2009 Melbourne Vixens season

Melbourne Vixens
2009 season
Head coach	Julie Hoornweg
Asst. coach	Carol Byers Cathy Fellows
Manager	Bree McDonald
Co-captains	Bianca Chatfield Sharelle McMahon
Main venue	Hisense Arena
Season results
Wins–losses	14–1
Regular season	1st
Finals placing	Champions
Team colours
Melbourne Vixens seasons
← 2008 2010 →

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. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

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

2009 Melbourne Vixens roster
Players	Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height Ama Agbeze GD, GK, WD (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 26) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Bianca Chatfield  (cc) GK, GD, WD (1982-04-02)2 April 1982 (aged 27) 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) Natasha Chokljat C, WD, WA (1979-04-27)27 April 1979 (aged 29) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Julie Corletto GD, WD, GK (1986-10-10)10 October 1986 (aged 22) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Renae Hallinan WD, C (1986-07-18)18 July 1986 (aged 22) 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Ashlee Howard GA, GS (1988-03-02)2 March 1988 (aged 21) 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) Kathleen Knott GS, GA (1987-09-19)19 September 1987 (aged 21) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Sharelle McMahon  (cc) GA, GS (1977-08-12)12 August 1977 (aged 31) 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) Chelsey Nash WA, C, GA (1983-10-07)7 October 1983 (aged 25) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Amy Steel GD, GK, WD (1989-04-07)7 April 1989 (aged 19) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Brooke Thompson GD, GK, WD (1984-04-27)27 April 1984 (aged 31) 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Caitlin Thwaites GS, GA (1986-12-29)29 December 1986 (aged 22) 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Sarah Wall WA, C (1984-10-16)16 October 1984 (aged 24) 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)	Head coach Julie Hoornweg Assistant coaches Carol Byers Cathy Fellows Manager: Bree McDonald Physiotherapist: Steve Hawkins Heidi Pollington Masseurs: Gamal Darwish Gillian Niven Notes (c)– Captain (cc)– Co-captain (vc)– Vice-captain – Injury / maternity leave (TRP)– Temporary Replacement Player

Source: ^{[2] [7]}

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. ^{[8] [9]}

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. ^{[1] [2]}

Fixtures and results

Round 1

Saturday 4 April	Melbourne Vixens	57–44	West Coast Fever	State Netball Hockey Centre
14:00 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  29/35 (83%) Caitlin Thwaites  24/28 (86%) Ashlee Howard  4/5 (80%)	Report Stats	Caitlin Bassett  38/47 (81%) Bianca Franklin   3/4 (75%) Nikala Smith  3/7 (43%)

Round 2

Monday 13 April	Queensland Firebirds	51–54	Melbourne Vixens	Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
19:00 (UTC+10)	Romelda Aiken  42/49 (86%) Alissa Castrisos   5/7 (71%) Janelle Lawson  4/8 (50%)	Report Stats	Sharelle McMahon  27/29 (93%) Caitlin Thwaites  27/34 (79%)

Round 3

Sunday 19 April	Adelaide Thunderbirds	43–49	Melbourne Vixens	ETSA Park
14:00 (UTC+10)	Kate Beveridge  28/37 (76%) Natalie Medhurst  15/19 (79%)	Report Stats	Sharelle McMahon  21/28 (75%) Caitlin Thwaites  28/35 (80%)

Round 4

Saturday 25 April	Melbourne Vixens	48–31	Southern Steel	State Netball Hockey Centre
14:00 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  21/28 (75%) Caitlin Thwaites  27/35 (77%)	Report Stats	Daneka Wipiiti  21/30 (70%) Donna Wilkins   10/16 (63%)

Round 5

Sunday 3 May	Melbourne Vixens	50–42	Adelaide Thunderbirds	Hisense Arena
14:30 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  17/21 (81%) Caitlin Thwaites  29/34 (85%) Ashlee Howard  4/4 (100%)	Stats	Kate Beveridge  28/37 (76%) Natalie Medhurst  15/19 (79%)

Round 6

Melbourne Vixens received a bye

Round 7

Sunday 17 May	West Coast Fever	49–74	Melbourne Vixens	Challenge Stadium
12:30 (UTC+10)	Caitlin Bassett  41/48 (85%) Bianca Franklin   6/8 (75%) Jasmine Keene  2/3 (67%)	Report Stats	Sharelle McMahon  40/47 (85%) Caitlin Thwaites  29/34 (85%) Ashlee Howard  5/7 (71%)

Round 8

Monday 25 May	Melbourne Vixens	65–63	New South Wales Swifts	Hisense Arena
19:00 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  22/25 (88%) Caitlin Thwaites  43/51 (84%)	Q4: 54–54 Report Stats	Catherine Cox  40/50 (80%) Susan Pratley  23/26 (88%)

Round 9

Sunday 31 May	Melbourne Vixens	57–53	Queensland Firebirds	Hisense Arena
14:30 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  29/31 (94%) Caitlin Thwaites  28/35 (80%)	Report Stats	Romelda Aiken  39/52 (75%) Alissa Castrisos  7/8 (88%) Janelle Lawson  7/10 (70%)

Round 10

Monday 8 June	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic	55–48	Melbourne Vixens	Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre
19:00 (UTC+10)	Irene van Dyk  35/36 (97%) Maria Tutaia  20/22 (91%)	Report Stats	Sharelle McMahon  16/22 (73%) Caitlin Thwaites  32/36 (89%)

Round 11

Monday 15 June	New South Wales Swifts	52–63	Melbourne Vixens	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
19:00 (UTC+10)	Catherine Cox  32/38 (84%) Susan Pratley  20/22 (91%)	Report Stats	Sharelle McMahon  16/19 (84%) Caitlin Thwaites  47/52 (90%)	Attendance: 4,200

Round 12

Saturday 20 June	Northern Mystics	57–61	Melbourne Vixens	Trusts Stadium
14:00 (UTC+10)	Cathrine Latu  36/39 (92%) Pamela Cookey  21/22 (95%)	Report Stats	Caitlin Thwaites  36/42 (86%) Ashlee Howard  25/27 (93%)

Round 13

Monday 29 June	Melbourne Vixens	63–35	Canterbury Tactix	Hisense Arena
19:00 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  32/37 (86%) Caitlin Thwaites  23/28 (82%) Kathleen Knott  8/12 (67%)	Report Stats	Jodi Brown  20/29 (69%) Angela Mitchell  15/23 (65%)

Round 14

Saturday 4 July	Melbourne Vixens	80–39	Central Pulse	Hisense Arena
14:00 (UTC+10)	Sharelle McMahon  25/29 (86%) Caitlin Thwaites  37/42 (88%) Ashlee Howard  18/19 (95%)	Report Stats	Paula Griffin  24/28 (86%) Te Amo Amaru-Tibble  8/11 (73%) Larissa Harrison  5/6 (83%) Jamilah Gupwell   2/3 (67%)

Sources: ^{[1] [2]}

Final table

2009 ANZ Championship ladder v t e
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: ^[10]

Playoffs

Major semi-final

Sunday 12 July 14:30 (UTC+10)		Melbourne Vixens	58–43	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic		Hisense Arena
		Scoring by quarter:16-10, 14-14, 14-7, 14-12
		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%)

Sources: ^{[11] [12] [13]}

---

Grand final

Sunday 26 July 14:30 (UTC+10)		Melbourne Vixens	54–46	Adelaide Thunderbirds		Hisense Arena Attendance: 9,500 [2]
		Scoring by quarter: 13-13, 14-6, 14-13, 13-14
		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%)

Sources: ^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

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: ^{[2] [3] [18]}

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.

References

1. "ANZ Championship - 2009 Season Fixture". www.anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
2. "Netball Victoria – Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Netball Victoria . Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
3. "2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia" (PDF). netball.com.au. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
4. "Melbourne Vixens - Our history". melbournevixens.com.au. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
5. "Melbourne Vixens Champions 2009". www.youtube.com. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
6. "Vixens 2009 Championship Season Highlights". Melbourne Vixens . www.youtube.com. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
7. "English recruit stiffens Vixens". Herald Sun . 8 November 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
8. "Pre-Season Tournaments to test teams". netballnz.co.nz. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
9. "NSW Swifts win netball's pre-season cup". www.theroar.com.au. 8 March 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
10. "ANZ Championship - 2009 Season Ladder". www.anz-championship.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
11. "Melbourne Vixens 58–43 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic". www.anz-championship.com. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
12. "Vixens vanquish Kiwis with their own magic". www.smh.com.au. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
13. "Magic lose Major Semi-Final". www.netballnz.co.nz. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
14. "Melbourne Vixens 54–46 Adelaide Thunderbirds". www.anz-championship.com. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
15. "Vixens lift trans-Tasman netball trophy". www.theroar.com.au. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
16. "Vixens overpower Thunderbirds". www.smh.com.au. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
17. "Vixens victorious at ANZ Grand Final showdown". www.express.co.uk. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
18. "Sharelle McMahon Medal". melbournevixens.com.au. Retrieved 22 February 2021.