The Fury opened their campaign with an impressive 19-goal win on Saturday, 64-45, before the injection of Vixens players Lara Dunkley, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Ine-Mari Venter in game two, defeating Giants 61-48.
Wing defence and Vixens squad member Allie Smith was pleased with how the team prepared for their opening round.
“We didn’t really know what to expect for the first game, as Giants have such a new team. But from the warm up we were strong and very determined, which showed out there on court,” said Smith.
“We were very happy with our game, obviously there are things we can still improve on, but we felt we had a really great game and came out quite strong.”
It was a phenomenal performance by Emma Ryde, who shot at 99% and contributed 51 of the 64 goals in the first game. While, Fury defenders Jacqui Newton, Allie Smith and Kadie-Ann Dehaney combined well throughout the second match, providing immense pressure on the Giants shooters.
“The second game was a bit different to Saturday, as we had a couple of the Vixens players come back, and some of the Giants came back too, so we adapted to the changes and combinations pretty well.
“In game 1 we had a few changes and we adapted to them, and even more changes in game 2, and again we adapted reasonably well,” said Smith.
Elle McDonald and Kate Kelly-Oman worked well in the attack end, providing quick transition and defensive pressure down the court in the first game. Lara Dunkley fitted seamlessly into the team alongside McDonald for game 2 with an injection of speed throughout all four quarters.
“Looking ahead, obviously there are a few things we will work on and I guess that comes down to our structures and fundamentals that we can always improve on. We’ll have a meeting tonight and talk about those in our areas.”
The results from the weekend see Fury sitting at the top of the ladder. They will travel to Adelaide to take on Southern Force hoping to claim another weekend of positive wins.
Shooting Statistics
Game 1
Emma Ryde 51/52
Sacha McDonald 8/12
Uneeq Palavi 3/4
Game 2
Ine-Mari Venter 31/38
Sacha McDonald 4/6
Emma Ryde 26/28
