Where and When: Saturday, April 9 at 5:00pm at John Cain Arena.
Where to Watch: Foxtel + Kayo Sports (Australia), Spark Sport (New Zealand) or NetballAustralia.TV (international).
Tickets: For any fans based in Victoria or planning on travelling to the game, tickets are available through Ticketek.
Last time they met: The two sides last played for competition points in round 12 of the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball season at Nissan Arena in Brisbane. The GIANTS walked away with a nine-goal victory utilising all 10 players throughout the match. The GIANTS’ midcourt trio in Jamie-Lee Price, Maddie Hay and Amy Parmenter led the Nissan Points and dominated play down the court. The two teams met earlier this season for two practice matches at Netball Central, with the new-look Melbourne Vixens the better-looking team in those two outings, taking 18- and 7-goal wins respectively.
What it means for the GIANTS: The GIANTS will be looking to return to the winners list this weekend following a COVID-effected week last week. The GIANTS opened their season with a thrilling two-goal win over hot favourites the Swifts in round one, before falling short in the second half to the Thunderbirds last week. Saturday’s match marks the first of three games in seven days, with the GIANTS turning around to host the Queensland Firebirds three days later in Sydney in round four.
Where’s the Opposition at: The Vixens are a refreshed looking side in 2022 as they welcome co-captain Liz Watson back. Changes at either end of the court also see Kiera Austin and Rhani Samason enter the shooting circle, while Olivia Lewis made the move from the West Coast Fever to join Jo Weston and Emily Mannix in defence. The Vixens currently sit third on the ladder following two wins in the opening two rounds. Saturday’s match will mark the Vixens’ first home game of the season.
The Name: Kiera Austin – The former GIANT will come up against her old side for the first time for competition points this Saturday. Austin suffered a season-ending ACL injury whilst playing for the GIANTS in round one last year and made the move to the Melbourne-based club ahead of the 2022 season. Austin did come up against her old side for part of the game when the Vixens travelled to Sydney for two games during pre-season. Austin has been sharing with the goal attack position with Samason.
The Number: 12 – the GIANTS will travel to Melbourne this weekend with an extended squad of 12. Given the disruption to player availability the past two weeks due to COVID, the GIANTS will travel with an additional two players (Jemma Donoghue and Ang Frketic) in line with the league’s COVID contingency framework.
The News: Sophie Dwyer, Jamie-Lee Price and Jemma Donoghue have been cleared to be available to participate in the round three clash on Saturday after having COVID and exiting isolation throughout the week. Amy Parmenter is set to return to the team environment on Friday to travel with the extended squad and participate in captain’s run on Friday afternoon in her first session in nine days.
