Sport
23 June, 2026
Avoca extends unbeaten streak to 61 games with gripping victory over Navarre
Midway through their round 10 blockbuster against Navarre, Avoca found themselves in slightly unfamiliar territory.
After winning their first eight games of 2026 by an average margin of 42.1 goals, A grade’s three-time defending champions had their remarkable 60-game unbeaten streak in imminent danger with a narrow one-goal lead at half time.
However, the Bulldogs proved why they are one of the greatest teams in MCDFNL history with a clinical second half that maintained their status quo and secured a hard-fought 64-54 victory.
After a slightly shaky start, star defenders Caitlin Drummond and Ella Patten steadied the ship in a tense first quarter before shooters Maddy Egan and Gina Steel gave Avoca a defining lead with their typically elite accuracy.
While they’ll be disappointed they couldn’t capitalise on a superb first half, the Grasshoppers proved they are firmly on the list of credible challengers who could dethrone the competition’s long-standing rulers come September.
Despite being without former back-to-back Nalder Tracey Trophy winner Jess Parry, Navarre started Saturday’s affair on top, with defenders Grace Long and Jade Allen forcing several turnovers out of Avoca’s typically faultless attack.
Midcourters Sidney Dyer and Brooke Currie transitioned those takeaways into the attacking goal circle.
Yet it seemed there was a lid on Navarre’s goal, as the league’s leading scoring tandem, Zanaiya Bergen and Aliza Lockhart, struggled to adjust to the noticeable gust swirling around Avoca Public Park.
As internal pressure mounted on the Grasshoppers to capitalise on their early ascendancy, Avoca’s full-court defence complicated their efforts.
With Patten and Drummond weathering the early siege, the Bulldogs began to click on offence as their early deficit evaporated as quickly as it was conjured.
With Avoca leading 13-12 at quarter time, both teams looked to showcase why they rank as the competition’s top two scoring attacks in the second term.
The Bulldogs and Grasshoppers did just that, combining to average a goal every 28 seconds in a high-quality quarter of netball.
Despite playing a full game of B grade at centre immediately before, Paige Walkley looked as fresh as a daisy alongside Avoca legends Lucy Howell and Stacey Blair in the midcourt, with the trio giving Egan and Steel ample chances to find the bottom of the net.
After their uncharacteristically inefficient start, Bergen and Lockhart quickly found their shooting range, ensuring the Grasshoppers stayed within a goal at the end of the first half.
Despite trailing by the slimmest of margins at half time, Navarre knew they likely required perfection to end what at times has seemed an unbreakable unbeaten streak.
The Grasshoppers maintained an elite level after half time, but the Bulldogs pounced on any minor mistake they made as their lead gradually grew.
Once Avoca got the ball in their attacking third, Walkley, Howell, Steel and Egan patiently bided their time before finding an opening only they could spot.
With 19 third-quarter goals, the Bulldogs boasted a five-goal lead at the final change, 15 minutes away from closing out one of their more tense wins.
With Avoca noticeably slowing the game’s tempo, the Grasshoppers were given limited opportunities to chip down their deficit, forced to flirt with danger on numerous occasions.
While their teammates mounted pressure on the scoreboard, Drummond and Patten produced some key stops down the stretch to secure Avoca’s 10-goal win.
With a combined 64 goals from just 73 attempts, Egan (46 goals) and Steel (18) were instrumental in the Bulldogs pulling away in the second half.
Bergen and Lockhart produced another stellar scoring total for the Grasshoppers, scoring 29 and 25 respectively.