‘I’m gonna regret that’: Why Liv Lewis had to make SSN switch from Vixens to Mavericks

It’s a small place, the Australian netball world, and Garbin’s 26th birthday celebrations last weekend were shared by not just her current Vixens teammates but others such as Lewis, who has swapped the established club’s navy for new-look Mavs’ sky blue.south west.

“We had Soph’s birthday on Saturday and all the Vixens girls were there and Kate Eddy put a little something on her Instagram,’’ Lewis says. “Her and Hannah (Mundy) got a photo and she posted a little, ‘I’ll see you next weekend’, and I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, last week of us being mates. Like, enjoy it’.’’

All said tongue-in-cheek, of course, although Lewis concedes with a laugh that there will “probably” be a bit of chit chat on the John Cain Arena court now shared by the incumbent Melbourne team and the newcomers who have established their training base in Melbourne’s south-east.

Garbin, the Diamonds shooter left homeless by Collingwood’s exit, was courted by the Mavs. Chose the Vixens.

Lewis, the impact defender who has played 51 SSN games but very few full ones, could have stayed at her second club — unlike the first — but chose to go.

She has experience playing against a former team, having played her first 27 games with the West Coast Fever from 2019-21, and plenty against Garbin, whom she has known for longer than most.

“Not just coming from WA but from the same town, Rockingham, so quite a fun little connection there,’’ Lewis says. “I’ve come up against Sophie quite a bit over the years, not only in juniors but when she was at the Swifts and Collingwood as well.

“She’s an absolute gun. We’ve seen how well she’s done in the Diamonds environment and I have no doubt she’s gonna transfer that onto the (SSN) court, but for me it’s just an exciting opportunity to match up against another mate and just absolutely give it to her, hopefully!’’

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Lewis admits she was attracted by the chance to build something shiny and new from the foundations up. Eight years after the incoming Magpies recruited rival captain Madi Browne and young shooter Alice Teague-Neeld into its foundation 10, Lewis was the only Vixen to cross town.

Not that Vixens stalwart Jo Weston is happy with that description, while welcoming a second team in Melbourne.

“I’m honestly more annoyed that they’re training out at Waverley, which is where I played all MY junior netball, and they’re sort of encroaching on this south-east territory,’’ Weston says.

“(With Eddy, Mundy and Lily Graham) we’ve got four players in the Vixens from Waverley District Netball Association, and we’re all from the south-east of Melbourne.

“I feel like there’s enough room for two teams but it’s definitely not a battle of the river, in my view, because it’s Vixens territory and there’s a little Mavs pocket.’’

Having been the junior member of a job-share of sorts with Emily Mannix after moving to Melbourne in 2022, Lewis took a little thinking time and had a few conversations with Mavericks coach Tracey Neville before deciding to commit.

“It kind of just got to the point where I was thinking, ‘If I don’t do this, I feel like it’s gonna be five years’ time that I’m gonna regret that I didn’t at least give it a shot’. That was kind of what turned it for me,’’ she says.

“I feel like I kind of knew that Vixens was a safe bet and I knew that we were gonna have a pretty similar team, whereas I didn’t know what I could have gotten out of moving if I didn’t do it, so it was a good opportunity to kind of progress my career.’’

Like ex-Swift Tayla Fraser, Lewis was happy to share what she had learnt at such an established, well-run club.

“You come from such a well-oiled machine to somewhere where you’re starting those things from scratch, and the Vixens have such high standards on and off the court (which) I feel progressed my netball so much, my professional behaviours. So that was something I wanted to implement as much as possible into the Mavs.’’

Compensating for a relative lack of size for a goal keeper with her elite elevation, Lewis’ goal defence game remains a work-in-progress, with Kim Jenner more naturally suited out the front.

Lauren Moore, who could cover all three defensive positions, has a freshly-ruptured ACL, joining earlier loss Sasha Glasgow among the long-term missing. Young South Australian Jessie Grenvold is expected to take Moore’s place.

“It was just so devastating. Just the timing of it as well, right at the back end of Team Girls Cup, so close to the season starting; Loz, we’re all absolutely shattered for her and supporting her,’’ Lewis says.

“Loz and I were building that combination as well ... the three of us have been working really closely together, so all it does is just really reiterate that Kim and I have to really do our jobs this year, and it’s an opportunity to step up, I guess.

“No one on the team is a stranger to adversity throughout our careers and this is kind of just another bump in the road as far as losing two teammates. I’ve never had that happen in the pre-season.

“But we’re such a special group in that we’ll all band together, we’re really, really united and we’re just gonna get on with it. It is just one of those nasty things about sport. You can’t change it, so we’re just looking ahead and we’re just gonna give it our absolute all.’’

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The Magpies’ replacements have run hard with the we’re-all-mavericks theme. That includes Glasgow, who speaks of a “uniqueness” and determination to add flair to a clinical style of netball characterised by a low error rate and tight defence.

Glasgow references a close and committed “wolf pack” mentality in a group sourced from two countries and four states; a theme which against the foxy incumbents on Sunday will make for an awful lot of carnivorous mammal types sharing one John Cain Arena court.

The Vixens have added not just Garbin but third shooter Graham (for pregnant Mwai Kumwenda), Rudi Ellis as the back-up keeper and Colac youngster Zara Walters as Watson’s midcourt replacement.

“I definitely feel like we have a new feel in the team. Losing Liz was a big hole to fill and we’ve sort of moved past it and I feel like it’s offered up a really great opportunity for other young Victorian talent to be able to step into the Vixens,’’ says Weston, who won’t feature in round one due to a strained calf; replaced in the 10 by training partner Gabby Coffey.

“Especially Zara and Hannah have just been really improving day by day, we’ve grabbed Rudi back from the West Coast and she’s such a dynamic athlete and offers a lot of experience training week-in, week-out, against a tall shooter, which we’ve never traditionally had at the Vixens, so that’s definitely something that’s a real strength for us.

“And then Sophie coming to the Vixens has definitely been the real positive for us of Collingwood’s unfortunate demise. We’d spoken to her for many years trying to lure her across; I think especially given that she already has that established partnership with (Kiera Austin) and she lived in Melbourne already, so she’s really settled in.”

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As elsewhere has Lewis, a media and communications student utilising the off-court facilities at her new SEN-owned home to host a podcast featuring teammates El Cardwell and Maisie Nankivell, in which she predicted this week there would be “a little bit of extra feeling” against her old club.

“It’ll be a bit funny being at John Cain and not being part of the Vixens,’’ Lewis concedes. “But obviously it’s our home game, which is gonna be so exciting; I can’t wait to see John Cain transformed into the Mavs’ home den.

“We had a little behind-closed-doors scratch match in the pre-season, so I think that was a good way to kinda get those nerves out of the way and now it’s kinda like, ‘Oh it’s just another game of netball’. And maybe a little bit of trash talk on the court against some of my mates! But it’s always good fun.’’