Melbourne Vixens have withstood a fierce challenge from the winless Giants to keep their unbeaten record alive and remain atop the Super Netball ladder.
The Vixens overcame the desperate Giants 66-64 to keep their status as the only team without a loss through eight rounds, sitting four points clear of the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
"We came out strong but credit to the Giants, they just kept coming and coming," Vixens skipper Kate Moloney told Fox Sports.
"We'll take the win but there's areas to work on. We had some really good moments, it probably just wasn't for 60 minutes."
The home side were expected to have a comfortable afternoon at John Cain Arena and the match opened to script, with the Vixens scoring the first six goals.
The Melbourne outfit maintained a healthy buffer after the first quarter, leading 21-15.
But the Giants found some rhythm in the second and drew level before their shooters Sophie Dwyer and Matisse Letherbarrow bagged three two-point Super shots.
That helped the Sydneysiders to an unlikely 33-32 lead at halftime, winning the quarter 18-11.
Vixens coach Di Honey shifted Zara Walters from wing defence to attack and brought on Kate Eddy at wing defence to provide more mid-court punch - and it had the desired impact.
With Sophie Garbin on target with all 13 of her attempts, the 2025 champions regained the lead and took a 50-46 buffer into the final quarter.
But Melbourne struggled to shake the Giants, who took advantage of a mounting penalty count against Vixens goal defence Jo Weston and Eddy.
Letherbarrow nailed a two-point shot for her side to draw level at 61-61 with little more than three minutes remaining, but Diamonds sharpshooter Garbin slotted three straight goals and it looked like the home side would be safe.
With the crowd at full voice, long-range ace Letherbarrow added another two-point goal and followed up with a regular point to lock up the match again at 64-64 with one minute left.
Garbin, however, had the final say, tipping in another two goals to secure a thrilling win.
Letherbarrow finished with 38 points including six super shots for the Giants while Garbin shot at an impressive 93.8 conversion rate for the Vixens, making 45 goals from 48 attempts.
