Sport
14 July, 2026
Avoca prevails in gripping game over old foes Natte Bealiba by seven goals
In a historic rivalry littered with epic comebacks, clutch performances and nail-biting finishes, Saturday’s titanic clash between powerhouses Avoca and Natte Bealiba was quickly penned as another classic chapter.
After the Swans were up by three at quarter time and the Bulldogs built a five-goal lead at half time, the two undefeated teams found themselves separated by a goal with 15 minutes remaining.
Like it was taken from the pages of Greek mythology, the colossal fourth quarter was played with a background of lightning strikes, a rather poetic symbol for Avoca’s electrifying 5-0 runs that bolted the Bulldogs to their 62nd straight victory and 64th game without defeat.
Standout performances from Avoca player-coach Maddy Egan and key defender Caitlin Drummond once again dashed Natte’s ambition of vanquishing their fiercest foe, a heartbreaking end to an outstanding performance that began with such promise.
While they have adapted tremendously to the early-season injury of shooting sensation Emma Ryan, the Swans entered their biggest game of the regular season noticeably depleted, with star defensive duo Naomi Medlyn and Ellie Martin as well as reliable midcourter Ebony Raven all out of their starting seven.
Yet, as all great teams do, the Swans thrived under adversity, catching the reigning premiers off guard in the early proceedings.
Ryan’s mid-season replacement, Chelsea Ross, has defied all expectations of a teenager being thrust into being a starting A grade shooter for a premiership contender, yet in her first meeting with Avoca’s historic juggernaut, the rising star played as if she was a 10-year veteran.
While being hounded by the constant presence of Drummond and Kodie Greenwood, who started in the absence of Ella Patten, Chelsea Ross constantly got in behind Avoca’s defenders, allowing Ella Tranter and B grade call-up Macy Tatchell to find her early with pinpoint lob passes.
Fellow B grade mainstay Alex Williams joined Darci Rodgers in attempting to contain Avoca’s dynastic shooting tandem of Egan and Gina Steel.
Despite the rather ominous challenge, the makeshift defensive pairing did a stellar job throughout the first quarter, forcing the Bulldogs to recycle play and prevent an early scoring spree.
The Natte faithful couldn’t have dreamed of a better opening term, leading 18-15 at quarter time.
However, the Swans know any margin versus the Bulldogs isn’t safe, a statement exemplified last year when Natte squandered a 10-goal half time lead in their round 11 defeat to Avoca.
That memorable comeback may have begun to weigh on the Swans when the Bulldogs quickly erased their quarter-time deficit after the interval.
Thanks to a quarter-time positional change, Drummond was now marking Chelsea Ross, a wise tactical move as her athleticism and wingspan made lob passes to Ross extremely difficult.
As the Swans attack suddenly stalled, the Bulldogs pounced at the opportune time, with Paige Walkley and Lucy Howell beginning to find Egan and Steel more directly.
Just as Natte looked destined to end their historic unbeaten run, Avoca resumed the status quo with an eight-goal second quarter turnaround that gave the visitors a five-goal advantage.
However, another twist in the tale came early in the third quarter, as an 8-3 run allowed the Swans to return back to level terms.
With a chance to regroup at half time, Tranter and Chloe Ross ensured Natte restored their midcourt proficiency alongside Sian Mortlock, who was the vital link in the hosts’ attacking third.
With their encyclopaedic level of experience in tense situations, the Bulldogs quickly regained their composure as defensive stops suddenly became at a premium.
After a tense end to the term, a Steel buzzer beater gave Avoca a precious one-goal lead at the final change of ends.
With Natte holding the first centre pass of the fourth quarter, both teams knew that defensive takeaways would prove vital in the clutch.
Up stepped Drummond.
Reminiscent of her best on court performance in Avoca’s 2024 Grand Final victory over Natte, Drummond produced some valuable inter-ceptions that allowed the Bulldogs to rebuild a valuable buffer with five consecutive goals.
The Swans countered with a timely centre break shortly thereafter, shrinking their deficit back to three goals.
Following a short scoring drought that left Avoca leading 52-49, takeaways by Greenwood and Stacey Blair catapulted the Bulldogs to a game-clinching 5-0 run.
Even when Avoca missed key shots down the stretch, Egan was there to clean up with an offensive rebound, a valuable trait that helped the league’s leading scorer to a game-high 44 goals, while Steel contri-buted 15 goals.
Chelsea Ross and Mortlock were exceptional in Natte’s defeat, netting 28 and 24 goals respectively.