Netball
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McKinnis hails Weston's late heroics

Netball

An influential fourth-quarter performance from goal defence Jo Weston has drawn high praise from coach Simone McKinnis following Melbourne Vixens' second Super Netball win of the season.

Weston's day appeared to be over when she exited Sunday's game against the NSW Swifts in the first quarter with a left ankle injury.

But, after being cleared by the Vixens' medical staff, Weston returned in the second half and excelled in a tense final quarter to inspire the Vixens to a 63-61 win at Margaret Court Arena.

"I thought she was brilliant in that defensive pressure, that one-on-one work that she did and also fantastic in that drive, just going for it," McKinnis said.

"I thought she was exceptional when she was on there today."

Not only did Weston's defence play a role in nullifying the Swifts' attackers in the fourth quarter but her ability to drive forward resulted in two long-range passes for goal assists.

Goal defence Emily Mannix also stepped up at key moments with four intercepts while Australian Diamonds midcourter Liz Watson stood out with 44 circle feeds and 32 goal assists.

The undefeated Vixens also picked up three bonus points in the win to move into third spot on the ladder with 12 points behind West Coast Fever (15) and Giants Netball (14).

The Swifts piled on 20 goals to 14 in the second term to leave McKinnis feeling like her side had plenty more to give if they hoped to produce a strong four-quarter effort.

"(Three bonus points) is a real positive but I'd like them to just grab a game by the throat and run through with it, not let a team back in," she said.

"I was really pleased that we were able to pull it out in the end but for us as a team, I would like to be able to see us not let teams back into the contest."

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