Fixin for a Vixen: On Netball and the Seeds of My Curiosity

I like to be well aware, if not well-versed, in sports that don't have as much a hold here in the states. There are some sports that had their origins here, but have been forgotten. One of them is netball.

The history of netball, a sport made for girls of all ages (though guys do play it too; can't imagine Shaquille O'Neal literally tearing the rim out in a netball getup) began a few months after James Naismith introduced basketball to the denizens of the Springfield YMCA in 1891.

In 1893, a lady by the name of Madame Martina Bergman-Österberg watched a game of basketball being played in the States, and returned to the Hampstead Physical Training College in London introducing a version of basketball that would be the forerunner for netball as it is.

And through revisions and more revisions, netball would then begin its proliferation throughout the Commonwealth, including Australia.

Fast forward to 2009, where I watch the ANZ Championship Grand Final between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and my newly adopted netball club of choice, the Melbourne Vixens.

You know, I associated Melbourne with sports. There's the Australian Open, the Australian Grand Prix, the Big V of Lembourne Victory, some of the best Australian Rules Football in the world, rugby league stalwart Melbourne Storm, and the NBL's Melbourne Tigers and South Dragons.

And then there's the Vixens, coached by Julie Hoornweg.

This match with the Thunderbirds (whio of the AFL's Port Adelaide Power) rekindles the rivalry between both cities.

The strains of the Vixens' anthem signaled perhaps a premonition of the outcome well before the tipoff at the HiSense Arena on the July 26, 2009.

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.

The Vixens are led by goal attack/goal shooter Sharelle McMahon, who is not only a co-captain of the Vixens with goalkeeper Bianca Chatfield, but also captain of the Australian national netball team, the Diamonds.

Fleet of foot and reflex-ready, McMahon's accuracy and precision in sinking goal after goal is the reason why Melbourne have been the pacesetters of the ANZ Championship.

Another offensive threat for Melbourne is Caitlin Thwaites. At 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in), her long-arm extension has not only seen her compete as a netballer, but also as a volleyball player.

Then again, Australia has never really been a force in volleyball outside of the beach variety, so it probably was a good thing to be playing for the Vixens anyway.

These three are surrounded by a competent bunch of individuals in goal defence Julie Corletto, wing defence Renae Hallinan, wing attack Chelsey Nash, and centre Natasha Chokljat.

The Thunderbirds, coached by Jane Woodlands-Thompson, are led by centre Natalie von Bertouch, who broke into the limelight as member of the Diamonds at the 2006 Commonweath Games in Melbourne.

Combined with goal shooter Kate Beveridge and staunch stoppers in goal defense Mo'onia Gerrard and goalkeeper Geva Mentor, the Thunderbirds looked to exact payback for being dominated by their neighbours to the east.

After some pregame entertainment by Jessica Mauboy and the national anthem by Jade MacRae, the Grand Final began.

Thwaites had some first-quarter jitters, and the Thunderbirds capitalized with Beveridge taking the first goal. But Thwaites countered, and it was game on.

As someone who has not seen a netball match of this magnitude, I was impressed by the fluid passing (there is no dribbling in netball) and defensive ability of both sides. The tenacity and desire for Adelaide and Melbourne to give no quarter of space dominated the first five minutes of the stanza.

At that point, 11 penalties were committed by Adelaide compared to only four. The Thunderbirds were intent of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Vixens.

The crowd was in awe as the Vixens saved loose balls from going out of bounds, as well as the ball movement of both teams.

A netball court is larger than a basketball court: 30.5 by 15.25 meters. The court is divided in thirds, with two goal thirds and a center. The center court has a centre circle, where play begins with a centre pass.

If you suffer a penalty inside the goal circle, you get a free shot. Shots made inside the goal circle are worth one point, and only the goal attack and goal shooter can score.

The first quarter in whole was close, with both teams level at 13-13. Chatfield needed to make some adjustments from getting sliced and diced in the low post by Beveridge. Melbourne shot 76 percent at quarter time while Adelaide shot 81 percent.

Something needed to be done about the penalties for Adelaide. The Thunderbirds committed 13 contacts and five obstructions, compared to nine and four respectively for the Vixens.

A little side note: penalties are akin to fouls in basketball, and intercepts are essentially the same as steals. Melbourne got three in the opening quarter, but needed to up the ante.

Caitlin Thwaite needed to step up her production, in the second quarter. McMahon had an injury with her ankle, which was a recurring injury that she sustained. Uh oh. A tape job.

Katheline Knott, the backup, prepared for a possible substitution as McMahon converted the shot to make it 14-13.

But she is a fighter, Sherelle McMahon is, and a netballer of her caliber will not go down quietly. Everyone donning the magenta, blue, and teal were inspired and responded accordingly.

Midway through the second the contact penalties were not going Adelaide's way, with eight committed. Still, they clawed their way back to cut the lead to within two with less than eight remaining. However, the Vixens' fluid passing and defense stalled any momentum they were gaining.

Melbourne continued to separate themselves from Adelaide. With less than a minute and a half to go, the lead increased to 26-18. By halftime, the Vixens were leading 27-19. Only six goals for the Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds committed 45 penalties to 21 for the Vixens. Of those, Adelaide had 36 called for contact. That statistic was a premonition of how things would end up for the Thunderbirds. They kept shooting themselves in the foot with infraction after infraction.

Mo'onia Gerrard was hording a lion's share of those penalties. Statistically, she led the ANZ Championship in infractions earned. Having an imposing presence does have its drawbacks after all.

Adelaide were left to scratch and claw their way back to the lead as Natasha Chokljat forced a big steal in the third quarter for the Vixens.

This was not going to be close after that big second quarter for the home side, with 86 percent shooting for the Vixens midway through the third, Adelaide tallying a paltry 60 percent. Victoria premier John Brumby and Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer were on hand.

All the Thunderbirds could do to get back into the lead is to give penalties left and right,  while Melbourne continued to deliver with goals. 38-25, 5:54 remaining in the third. Time for a time-out.

Georgia Beaton was brought in as a sub at wing defense to cut into the Vixens' lead and set things up for some fourth-quarter drama. Now it was 38-28 with 3:45 to go.

All right, it seems to work. With one quarter to go, Melbourne's lead was cut to 41-32.

Thwaites had a 74% field goal percentage, but McMahon was a consistent 18-for-21, leading the way with 86%.

Beveridge and goal attack Natalie Medhurst had 81% and 79% shooting through three respectively, but the Vixen defense were holding both scoring threats at bay.

The goal shooter for Melbourne needed to kick it up, and she did, as the lead extended to 45-33 with 12:30 to go. The bodies continued to collide and crash with every Melbourne possession snuffed by Adelaide.

McMahon continued to muscle away the ball from the Thunderbirds, consolidating on her team's lead with every possession with ruthless grace and beastly ability.

And defensively, every intercept and turnover facilitated by one Natasha Chokljat continued to skewer the pride and dignity of the City of Churches at the HiSense Arena.

Natalie von Bertouch was thoroughly outplayed by her Vixen centre counterpart. Chatfield, the workhorse at goal keeper, won the respect of One HD's Liz Ellis. And with less than three minutes to go, only the final score was in question.

Melbourne's bench erupted as the Vixens defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds 54-46. It was a great day to be a Melburnian. The Grand Final left a wide smile and raised eyebrows on my face.

And so I wondered, can this sport have potential in the States? Maybe not yet with Jamaica and Malawi (of all countries!) blowing apart the USA at the World Youth Netball Championships 109-11 and 93-24, but it has the potential to grow.

I will go on the record to say this as I watched the Vixens hoist the trophy: netball will be the ONLY sport Malawi will ever beat the United States in. You heard it first.

The reason netball's not going to have a chance at being an Olympic sport any time soon is just like with softball and baseball's cases: there are too few teams that are actually good at it.

Rugby sevens has seen the rise of strong sides worldwide among men AND women; that's why it will be there with golf, which is a no-brainer at being named to the program.

Of course, there is always the possibility of the IOC's membership giving the Executive Board the middle finger like Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing to the state of California right now.

But I am not one to tempt fate.

In the meantime, my hope is that the Vixens tour the USA one day and show this country how the sport of netball was meant to be played.