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The pair contributed a combined 53 points on 52-of-60 shooting in the 56-51 victory and showed great composure in the final quarter as the Vixens mounted an unlikely comeback.

Trailing by 10 going into the last quarter, the Vixens seemed out of the contest but showing the grit that led them to a drought-breaking title last year, they fought back in front of a strong crowd at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.

Goalshooter Mwai Kumwenda led the revival, with nine of her 25 goals – including two super shots – coming in the final term, with her desperation helping cut the deficit to just six, with more than 12 minutes remaining on the clock.

Kumwenda was everywhere in the final term – sinking goals, picking up rebounds and throwing her body around the court while pumping up her teammates and the vocal Melbourne crowd.

The Lightning had subbed Koenen out of the game briefly to bring Peace Proscovia into the match but coach Kylee Byrne brought the Diamonds ace back in the final minutes, with the change ensuring the Lightning did not concede the turnover ball the Vixens desperately needed to steal the win.

Lightning skipper Karla Pretorius played a captain’s knock, constantly getting her hand to ball to disrupt the efforts of Melbourne’s shooters.

The South African finished with two intercepts, five deflections and three pick-ups as the Vixens struggled to bed down their new attack line.

Maddy McAuliffe, who was also outstanding in defence, conceded her side had tired in the final term but said their experience showed.

“I think our attack end stayed really composed during (their fightback) and defensively we were able to pick up some really important balls and start getting some rebounds,” McAuliffe said.

“We missed a few at the start of the last quarter but we definitely came good at the end.”

The Vixens’ defensive end was reliable as always, even with Kadie-Ann Dehaney winning a start at goalkeeper over Diamonds squad member Emily Mannix, and while the new elements of their attack line struggled early, there were encouraging signs from young guns Ruby Barkmeyer and Hannah Mundy.

Defender Jo Weston said the Vixens were disappointed despite the fightback.

“But the girls showed some really good fight, especially in the second part of that game,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot of fresh faces out there and new combinations, so we’ll be working on that at training but under the immense pressure of a talented team like the Lightning, we’ve got to learn to be more consistent than that.”

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 56 (Koenen 42, Wood 11, Proscovia 3) def MELBOURNE VIXENS 51 (Kumwenda 27, Barkmeyer 13, Stanton 11).

Hardwick was full of praise for Geelong after the sides’ clash on Friday, labelling them the best team the Tigers have faced so far this year.

It’s high praise considering Richmond has already played Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Sydney in 2021.

“Geelong are a very, very good side. We can see the way they go about their game, they’ve added talent from last year, you add (Shaun) Higgins, you add Isaac Smith, you add Jeremy Cameron, they’re three really good players, so they’ve got better again – we’ve got to catch them,” Hardwick said post-game.

But having consistently made slow starts to the year during their current premiership run, Hardwick was confident his team would be able to turn things around like they had done before.

“We’re in the hunt, so I think this year is going to be pretty open to be fair, it’s similar (to previous years) but we’ve got to play better,” he said.

“We’ve got to hang tough, but that’s what we do … we’ve got work to do to catch the very best sides in the comp at the moment because that ain’t us.”

Richmond’s dirty night at the MCG was compounded by an injury to star midfielder Shane Edwards, who is in doubt to face Greater Western Sydney next week at Marvel Stadium.

The triple premiership player left the field during the final quarter of the Tigers’ 63-point loss to the Cats, with the assistance of medical staff, after injuring his ankle and struggling to put weight on the affected foot.

While the Tigers will hope to regain Dylan Grimes (concussion), Edwards could be added to an unavailability list that already includes captain Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Kane Lambert (calf) and Dion Prestia (calf).

Hardwick was surprised by how many errors his backline committed, especially in the third quarter, which directly led to Geelong goals, but refused to use the absence of Grimes as an excuse. Cameron (six), Gary Rohan (five) and Tom Hawkins (four) combined for 15 goals for Geelong.

“Sometimes it’s just a loss of confidence,” he said.

“When that happens you can look a bit rattled and that was the reality of the situation.”

The Richmond coach lamented his team’s inability to make tackles stick while also getting comprehensively beaten around the contest.

“I thought their (Geelong’s) ability to fight through tackles was outstanding,” Hardwick said.

“If you get belted around the contest, your pressure has to be good, our pressure wasn’t quite good enough.

“It was a tale of two halves – the first half I thought we looked really good … but they’re a really strong, experienced side, they’re a big side, if they get through that first line of defence, they step through.

“Their big key forwards are hard to play against when they’re getting such clean ball inside 50.”

Despite the result, Richmond’s Shai Bolton produced the highlight of the game as he climbed over Mark Blicavs’ shoulders in the first term to take a grab that will be hard to beat for mark of the year.

“It was pretty good, wasn’t it? Unfortunately you don’t get four points for mark of the year, disappointing as it is,” Hardwick said.

And as for Geelong springing a late change before the game by replacing Rhys Stanley with Esava Ratugolea: “I think Scotty (Geelong coach Chris Scott) is notorious, aren’t they at the Cats for a late change? Guaranteed certainty to us. If there’s one bet you’re putting on tonight it was going to be a late change.”

The Storm winger became the first man in 71 years to score six tries in a game as Melbourne embarrassed South Sydney 50-0 on Thursday night.

He bagged four in the first half and crossed for the final two tries to confirm his status as the best finisher in the NRL. In doing so, he became the first Storm player to score more than four tries in a game and moved to equal-fifth on the club’s try-scoring list.

“I’m blown away,” he said after the game, pointing to the fact he hadn’t scored so many since the under-6s.

“If it wasn’t for the team, that wouldn’t have been possible.

“It’s something that you don’t think about. You just try to do your job for the team each week, and when those opportunities come up, you try to do the best job you can. I’m just so happy that the team played so well, and the six tries are a bonus for me.”

Addo-Carr joined the Storm in 2017 and has since won two premierships, represented his state and country and developed into one of the most engaging characters in the game.

But his time in Melbourne is drawing to a close, with the Foxx set to join Canterbury next season in what was one of the toughest decisions of his glittering career.

“I think about it all the time, but life’s too short,” he said as he prepares to move from the defending premiers to the team currently running last.

“I’ve got a family to look after and I’ve got family to spend time with, so that’s the whole reason why I made that decision.

“I’m super blessed to be a part of this team and this organisation. It’s a special team and I’m so happy to be a part of it. They’ve changed my life around and it’s a special journey I’ve been on.

“I’m definitely going to miss it, but I’ll always have that connection.”

The Storm have shown it’s possible to replace club greats, with the club maintaining their success after legends Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith all left in recent years.

Finding someone as quick as Addo-Carr is virtually impossible, but the Storm are in the box seat to lure high-flyer Xavier Coates from the Broncos on a two-year deal that could take his came to even greater heights.

“He’s a super talent,” the Blues winger said.

“Whatever decision he makes, I’m sure he’ll make the right one. I say to everyone wherever I go and whenever I talk in front of people, I always say if you get an opportunity with Melbourne, take it.

“They’ll turn you into the footy players you always dreamt of being. You learn how to play rugby league when you go to the Melbourne Storm.

“Back in the day, I used to get the ball and run, but when you come here, they teach you the one-percenters, and those one per-centres add up to big parts in games.”

The Storm star has matured over the years, with coach Craig Bellamy paying tribute to his leadership skills after Thursday’s win.

It didn’t happen overnight, but it’s something Addo-Carr embraces and is keen to take further when he makes the move to Belmore, stressing he’s excited for the challenge and is confident they are heading in the right direction.

“I think it’s taken four or five years,” he said.

“I was a bit embarrassed to talk in front of the boys that you hang out with every day. It was tough, but it feels so comfortable being around the leaders we have here.

“I know what it takes to win premierships, I know what it takes to be a consistent footy player and I love helping people. If I can do that next year then happy days. It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Canterbury.

“I moved to Melbourne to step out of my comfort zone, so why can’t I go to Canterbury to build something special?”

The pair have turned heads during recent Brownlow Medal gala events, helping to grow Davis’ profile as an Instagram and lifestyle influencer.

Her daring dresses have been a feature of the annual Brownlow medal count and famously made her mark when Mitchell won the award in 2018, when cameras spotted the couple sharing a smooch after his award was announced.

However, The Herald Sun reports the couple have separated after three years together.

The report outlines that Davis has moved to Byron Bay while pursuing her booming pilates career.

Mitchell has remained in Melbourne, where he continues to play with Hawthorn.

The couple no longer follow each other on Instagram and had not been seen together on social media since November.

It brings to an end a relationship that had appeared so perfect when Mitchell was crowned the best player in football in 2018.

While accepting the medal. Mitchell said on stage: “She’s the real reason I’m standing up here. Hannah’s made sacrifices. She’s there through the highs and lows”.

She said during the after-party: “Tom makes me proud every single day”.

Mitchell was unable to follow her to the iconic NSW town as he continues to rediscover the form that made him the best player in the league before he suffered

Mitchell missed all of 2019 after breaking his leg at the first training session of the year

He also had shoulder surgery at the end of the 2020 season, but has played every game for Hawthorn this year.

He was also instrumental as the best player on the field in Hawthorn’s famous comeback win over Essendon in March.

Dellavedova, who missed the season’s first 47 games because of a severe concussion, whiplash, and neck injury, is sidelined with a neck strain suffered on April 25.

He hasn’t been with the team in any capacity since the injury and is set to sit out the rest of Cleveland’s season, which finishes on May 16.

The Cavaliers are second last in the Eastern Conference, with no chance of making the playoffs.

According to reports in the US, the Cavaliers were granted a hardship exemption following key injuries to sign 38-year-old centre Anderson Varejao to a 10-day contract.

This will end the seasons of Dellavedova and Larry Nance Jr to comply with the hardship rules.

Goorjian will contact Dellavedova in the coming days to ascertain the extent of his neck injury, but he wants to give the veteran guard every chance to don the green and gold in Tokyo this July and August.

“We’ll call Delly and just get a rundown on the injury,” Goorjian said.

“I hadn’t heard from anybody until I noticed the scoresheet and it said he was out with a neck.

“But he is certainly a huge part of this Olympic campaign as an NBA player as far as their commitment goes to the Boomers.

“He is one of the key culture guys in the importance of the green and gold and trying to medal.

“So, everything possible will be done to have him available, healthy and ready to play.

“I mean, every opportunity, every chance.”

The Ballarat trainer has Nobel Heights and Khoekhoe among his three-year-old Classic contenders with the former lining up in this weekend’s South Australian Derby (2500m) while the latter targets Queensland.

Cumani is hoping one of the talented colts can claim his stable a maiden Group 1 and believes Nobel Heights is capable of a breakthrough win if he puts it all together.

The lightly-raced colt is still learning his craft with just six starts to his name but is expected to be suited by the 2500m Derby test as a son of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente.

“He is a bit of a backwards horse but has done everything right,” Cumani said.

“The 2500m should suit him fine because he is a big tall, rangy horse.

“The family are real stayers so he should stay, it will just be a matter of if he is strong enough for it yet.

“Last start in the Chairman’s he got his hind legs taken away from him and lost his action for a second but still managed to kick on so that bodes well for him.

“I thought to do that was quite impressive for a backwards, leggy horse.”

Nobel Heights settled in the back half of the field in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at his last start leading into the Derby but did his best work late to finish fifth.

He finished 1½ lengths back from the winner Royal Mile.

“I thought his run in the Chairman‘s was very good,” Cumani said.

“He was drawn wide and had to do a fair bit of work but just didn’t quite get there in what turned out to be a leader’s race.

“I don‘t think the fifth placing tells the full story and I was really happy with him.”

Nobel Heights is rated a $13 chance with TAB fixed odds to complete the task in Adelaide this weekend.

He fared well at Tuesday’s barrier draw and will jump from gate four in the Derby with apprentice Will Price in the saddle.

Cumani also had Khoekhoe among the South Australian Derby options but will head to Queensland for the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2000m) on Saturday week instead.

Khoekhoe finished a credible fifth in the Australian Derby before the colt gave himself no chance of victory in the Frank Packer Plate last start on April 24 when misbehaving in the run.

“I couldn’t go to a 2500m race after the way he behaved last start when he got his tongue over the bit and pulled too hard,” Cumani said.

“I would like a bit more time to have him on the plane mentally and then go to Brisbane.

“We will go to the Rough Habit then decide if we continue on to the Queensland Derby.”

GROUP 1 SA DERBY (2500M)

1 EXPLOSIVE JACK (NZ) (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) John Allen (10) 56.5kg

2 ROYAL MILE (Lee Creek) Jacob Opperman (a) (2) 56.5kg

3 LIQUEURO (Cindy Alderson) Luke Currie (6) 56.5kg

4 LET’S KARAKA DEEL (NZ) (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) Ben Allen (15)56.5kg

5 AZALY (Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes) Blaike McDougall (8) 56.5kg

6 DEEPSTRIKE (NZ) (Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)) Damian Lane (9) 56.5kg

7 MILETUS (Jamie Edwards) Jamie Mott (5) 56.5kg

8 MONTEPULCIANO (Richard & Chantelle Jolly) Jake Toeroek (1) 56.5kg

9 NOBEL HEIGHTS (Matt Cumani) Will Price (a) (4)56.5kg

10 ABREED (Andrew Noblet) Jason Holder (12) 56.5kg

11 SOLAR APEX (Chris Waller) Not declared (7) 56.5kg

12 SUPPRESSION (NZ) (Chris Waller) Not declared (13) 56.5kg

13 TOKEN SPIRIT (Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock) Barend Vorster (11) 56.5kg

14 ICHIBANSANSABOIS (Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas) Ms Caitlin Jones (14) 56.5kg

15 PERSONAL (Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes) Damien Oliver (16) 54.5kg

16 SHEBRINGZIT (Mick Huxtable) Karl Zechner (3) 54.5kg

After winning four of their opening five games, the Dragons have slumped to sixth position following three straight losses.

The latest came on Sunday in a subpar 16-8 loss to the Wests Tigers in Wollongong.

Norman described the performance against the Tigers as not acceptable, especially in attack, despite the Dragons losing star centre Zac Lomax with a suspected broken thumb after just 19 minutes.

“We had the players to do the job – it simply came down to ill-discipline with the ball,” Norman said.

“We also need to fix our attack up. As a spine we were clunky, but as a spine (we) will put our hand up and get to work this week.

“It’s disappointing.

“That one hurts – we kind of beat ourselves. We had the review, and it just wasn’t us and up to our standards.

“We just had no respect for the ball. In the second half we had a 38 per cent completion rate, and you aren’t going to win a game with that.

“We were terrible with the ball.”

St George Illawarra will get a chance to revive their season when they host the bottom-placed Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Norman paid tribute to premiership-winning Dragons winger Brett Morris after he suffered a career-ending ACL knee injury over the weekend.

Morris was the last on-field survivor from the joint-venture club’s maiden premiership in 2010.

He played 170 games for the Dragons between 2006 and 2014, scoring 114 tries.

Norman believes Morris will be remembered as a rugby league legend.

“It’s devastating – he is one of the best wingers the game has ever seen,” he said.

“Is a very tough ask to come up back from an injury like that, but no doubt that he has got a lot of support through family, friends and throughout the NRL community.

“I just wish him all the best.”

“That was pretty awesome,” said reigning series champion Dixon, 40. “I love Texas. It was a bit of a crazy night and very tense at end. It was cool racing my countryman for those last few laps.”

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Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dixon has now won back-to-back at the Texas Motor Speedway for his fifth career win on the oval track, seizing an 18-point lead in the championship race as he chases a record eighth title.

The victory put him on pole for Monday’s race on the same oval track as part of the weekend double-header.

Team Penske rookie McLaughlin made it a one-two Kiwi finish, reaching the podium in his oval debut in the 212-lap race — which was just his fourth ever IndyCar start. He finished 0.2646s adrift of Dixon.

“I have never been this bloody happy for second,” said McLaughlin. “It was cool battling with my all time hero. Two Kiwis one and two.

“I worked really hard behind scenes to make it feel good. We will get a win one day.”

McLaughlin has been a mainstay in Australian Supercars in recent years, winning the 2018, 2019 and 2020 drivers’ championships. Last year, on the eve of his debut IndyCar race in October, he revealed he was going to race full-time in the American series in 2021.

After the incredible result in his first ever professional outing on an oval circuit, McLaughlin had a laughable message for his wife, who wasn’t able to be there to watch him live.

“Unfortunately my wife Karly said if I go good this weekend she’s gonna give me a slap across the face,” he said. “I went good. I’m sorry babe. That’s how it is.”

Australian V8 royalty Mark Skaife was full of praise for McLaughlin, who had no right to finish as high as he did given his inexperience.

“Massive congratulations to @smclaughlin93 @Team_Penske to finish 2nd in Texas,” Skaife wrote. “Unbelievable result in his 1st oval track race.

“Finishing so close to one of the @IndyCar all time greats @scottdixon9 so impressive and so thoroughly deserved.”

Mexico’s Pato O’Ward finished third, followed by Spain’s Alex Palou in fourth while and Graham Rahal rounded out the top five in the race that was delayed several times by accidents.

Palou started on the pole after qualifying was cancelled Saturday because of overnight rain and morning mist. The scheduled start of the race was also moved up about a half-hour because weather forecasters said the chances of rain would increase later Saturday evening but the rain held off.

The 1.5-mile Texas track invites trouble at each corner and Saturday was no different. IndyCar has four oval-track races this season but Texas is the most high-banked of the ovals.

Dixon started third and jumped out to the lead ahead of Ganassi teammate Palou on the third lap.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato finished ninth.

With AFP

The Pies’ most diehard supporters were briefly the focus of jokes across the footy world before the club’s revelation pointed out a clever, superstitious joke hidden in the text.

The Pies ran through a banner onto the MCG on Saturday afternoon before their clash with the Gold Coast Suns that included a spelling blunder.

Only fans who can remember the Magpies’ banner from 2018 got the inside joke.

The banner read: “Last time we did this we went alright. So show these Suns we own tonihgt”.

The spelling blunder was more than it seemed, with the Pies’ supporters making an actual blunder when preparing their banner for the game against the Blues three years ago.

The club explained the banner in a message on Twitter: “Throwback to the 2018 banner against Carlton which kick-started our grand final campaign”.

The Magpies beat Carlton twice in 2018 and won 15 of their last 20 games after beating the Blues in Round 2.

The club was mocked mercilessly for the blunder, but they’ve made up for the original sin with Saturday’s masterpiece.

The unfortunate ending to the club’s 2018 run was that they were left heartbroken by West Coast’s dramatic grand final victory that came down to the final minute.

The cheer squad also had a shocker that day with their banner being torn to shreds by windy conditions before the team was even able to run out onto the ground.

Rarely one to waste words, Johnson has built a stellar career, and a respected reputation, on the back of consistent performances dating back to his first professional stint with the Melbourne Tigers in 2008.

More than a decade on, Johnson is still producing as one of the NBL’s most underrated players.

On Saturday, he will celebrate a special milestone when the 36ers host the Brisbane Bullets.

You could forgive Johnson for soaking up the deserved credit, but in true fashion he is focused on putting his team first.

The 36ers are in seventh position and need to win nine of their final 10 games to have any chance of making the finals.

It’s a daunting prospect, but Johnson hasn’t given up on the season just yet.

“We’ve got a full squad now; we’ve had a few games under our belt, so we should be playing our best basketball right now,” Johnson said.

“If we are good enough to make it, stranger things have happened, and we are still confident that we can get a little string going.

“We need every win we can get at the moment, so it is not different to any other game, and we’ve just got to come out and try and get a win at home where we have been playing pretty well lately.”

Johnson’s team-first mentality doesn’t mean he isn’t grateful for his longevity in Australian basketball.

He knows many players have tried, and failed, to reach his level.

“Oh, I’m just excited to have been at the club for this long,” he said.

“It is a great club; I love it, and just being able to represent it for this long is pretty special.”

As Johnson celebrates 350 NBL games, his Adelaide teammate Josh Giddey is only just starting out following a standout rookie season.

Giddey is now NBA bound after declaring for the 2021 draft.

Johnson has no doubts that the Melbourne-born guard is destined for big things in America.

“At 18, the things he is doing in this league, I haven’t seen that before from an Australian in this league,” he said.

“That is special, so I’m excited to see what he goes on and accomplishes.

“It is great for Josh.

“He is loved around the group, and everyone really respects what he is doing and what he has been able to achieve at such a young age.

“We are looking forward to seeing him go on to bigger and better things and looking forward to following his journey.”