Sport
26 May, 2026
Avoca power home with second half push
Avoca produced an immacu-late second half to overcome a surprisingly threatening Dunolly by 32 goals.
Heading into Saturday’s contest as major underdogs, Dunolly vastly exceeded expectations with a brilliant first half that ended with the Eagles trailing the undefeated reigning premiers by just four goals.
However, the Eagles ran out of wings in the second half, as the Bulldogs seized control with a 20-6 third quarter that completely altered the game’s complexion.
Even as Avoca extended its historic unbeaten streak to 59 games ahead of their Pyrenees derby with Lexton, Dunolly has plenty to be proud about after Saturday, as this season’s surprise package continues to redefine expectations after another impressive showing.
While the Eagles were unchanged from their enthralling win over Lexton, Avoca had some major team news headlined by the return of lockdown defender Caitlin Drummond after she missed the last two rounds against Campbells Creek and Talbot.
Paige Walkley and Isabella Thomson were also brought into the team, stepping in for Bridie Kennedy.
It didn’t take long for Drummond to reassert her presence in the heart of Avoca’s defence alongside Ella Patten, with the pair fluidly switching their matchups on Eagles shooters Lara Clements and Hannah Kenny.
While Dunolly’s methodical offence was scoring regularly, the defensive duo limited the visitors to nine goals in the first quarter, opening the door for destructive shooters Maddy Egan and Gina Steel to generate a healthy margin.
Against their toughest assignment of the season so far, Dunolly’s defence, which has been the linchpin of their early success in 2026, rose to the challenge.
Despite Egan and Steel showcasing their typically elite shooting accuracy, Ashlee Lierich, Teagan Hovey, Ruby Lang and Mel Schodde all did an excellent job denying access to the terrific tandem.
Avoca was ahead at quarter time, but they were determined to significantly improve their 13-9 advantage and overpower the Eagles in the second quarter.
Yet Dunolly proved to be no pushovers, maintaining their composure and confidence as they battled with the defending champions.
Conducted by Schodde and Charlotte Liddicoat, the Eagles’ meticulous attacking tempo wasn’t just effective in restricting Avoca’s time to do damage on offense, it also provided a reliable scoring output.
At the other end of the court, Egan and Lierich were having an entertaining back-and-forth battle in the goal circle as Dunolly's defence remained steadfast against Avoca’s arsenal.
As the dust settled on a captivating second quarter, the margin remained stagnant with Avoca leading by four goals at half time.
With the Eagles remaining hot on their paws, the Bulldogs made a personnel change, with Walkley coming off the bench to play centre while Lucy Howell shifted to play wing defence.
With Howell man-marking Liddicoat and Drummond and Patten successfully cutting through the passing lanes, Dunolly’s offensive production came to a standstill.
That allowed the newly introduced Walkley and Stacey Blair more opportunities to drive Avoca forward, routinely exploiting their team-mates' takeaways to provide Egan and Steel consistent attempts at goal.
Dunolly attempted to turn things around with the introduction of Leah Davis at wing attack, but several back-breaking runs by the hosts exploded their deficit to 18 goals by three-quarter time.
While their chance of a historic upset had withered away, the Eagles were driven to end the match at the standard they possessed in the first half, bringing on teenager Stevie Collins as they attempted to stop the rut.
However, the Bulldogs' offence was officially off the leash, adding 22 goals in the fourth quarter to secure a hard-fought win.
Egan eventually won the battle over Lierich, finishing with 43 goals and a sensational 91 percent shooting percentage. Steel was also sharp under the hoop, scoring 25 of her 31 attempts.
Dunolly player-coach Clements led her team with 20 goals in the defeat, while Kenny and Collins added 12 and four respectively.