Sport
15 July, 2024
Avoca makes its big statement
MARYBOROUGH GIANTS (40) def by AVOCA (69) In terms of statements, they don’t come any bigger than Avoca’s 29-goal victory over Maryborough Giants at Hedges Oval on Saturday. An incredibly impressive second half from the Bulldogs helped them take...
MARYBOROUGH GIANTS (40) def by AVOCA (69)
In terms of statements, they don’t come any bigger than Avoca’s 29-goal victory over Maryborough Giants at Hedges Oval on Saturday.
An incredibly impressive second half from the Bulldogs helped them take a strong win after fending off a strong challenge from the Giants in the first half.
The first quarter saw the Bulldogs make a good start, but the Giants were able to claw their way back to even things up, with the Bulldogs taking a slight lead into the opening change, scoring 14 goals to 13. Maddy Egan scored 11 goals, while Kodie Smith added three for the Bulldogs, and for the Giants, Abbey Devereaux scored eight goals and Abbey Raven five.
It was still very much game on in the second term as both teams still effectively went goal for goal, but it was Avoca who took honours for the quarter, scoring 15 goals to 13 to lead 29-26 at the main break. Egan scored 12 goals and Smith three for Avoca, while Devereaux and Raven repeated their first quarter stats, with Devereaux scoring another eight goals and Raven five for the Giants.
The Bulldogs’ strength lies traditionally in their second half performances, and Saturday was no exception. This time around, they would score 21 goals in the third quarter to the Giants’ five to really break the game open, and strengthen their hold on the minor premiership, by leading 50-31 at the last change.
Egan was perfect from the field in the term, scoring 16 goals from 16 shots, while Smith added five as the Bulldogs were brutally economical in front of goal, while Raven and Laura McStravick scored two goals apiece for the Giants, with Devereaux scoring one.
The Bulldogs continued to run out the game strongly, and finished with 19 goals to nine to take a very comfortable win in the end. Egan completed a strong day with 14 more goals, finishing with 53 for the afternoon, while Smith would score five to finish with 16. For the Giants, Devereaux would score seven goals to finish with 24 for the day, while Raven scored two goals.
The Bulldogs will be favoured to take care of Harcourt at home in their next game, while the Giants will look to bounce back against Campbells Creek away from home.
