Sport
14 August, 2026
2026 MCDFNL Round 18 Netball Preview — Campbells Creek vs Avoca
Avoca will be heavily favoured to complete a remarkable third consecutive undefeated regular season when they travel to Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve to take on the Magpies.
Despite treacherous conditions, the Bulldogs produced another polished performance in their last outing, vanquishing a valiant Harcourt by 40 goals.
While the wet weather was advantageous for the shutdown defensive duo of Caitlin Drummond and Ella Patten, Avoca’s free-flowing attack was unfazed by the rain, as Lucy Howell, Shayla and Stacey Blair constantly provided entry passes to Maddy Egan and Gina Steel.
While Egan remains the Bulldogs’ attacking spearhead with a league-leading 728 goals, 2025 Grand Final Best on Court Steel is having one of her most proficient shooting seasons, currently on 343 goals with a 74 percent conversion rate.
Campbells Creek will have to be at their best to contain Avoca’s dynastic shooting tandem as they look to end their campaign on a positive note.
While a cursory glance at their 56-goal defeat in their last encounter with the reigning premiers doesn’t instil confidence, the final scoreline fails to indicate how competitive the Magpies were in the third quarter.
The defensive efforts of Phoebe Jones played a major role in Campbells Creek limiting the Bulldogs to 15 goals in that third term, and she’ll attempt to replicate that this weekend alongside Taylah Sartori and Reagan Fulford, who’s in the midst of an excellent run of form.