Carisbrook have locked in a spot in the top four, but were made to fight all the way by a gallant Navarre outfit at Carisbrook.
The result means the Redbacks are eight points ahead of Lexton with two rounds left, with the Redbacks claiming four premiership points in round 18 with their bye.
It was a fairly low-scoring first quarter, with the Redbacks scoring 12 goals and Navarre seven. Paige McLean scored seven goals, and Andrea Schafer five for Carisbrook, while for the Hoppers, Sadie Reading scored four times and Mollie Simpson three.
Carisbrook continued to hold the ascendancy in the second term, with the Redbacks scoring 16 goals to 10 to open up an 11-goal gap, leading 28-17. McLean scored eight goals and Abbey Nalder five for the Redbacks, while Schafer added three before going off injured. For Navarre, Simpson scored six times and Reading four.
The third quarter was an even affair, with the Redbacks scoring 13 goals and Navarre 11, which meant that Carisbrook would turn for home with a 41-28 lead. Nalder scored eight goals and McLean five for Carisbrook, while Simpson would score nine goals and Reading two for Navarre.
The final quarter was a goal-for-goal affair as the margin stayed at 13 goals for much of the term, with both teams finishing on 13 goals apiece. McLean scored seven times for Carisbrook to finish with 27 for the afternoon, while Nalder added six. For Navarre, Simpson scored 12 times to finish with 30 for the day, while Reading added one.
Navarre will seek to end their 11-game losing streak when they travel to Campbells Creek, while for Carisbrook, they will round out their home-and-away campaign with a trip to Trentham next week.