Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens have appointed highly respected coaches Gerard Murphy and Wendy Jacobsen to lead their Vixens Academy program for 2025, and named the squad to compete in this year’s Super Netball (SN) Reserves competition.
This year’s Vixens Academy squad features 12 athletes hailing from six Victorian Netball League (VNL) clubs, including Melbourne Vixens training partners Mia Lavis, Charlotte Sexton, Ruby Shannon and Tara Watson.
Set to serve as head coach and assistant coach respectively for the Vixens Academy side, both Murphy and Jacobsen boast extensive experience across the Netball Victoria pathway.
Murphy has been head and Championship coach of the VNL’s Geelong Cougars since 2014. He has established a culture of success in his 11 years at the helm, including seven consecutive finals appearances and a 2019 title win for the Championship side, and two titles for each of the former Division 1 (2017, 2023) and 19&Under (2016, 2017) sides.
In his tenure as head coach of the Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association since 2022, Murphy has also overseen a period of exceptional success. At last year’s Nationals tournament, all six Victorian teams qualified for the gold medal match in their respective divisions and four took out the title of national champions, including Murphy’s Men’s Open side.
Jacobsen is currently coaching director of Boroondara Express in the VNL, and co-coach of the club’s Championship side which has contested consecutive grand finals in the past two seasons.
The former Melbourne Vixens and Melbourne Phoenix player has coached for many years in the Victorian pathway. Her experience extends from head coach of the Victorian 19/U State team to the Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League and Australian Netball Championships, and at Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) level with the Collingwood Magpies.
Competing as legacy brand the Victorian Fury in last year’s pilot SN Reserves competition, the team will compete as Vixens Academy in 2025, reflecting the integration of SN Reserves as a key pathway competition for athletes on the cusp of SSN.
SN Reserves was established as a pilot competition in 2024 to provide additional match play opportunities for emerging national talent, and in February, Netball Australia confirmed the competition would return for 2025 as a critical development pathway.
The competition will expand this year with all eight SSN teams represented – including the Melbourne Mavericks for the first time – playing each other once across a seven-week season that will run alongside SSN from Round 4 to Round 10. The competition will also feature a bolstered finals weekend and in-season tournament to take place at Melbourne’s Waverley Netball Centre in June.
Netball Victoria General Manager, High Performance & Pathways Sharelle McMahon said:
“We’re thrilled to have secured Gerard and Wendy to lead our SN Reserves team in 2025. Their records speak for themselves, and we know they’ll bring great passion and a high performance culture to the program as we integrate it into our Vixens pathway.
“With SN Reserves establishing itself as a key step in our pathway, our 2025 Vixens Academy program will offer another great development opportunity for Victorian talent and I’m excited by the calibre of athletes we’ve been able to select in the squad this year.
“It’s critical for us to have the right coaching team in place to make the most of the opportunity to foster our emerging talent, and Gerard and Wendy will make a formidable team with their combined experience across our pathway and pre-elite programs.”
Vixens Academy head coach Gerard Murphy said:
“I’m excited to start working with some of the best in the business, to help Simone [McKinnis] and Di [Honey] in delivering their world-class Vixens program.
“Developing the current and emerging Vixens is a great privilege and opportunity, to help them achieve their maximum potential and become Super Netball stars.”
2025 VIXENS ACADEMY SQUAD (VNL CLUB)
Zali Anderson (Boroondara Express)
Indya Forde (Geelong Cougars)
Caitlin Hill (Melbourne University Lightning)
Bella Hodgson (Boroondara Express)
Mia Lavis (North East Blaze)*
Claudia Mawson (Melbourne University Lightning)
Charli Nicol (Geelong Cougars)
Ally O’Connor (Geelong Cougars)
Charlotte Sexton (Bendigo Strikers)*
Ruby Shannon (Western Warriors)*
Ruby Turner (Bendigo Strikers)
Tara Watson (North East Blaze)*
*Melbourne Vixens training partners
Training Partners
Tiahnee Farrell (Southern Saints)
Tepaea Hobson (Melbourne University Lightning)
Charlotte Morey (Geelong Cougars)
Daisy O’Kane (Geelong Cougars)
Ruby Pekin-Schlicht (Boroondara Express)
Emma Winfield (Melbourne University Lightning)
View the 2025 SN Reserves fixture
