The Melbourne Vixens have upset the star-studded Collingwood Magpies 58-55 in the opening round of the new Super Netball competition at Hisense Arena on Saturday night.
The Vixens held strong in the dying minutes of the local derby to topple the heavily-favoured Magpies.
The match was in the balance until the last minute however the Vixens applied huge defensive pressure to hang on to their lead, which fluctuated between one and five goals in the final quarter.
Caitlin Thwaites top scored for the Pies, who boasted five current Diamonds players, slotting 47 from 48.
Vixens goal attack Tegan Philip made a superb return to top-flight netball from an ACL injury which sidelined her last season to score 29 goals from 36 attempts.
Philp held her own against Diamonds stars April Brandley and Sharni Layton and combined beautifully with new recruit Mwai Kumwenda at goal.
Kumwenda matched up with Layton and showed excellent vision and accuracy to slot 29 goals for the match, missing just one attempt.
After a tightly contested opening, a run of five goals to Thwaites midway through the second quarter gave the Magpies a commanding 22-18 lead but the Vixens ran down the deficit to one goal at half time.
Vixens coach Simone McKinnis said she thought her side showed the benefits of continuity in its roster.
"There has been a huge amount of focus on Collingwood ... all that matters is what happens out on court," McKinnis said.
"The girls were saying themselves they all felt really connected out there on court and that's been something that we've been working on.
"I was really impressed with how they were able to remain composed and play it out."
The Vixens play the Sunshine Coast Lightning next week and the Magpies will look for their first win against the Queensland Firebirds, who played out a thrilling 56-56 draw with newcomers Sunshine Coast Lightning in Saturday night's late game in Brisbane.
