The enormity of the win, which places the Steel in a strong position for home advantage throughout the finals series, was not lost on the bumper crowd which rose to its feet for a standing ovation with 30 seconds to go.
"Obviously I know there are another three or four games to get to that stage,'' Steel coach Noeline Taurua said.
"But the crowd were aware of that and were grateful we put out a good performance.''
Taurua expected a stiff challenge from the Vixens, particularly with the traditional Australian one-on-one style, but she was pleased with a slick Steel start once again.
"We've been having really good starts for the last three or four games and come out really strong and quite dominant defensively,'' Taurua said.
"One of the good things that we're currently doing is that even though there is a lot of pressure that is exerted from the opposition, we're still able to maintain the lead and we can control the momentum of the game.''
One of the factors behind the Steel's success is the variety around the circle.
Goal assists were shared fairly evenly among goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit, wing attack Gina Crampton and centre Shannon Francois.
"It's about everybody playing their role and getting one on one with our shooters,'' she said.
"If two drop back on Jhaniele [Fowler-Reid], then Te Paea takes the shot up the front.
"If it's open at the back with just one defender, we can bang it in to Jhaniele. The good thing is we're really strong underneath the hoop plus our shooting accuracy is pretty high.
"That's also because of the distribution of the ball that's happening from our outside feeders, Shannon and Gina.''
Selby-Rickit shot at 84% but it was her decision making which really came to the fore, providing Fowler-Reid with 18 goal assists.
"She's getting a bit more solid in that respect and knowing the balance of either to take the shot or feed it into the back.
"Her ball distribution skills are strengthening from week to week.''
Goal defence Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit was a menace on defence, with three intercepts and even added a goal assist.
The Steel was ahead 18-16 after the first quarter and pushed further ahead as the game went on.
It led 47-40 at the end of the third quarter and an early push in the final quarter put the Steel well out of reach.
The Vixens had an unsettled shooting combination after Karyn Bailey left the court with a leg injury in the second half.
She was replaced by Kimberly Commane, who was later replaced by rookie Emma Ryde.
ANZ Championship
The scores
Southern Steel 65
Jhaniele Fowler-Reid 49/54, Te Paea Selby-Rickit 16/19
Melbourne Vixens 56
Emma Ryde 16/23, Alice Teague-Neeld 23/27, Karyn Bailey 13/15, Kimberly Commane 4/5
Quarter scores: 1st, 18-16; 2nd, 15-13; 3rd, 14-11; 4th, 18-16.
