Malawi netball icon Mwawi Kumwenda had mixed fortunes during her Australian side Melbourne Vixens’ last game of the season, a 64-57 Suncorp Super Netball League minor semifinal loss to West Coast Fever at RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday.
The loss brought Vixens’ season to a close with Fever set to take on New South Wales Swifts in the preliminary final this weekend.
Swifts missed the chance of an outright qualification for the grand final after a 64-62 loss to Adelaide Thunderbirds the previous day.
Kumwenda might have finished the match on the losing side but was one of the match’s most outstanding players, according to a match report on Vixens’ website.
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“Sunday Aryang and Courtney Bruce piled on the pressure in the circle, but Kiera Austin [3 super shots, 18 centre pass receives] and MJ [Mwawi] Kumwenda [39 goals, 2 rebounds] kept their composure, holding their own under the post.
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“Playing patiently around the transverse line, Liz Watson [79 Nissan NetPoints, 23 goal assists] and Kate Moloney [78.5 Nissan NetPoints] took their time finding circle edge, with MJ often coming forward to open up space for Kip,” part of the report reads.
It also acknowledges how Kumwenda held her own space, using her body and clever footwork to find her way closer to the post.
Vixens coach Simone McKinnis said she was proud of her charges’ ability to attack the game and give their all in fighting for a place in the preliminary final.
“I think I was just really proud of the way the girls took on the challenge and the opportunity of coming here, they gave everything they could to that contest today. We couldn’t get the job done ultimately and finish it, but there was some super teamwork, the way they hung in and the work they did out there for each other – I loved it,” McKinnis told melbournevixens.com.au.
