Vixens aim to lock in Super netball finals

There's more riding on the cross-town derby between the Vixens and Magpies than the usual bragging rights when the Melbourne Super Netball teams clash on Sunday.

Another loss for struggling Collingwood would make it almost impossible to play finals while the fifth-placed Vixens need to keep winning to nail down a play-off berth.

The Vixens showed they are worthy of such a spot by handing the ladder-leading West Coast Fever their second loss of the season last round.

Veteran goaler Tegan Philip said the win, which came after successive defeats, gave her team a timely dose of confidence.

She said it also showed that the title was wide open as long as teams gave themselves a chance by making the finals.

"It was great to get the win and it was good to see the things we've been working on at training like our full-court defensive pressure transfer into the match," Philip said.

Part of that lift in defence has come from the return of former Australian star Renae Ingles.

She stepped away from netball before the 2016 season after falling pregnant with twins with her NBA-playing husband Joe Ingles.

Ingles signed up with the Adelaide Thunderbirds last year but after half a season she moved to the US, only to return last month.

Philip said Ingles hadn't skipped a beat in her time out.

"Renae has always kept super fit and she's fitted in really well, Philip said.

"It's great to have another experienced voice at our defensive end."

The Magpies have only managed two wins for the season but with a swag of internationals in their line-up, are capable of much more.

Just a point separated the two teams in their round-one win, with the Vixens getting up.

"We've grown a lot since that match and really stepped up as a team but the Magpies will have also," Philip said.

"It's always super tough to play against them and we're going to be doing everything possible because it's a crucial win for us."