Corletto and Browne to record 50 ANZ Championship matches

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Melbourne Vixens Julie Corletto and Madison Browne will each play their 50^th ANZ Championship game when they host the Queensland Firebirds at Hisense Arena on Sunday.

The foundation players have been key members of the Vixens undefeated season to date as Melbourne leads the league with four consecutive victories, including last weekends last minute thriller over the WBOP Magic.

While Corletto has been with the Vixens since the leagues inception in 2008, Browne left the franchise in 2009 to spend two years with the West Coast Fever before returning home last year.

Corletto has enjoyed a standout season so far as a member of a star studded defensive trio, along side Geva Mentor and Bianca Chatfield, who have conceded the least goals in the league at an average of 39 goals per game.

Likewise, Browne has been instrumental in the mid-court in her ability to feed the shooters, ranked number one in the league for goal assists with 74 assists, 20 more than Temepara George in second (53).

The Vixens will be eyeing off their fifth win of the season against a Firebirds side theyve already beaten once this season when they won 47-42 in Round One which brought an end to the Firebirds 15-game winning streak.

The Round One defeat is the lowest combined score (89) between the two teams and is the Queensland lowest score against the Vixens in nine previous encounters.

The defending champions have endured a frustrating season as they sit in eighth after Round Four with one win and three losses, despite going through last year undefeated.

The West Coast Fever are looking to cement their position in the ANZ Championships top four when they host the Adelaide Thunderbirds at Challenge Stadium on Sunday.

Sitting in fourth place, level with the Steel, Swifts and Pulse on four points, the Fever is the only side currently residing in the top four to not have been there since Round One.

This weekends top four fixture between the Fever and Thunderbirds promises to be a thriller after both sides came off victories in Round Three against the Steel (56-53) and Mystics (50-48) respectively.

While the Thunderbirds have traditionally dominated this fixture, the Adelaide outfit will be wary of the Fever, whos one and only victory in eight previous meetings, came in the last time they met.

Fever shooter Caitlin Bassett stared last weekend, scoring 49 of the teams 56 goals, including 16 goals in the final quarter as they came from one goal down at three-quarter time to win their second game of the season.

The Thunderbirds are in sparkling form themselves so far this season, winning three of their four games, which include handing last years Grand Finalists, Northern Mystics, their first loss of the season.

Statistically speaking, the Thunderbirds will be confident ahead of their Round Five fixture having never lost in Perth in four previous matches and boast the leagues second best winning percentage away from home with 59% (19-13).

In other Round Five fixtures, WBOP Magic and Canterbury Tactix will compete in the 300^th ANZ Championship match on Monday.

The winless Magic have never lost to the Tactix in eight previous meetings however never have these sides contested a bottom of the table match with just one win between the pair.

Meanwhile, despite what the numbers suggest, the Mystics face a stern challenge against the much-improved Central Pulse on Sunday evening in Palmerston North.

Despite having never defeated the Mystics in nine previous encounters, the Pulse have already bettered their 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons with two victories.

The NSW Swifts and Southern Steel have the bye.

Round 5 Fixture and Broadcast Details

West Coast Fever v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Challenge Stadium, Perth, Sunday 29 April 10.10am
TV: Channel TEN LIVE
Telstra BigPond Sport: Sunday 7.00pm

Melbourne Vixens v Queensland Firebirds
Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Sunday 29 April 2.20pm
TV: Channel TEN LIVE
Telstra BigPond Sport: Sunday 5.00pm

Central Pulse v Northern Mystics
Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North, Sunday 29 April 7.20pm
TV: ONE 11.55pm
Telstra BigPond Sport: Tuesday 7.00pm

WBOP Magic v Canterbury Tactix
Rotorua Events Centre, Rotorua, Monday 30 April 7.40pm
TV: ONE 12.30 (Tuesday)
Telstra BigPond Sport: Monday 7.00pm