Sport
1 July, 2025
Avoca complete comeback versus Natte
Despite being down by 10 goals at half time, Avoca showed the heart of a champion, completing a 19-goal turnaround against premiership rivals Natte Bealiba to extend their extraordinary unbeaten streak to 42 games.
A capacity crowd converged onto CHS Broadbent Oval to watch these two titans battle it out in one of the most anticipated matches of the season.
While the Swans made no changes to their starting lineup after their dominant win over Maldon, the Bulldogs recalled Ellie Meagher to the bench with star midcourter Stacey Blair unavailable.
The visitors took a noticeable lead inside the first five minutes, but Natte responded with a 7-0 run late in the opening term to build a four-goal buffer heading into quarter time.
MCDFNL leading goal scorer Emma Ryan was on point for the hosts immediately, scoring 15 goals in the first quarter while teammate Mills went a perfect three for three.
Maddy Egan, who sits just behind Ryan on the goal-scoring charts in third, netted nine shots in the opening term for the Bulldogs, boosted by the strong contributions of Gina Beavis who scored five.
Even with Avoca trying to refresh their midcourt by introducing Meagher to start the second quarter, Natte’s midcourt, led by Ella Tranter and Ebony Raven, helped the hosts extend their lead to nine goals halfway through the second quarter.
The Bulldogs made some changes midway through the period to help stem the bleeding, but it couldn’t stop the Swans leading 36-26 at half time.
Ryan continued to lead the way with 13 goals in the second quarter while Mills provided consistent support by adding five goals of her own.
The Swans’ defensive duo of Bella Westbrook and Ellie Martin were fantastic in the second quarter, limiting Egan and Beavis to 12 goals in the second term thanks to their one-on-one coverage and defensive rebounding.
Thanks to their excellent second quarter, the Swans had the Bulldogs on the ropes for their first loss in over two years and were keen to deliver a knockout blow in the third quarter.
However, Natte knew that wasn’t a given, knowing Avoca would give everything they had to reverse their 10-goal deficit.
The Bulldogs made some noticeable tactical changes at half time, prioritising height in the midcourt with Faith McKenzie moved to centre and Kodie Smith subbed in at wing defence to force some turnovers.
In their defensive goal circle, Caitlin Drummond and Keisha Tonzing were more aggressive in their coverage of Ryan, often double-teaming the star shooter particularly when Mills moved up the court to help advance the netball.
Despite the double-teaming, Ryan remained a threat, helping her team increase the lead to 11 goals five minutes into the third term.
However, the Bulldogs remained remarkably calm and started to slowly chip away at the lead thanks to timely intercepts and clinical shooting.
Avoca got the deficit down to two before a late Natte surge bumped the margin back to four goals at three-quarter time.
Egan was brilliant in the third quarter, especially with her offensive rebounding, helping her score 17 goals in the period while Beavis added three.
Even with Drummond and Tonzing constantly swarming her, Ryan still managed to score all of Natte’s 14 goals in the third quarter.
The first 45 minutes set the stage for another thrilling finish between these two teams, as they went blow for blow to start the fourth quarter.
Then, Avoca found a rush of momentum, tying the game with six minutes left to play.
With the Swans feeling the pressure after having a noticeable lead, the Bulldogs pounced, going on a 12-1 run late in the final period to swing the game upside down.
The hosts found their composure late, but Avoca had built too much of a lead by that point, winning the 2024 grand final rematch 68-59.
In an encore of her best on ground performance in last season’s grand final, Drummond was immense during crunch time, generating multiple defensive stops that helped Avoca go on their game-changing run.
Despite Martin’s efforts, who was highly unfortunate on multiple intercept attempts, nothing was stopping the Bulldogs’ offence late, exploding for 22 goals in the last quarter.
While Egan continued from her third-quarter performance with 11 goals, Beavis stepped up massively in the fourth, practically faultless with 11 goals from 11 shots.
Ryan scored five goals in the fourth to finish with a game-high 47 goals while Mills added four.