Live: Vixens and Fever meet for place in Super Netball grand final

live Super Netball live: Melbourne Vixens vs West Coast Fever, preliminary final Reigning champions Melbourne Vixens host Super Netball's preliminary final against the West Coast Fever, the team they defeated in last year's decider. The winner will face the Adelaide Thunderbirds in next week's grand final at John Cain Arena. Follow all the action of the Super Netball preliminary final between the Vixens and Fever on the live blog below. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:19pm Main storylines The new Vixens head coach After spending a decade as the assistant under Simone McKinnis, new head coach Di Honey has taken the reins of the Vixens and been pretty successful in her first Super Netball season in the top job. Considering the club’s playing roster stayed the same after winning a premiership last year and her long tenure there already, many questioned what she would bring to the role. Would the tactics be any different under her guidance? Earlier on in the season, we saw some bold substitutions and a tweaking of strategy that caught the opposition off guard. But as their form as waned in the back end of the regular rounds, Honey has been unable to will her team over the line, and her changes have felt more reactive. In the major semifinal her tactics also came under the microscope. She was brave enough to start Jo Weston at goal keeper and Kate Eddy at goal defence. This duo worked really well as an unexpected switch in the earlier rounds and saw the Vixens win the opening quarter 14-12. But by the second period its effectiveness was starting to wane and pundits suggested she showed her hand too early and should have stuck with them as more of an impact change later on in the game instead of a starting combination. So, will Honey turn to this duo in the circle again? Or will she leave them to play in their regular positions? It will also be interesting to see if she’s come up with any more surprises to rock the opposition in the past week. Does she have what it takes to be the head coach of a grand final team? A new shooting combo at Fever The key to this team’s success over the years has largely been their 198cm tall Jamaican target in the goal circle. Goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard led the Fever to the grand final last year after making a comeback in the third round from a heartbreaking pregnancy loss. This season, she was ruled out entirely after falling pregnant another time and has since given birth to a beautiful baby boy named Joshua. Fellow Sunshine Girl Romelda Aiken-George had retired after the 2025 season but was coaxed out of retirement by Fowler-Nembhard to take her place as the spearhead of their attack. This is now the fourth club she’s played for in the national netball league, having previously represented the Firebirds, Swifts and Thunderbirds. Despite wearing new colours, Aiken-George has been reliable as ever and extremely reliable under the post. The other new element to the Fever’s shooting circle, year to year anyway, is Sasha Glasgow at goal attack. Glasgow was part of the green team that won the Super Netball title back in 2022 but spent a few years with the Mavericks before returning to Perth for 2026. As far as we know, the Glasgow / Aiken-George pairing is an entirely new combination but has been building nicely. Without the years of experience playing together, there have been moments where they haven’t been able to connect the way they would like. Glasgow has also had to be reminded by coach Dan Ryan on occasion to get more involved in play. The side will need both of them to work well individually and in tandem tonight if they’re going to reach the decider. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:17pm Fever players to watch Romelda Aiken-George – The 37-year-old Jamaican goal shooter came out of retirement to be a pregnancy cover for the Fever this season and once again delivered. She leads the offensive rebound stat, sits fourth overall for goals (612) and has an 85 per cent accuracy. That means if she misses, she’s likely to get the rebound and score in her second attempt. A goal is pretty much guaranteed if you can get the ball in her hands. Aiken-George’s calm and steady approach under the post, standing at 196cm tall, shows the good old holding shooter strategy is still as effective in the modern game as it ever was. Romelda has won four premierships during her career, three with the Firebirds and one with the Thunderbirds, and holds the record for total appearances in the Australian national netball league across all eras (260 caps). Alice Teague-Neeld – The wing attack was missing for three rounds in the middle of the season with a back injury and boy did they miss her in the middle. The good news is she has been back for many weeks now and was pretty much back to her best straightaway. She acts as the linchpin of the side, as they head up the court to their shooters. Teague-Neeld was named Player of the Match in the minor semifinal for her whopping 45 feeds, 29 goal assists, 15 centre pass receives and three pickups. So expect her to get plenty of ball to hand today. If the Vixens are able to limit her impact, that could be the key to victory. Ruth Aryang – The 22-year old defender was one of the gamechangers of the minor semifinal. Rolling onto the court as a super sub in the second quarter, she provided some nice rotation to the goal keeper bib alongside Kadie-Ann Dehaney and kept the opposition guessing. Her energy, closing speed and hunger for ball are her main strengths. She’s likely to come of the bench and will be expected to make an impact with fresh legs. Whereabouts is the question. The Fever have used her mostly in the wing defence position this season but her performance last week showed she’s got what it takes to match it with the world’s best shooters inside the circle. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:12pm Vixens players to watch Kiera Austin – The Aussie Diamonds goal attack is the barometer of this team. In recent weeks she has battled with illness and that has impacted her performances on court. Not only does she do a mountain of work bringing the ball down the court in attack, she is also the leading two-point super shot scorer of the competition (54). In the major semifinal she managed to nail three long bombs from the wide arc. The key to her success in this area, is to chip away at these and go for the long-range shot early on in the game, instead of leaving it to the final minutes to find her distance. But it’s not all about the super shot. Austin will need to be confident in her approach to post throughout the first 10 minutes of quarters in the ones too for the Vixens to win. She’s also known for her defensive prowess and stealing ball in the middle third. Kate Moloney – The leader of this group and vice captain of the Aussie Diamonds side drives the standards through the midcourt. Although it’s likely she’ll play centre for much of this match, she may also be required to swing into the wing attack or wing defence bib and execute those positions just as well in order to keep the Vixens in this game. Moloney’s safe hands on the feed and her feedback on court will also help set the tempo. In recent weeks it felt like she’s been a bit quieter than usual, but if she can find it in her to give a rev up in the team huddles when they’re challenged, her inspiring speeches can help the Vixens find another level. Jo Weston – Another Aussie Diamonds superstar that will have a crucial role to play for the Vixens. This season, Weston has been asked to play multiple roles in defence. Typically a GD last week in the major semifinal she started in goal keeper. At first, her presence there was having the desired affect but the game started to turn in the second quarter and her teammates were unable to slow down the ball rocketing into the circle for Thunderbirds’ goal shooter Elmeré van der Berg. Whether Weston starts at GK or GD today, she will still have a huge job tagging her opposition and grinding them down. The veteran will be expected to play a full 60 minutes and use her experience to set the standards at the back of the court. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:05pm Head to head This year Both sides have beaten the other on opposition’s home turf. Round 7 - Vixens won 50-44 in Perth Round 14 – Fever won 64-55 in Melbourne Finals They’ve also got a real finals rivalry, having met many times in the knockout stages. In their last two meetings, the game was decided by one. 2025 Grand Final – Vixens won 59-58 in Melbourne 2024 Preliminary Final – Vixens won 73-72 in Melbourne 2023 Minor Semifinal – Fever won 64-57 in Perth 2022 Grand Final – Fever won 70-59 in Perth 2022 Major Semifinal – Fever won 71-62 in Melbourne 2020 Grand Final – Vixens won 66-64 in Queensland (COVID hub) Consecutive finals appearances Although they’ve both obviously made roster changes in that time, each club’s high standards and consistency is impressive. Vixens have reached the finals for the past five seasons straight, while the Fever have made it there for the past seven seasons straight. Vixens last missed finals in 2021 Fever last missed finals in 2019 Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:04pm Form heading in Vixens The Vixens are the defending champions of 2025 and carried that form into this season to set the standard early. They won nine straight to begin the year and had a four-week cameo on top of the ladder after beating the Thunderbirds in round six 56-50. They are still the only team that has been able to defeat the minor premiers this season. But it all went pear shaped in round 10 when they were missing three key players – Hannah Mundy, Em Mannix and Rudi Ellis – due to injury and illness. They went down by 10 goals to the Sunshine Coast Lightning and have lost five of their past six matches since then. Most of today’s battle will happen between the ears for them. Do they have the mental strength and self-belief to reach the grand final? Fever The Fever were the biggest unknown heading into this season as they had a worrying amount of injuries. Despite starting so uncertain with some up and down results, they did enough to hold onto third spot on the ladder for the majority of the home and away season. Their players eventually made their way back and strengthened their line-up. Then in the penultimate round, they were leapfrogged by the Mavericks and had to win by at least eight goals against the Vixens in the final game if they wanted to host the major semifinal. The target was set and a nine-goal victory meant they reclaimed third position and a heap of confidence. Although 2026 has felt very much like a two-horse race between the Thunderbirds and Vixens, the Fever are in good form. They have won their past three consecutive matches and seem to have more self-belief at this point in their ability than the second-ranked team. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:02pm How finals work Here’s a reminder of how the competition’s finals work. The Vixens suffered a 13-goal loss the Adelaide Thunderbirds last week 57-44. The Fever knocked the Melbourne Mavericks out of the title race last week with a four-goal 56-52 victory in the minor semifinal in Perth. The winner of this Preliminary Final will meet the Thunderbirds in the grand final next Saturday July 4 at John Cain Arena. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:01pm What if there’s a draw? Just as it is done in the regular season, extra time will be played if the score is level after 60 minutes. The teams will play 2x five-minute halves. They will swap ends before extra time begins and in the middle break. The two-point super shot will be in play the entire period and no timeouts will be available to take by the coaches. If the score is still level after those 10 minutes then double extra time will automatically roll on and the match continues until one team is ahead by three points. Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 7:00pm Semifinals results If you missed the Super Netball semifinals, you can relive them with our live blog from last week. It'll be the Adelaide Thunderbirds' third Super Netball grand final in four years. Key Event Sat 27 Jun 2026 at 6:58pm All set for the prelim! Good evening and welcome to ABC Sport's live coverage of the Super Netball finals. Now just three teams remain in the hunt for the 2026 trophy. Last week the Adelaide Thunderbirds booked their ticket straight to the grand final. Now they wait to see if they will face the Melbourne Vixens or West Coast Fever. My name is Brittany Carter, I'll be keeping you up to date with all the action from the preliminary final tonight at John Cain Arena. Feel free to join the conversation and comment your thoughts as the game rolls on. [Image text:] 126 ZBMD EHANEY aware-