Thunderbirds’ three-peat dreams put to bed in heartbreak loss to the Vixens

The Adelaide Thunderbirds dreams of a historic threepeat have been put to bed after the Melbourne Vixens got their revenge against the reigning premiers for last year’s Grand Final defeat – putting an end to the T-birds 2025 campaign.

The Vixens defeated the Thunderbirds 58-56 on Sunday after leading for most of the match - including a four-goal lead with three minutes to play - but the Adelaide side weren’t prepared to surrender their title without a fight.

Two super shots from Thunderbirds goal attack Georgie Horjus gave the home side the advantage with two minutes on the clock.

But player of the match Kiera Austin would go on to nail a super shot of her own to retake the lead for her team.

The victory marks the first time in four matches that the Vixens have toppled the 2024 premiers and means they progress to the next round of finals – a do or die clash against the NSW Swifts to determine who will be taking on the formidable West Coast Fever in this year’s Grand Final.

It also provides the chance for the Vixens to send head coach Simone McKinnis out on the ultimate high, as she prepares to step down from her role at season’s end.

The last time the Vixens and the Swifts met the Vixens synched the win by 2. In their first match-up of the season, the Swifts – who were undefeated until Round 9 –  got the job done by 8.

The Swifts will need to recover quickly from their brutal 32-point loss to the Fever during the weekend’s major final if they want to put their best foot forward against the Vixens.