Mannix excited to begin Season 10 with Vixens

LOCAL netball star and Melbourne Vixens veteran Emily Mannix will get her tenth Suncorp Super Netball league season underway this Sunday, as her side welcomes new club Melbourne Mavericks to the nation’s top netball competition.

Mannix, named Vixens vice-captain for a fifth year a fortnight ago, says a new-look side will provide an exciting new challenge for the 2024 season.

“The season has come around quick, but it has been about five to six months of pre-season, so I think pre-season feels longer nowadays, but when it comes to Round 1 it really sneaks up on you,” Mannix said.

“Everyone’s chomping at the bit to get some matches in. It is a short season, but that’s what makes it even more exciting too.

“For us though, we have a fresh new look for 2024, obviously with the departure of Liz Watson, Mwai Kumwenda, and Liv Lewis too, but it’s made way for some new, young Victorians.”

Mannix is not the only “local” to line-up for Melbourne in 2024, following Zara Walters’ call-up to the Vixens squad in December.

The Colac midcourter, who helped her hometown secure Geelong Netball League flags in 2022 and 2023, was announced as the final squad member of the Vixens’ 2024 roster at the end of last year.

When Walters was announced as her teammate, it gave Mannix a chance to reflect on how she was signed to Super Netball at just 20 years of age.

“It’s so nice to see, and it makes me really proud because I know what it was like to be picked up out of a regional and smaller area,” Mannix said.

“Zara’s grabbed the opportunity with both hands on and off the court and she’s already coming out of her shell a bit too, which is great to see.

“Given what she’s been able to prove already, if the practice matches are anything to go off, she has a bright future ahead of her.”

Melbourne Vixens and Melbourne Mavericks open up their new rivalry in Round 1 at John Cain Arena on Sunday at 2pm.