mannix |
| 2024 | Kiera Austin | Kate Moloney |
Source:

##### Coaches' Award

| Season | Winner |
| 2008 | Caitlin Thwaites |
| 2009 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2010 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2011 | Julie Corletto |
| 2012 | Chelsey Tregear |
| 2013 | Erin Hoare |
| 2014 | Kate Moloney |
| 2015 | Kate Moloney |
| 2016 | Emily Mannix |
| 2017 | Khao Watts |
| 2018 | Emily Mannix |
| 2019 | Renae Ingles |
| 2020 | Caitlin Thwaites |
| 2021 | Kate Moloney |
| 2022 | Ruby Barkmeyer |
| 2023 | Kate Eddy |
| 2024 | Zara Walters |
Source:

##### Player of the Finals

Source:

##### Rookie of the Year

| Season | Winner |
| 2009 | Chelsey Tregear |
| 2010 | Tegan Caldwell |
| 2012 | Karyn Howarth |
| 2014 | Liz Watson |
| 2015 | Jo Weston |
| 2016 | Alice Teague-Neeld |
| 2018 | Kadie-Ann Dehaney |
| 2020 | Allie Smith |
| 2021 | Hannah Mundy |
| 2024 | Zara Walters |
Source:

##### Excellence in Sport and Life Award

| Season | Winner |
| 2008 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2009 | Renae Hallinan |
| 2010 | Natasha Chokljat |
| 2011 | Chelsey Tregear |
| 2012 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2014 | Amy Steel |
| 2015 | Bianca Chatfield |
| 2016 | Jo Weston |
| 2017 | Chloe Watson |
| 2019 | Renae Ingles |
| 2020 | Jo Weston |
| 2021 | Allie Smith |
| 2022 | Sharni Lambden |
| 2023 | Kiera Austin |
| 2024 | Jo Weston |
Source:

## Head coaches

| Coach | Years |
| Julie Hoornweg | 2008–2012 |
| Simone McKinnis | 2012– |

### Netball Australia Joyce Browne Coach of the Year Award

| Year | Coach |
| 2009 | Julie Hoornweg |
| 2012 | Julie Hoornweg |
| 2014 | Simone McKinnis |
| 2017 | Simone McKinnis |
| 2020 | Simone McKinnis |

## Team song

   You want the best, Here we are, We'll give it all right now. We're here to win, Come with us We're gonna show you how
   Stand up, Be proud, Shout it out loud
   We are the Vixens, No one stands in our way, Power together Stronger in every way, As one
   We wear it true, Navy blue, That's what we're all about Victoria, Feel the pride. And let the fox come out
   Power, Power together, Power as one, Power, Power together Vixens!
   One team, One dream, Shout it out loud
   We are the Vixens, No one stands in our way, Power together Stronger in every way, As one
Source:

## Victorian Fury

Victorian Fury are the reserve team of Melbourne Vixens. They play in the Australian Netball League. Fury are the most successful team in the ANL, winning their eighth premiership in 2019.

## Premierships

* Suncorp Super Netball
** Winners: 2020
** Minor Premierships: 2017, 2020, 2022
* ANZ Championship
** Winners: 2009, 2014
** Runners Up: 2012
** Minor Premierships: 2009, 2012, 2014