Melbourne Vixens co-captain Sharelle McMahon proudly hoisted aloft the Rivalry Round Trophy tonight on behalf of the Australian teams in the ANZ Championship, after their 63-35 trouncing of Mercury Energy Tactix clinched the inaugural Trans-Tasman rivalry challenge.

New Zealand had been leading the goal count in the Rivalry Round – which pitted nation against nation in Round 13 – going into the final match in Melbourne, but Vixens’ all-encompassing performance was enough to tip the scales Australia’s way.

It was fitting that McMahon accepted the trophy for Australia, after she was the stand-out player in the drubbing. The Australian Diamonds star admitted afterwards the game was a lot tougher than the scoreboard divide indicated, and she was thrilled to see new faces, like wing attack Sarah Wall and shooter Kathleen Knott, get on court in the Vixens’ navy, crimson and green.

After a subdued few weeks, Vixens returned to the height of their powers in tonight’s match, but some unnecessary turnovers in the first and final quarters will give them food for thought before the Finals Series. 

The Melbourne side remain on equal points with Colourplus Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic at the top of the table going into next week’s final round, with Magic still holding the upper hand thanks to goal percentage. Vixens are counting on the Adelaide Thunderbirds overthrowing Magic on Sunday, so they can claim the Minor Championship title and the right to host their semi-final encounter.

Tactix were playing for pride in this match, and initially looked lost without the midcourt leadership of captain Julie Seymour, pregnant with her fourth child but sidelined by an ongoing Achilles niggle. The Canterbury side struggled to direct their missives accurately and hesitated with their centre passes, finding themselves 5-1 down. 

Just as Vixens appeared to be taking a comfortable grasp of their game, a string of turnovers let Tactix back into the match, just one goal off the pace until the final stages of the quarter.

It was a start dominated by the defence units of both sides; Bianca Chatfield and Julie Corletto keeping tabs on Tactix shooters Jodi Brown and Angela Mitchell, while Sonia Mkoloma and the young Charlotte Kight – one of the finds of this championship – were responsible for a handful of vital turnovers in the Vixen’s attacking circle.

Nevertheless, it was difficult to shut down Vixens’ agile and intelligent goal attack McMahon, who ended the quarter shooting with 100 percent accuracy, and stimulated a Vixens’ breakaway in the final moments of the spell to lead 15-10.

Natasha Chokljat, at centre, put her body on the line for the Vixens and the Australian cause, while new wing attack Sarah Wall, brought into the Vixens’ squad this season as a replacement for the injured Wendy Jacobsen, quickly found her footing in the fast-paced attack.

Tactix found their grip on the game slipping, and then lost Mitchell midway through the quarter through injury, replaced by Anna Thompson.

McMahon was, fittingly, brimming with confidence beneath the hoop and everywhere where she could legally roam, shooting 20 from 20 to half-time – clearly the top shooter on court.  The entire Vixens team could hold their heads high, outscoring Tactix 21-5 for the 15 minutes.

It was a despondent Tactix who walked off at the end of the first half, staring into a 21-goal chasm, 36-15 down. Coach Helen Mahon-Stroud made a raft changes, bringing Seymour off the bench to centre, returning a recovered Mitchell to goal attack, and swapping Kight and Mkoloma, putting the rangy English defender on to the case of goal shoot Caitlin Thwaites, who had stepped up her shooting duties in the second quarter. The Vixens starting line-up remained intact and were incessant in their assault; Chatfield and Corletto outstanding in defence.

With control of the game well and truly in Vixen hands at 54-25 ahead, coach Julie Hoornweg took the opportunity to give another of her young players court-time. Twenty-year-old Kathleen Knott made her first appearance in the ANZ Championship, handed the goal shoot responsibilities for the final quarter, in front of her family, who lost their home in the Victoria bushfires earlier this year. Knott stepped up to the challenge, shooting eight goals towards the final handsome total.