Sport
16 June, 2026
Carisbrook vanquish Dunolly
An outstanding second half allowed Carisbrook to overcome a fierce Dunolly challenge and earn a valuable 20-goal victory.
After having a beneficial yet vulnerable six-goal lead at half time, the Redbacks flexed their contender muscles with the clinical shooting pairing of Jordan Macilwain and Abbey Nalder capitalising on an outstanding defensive showcase.
The victory improves Carisbrook’s standing inside the valuable top four spots, leading an expansive chasing pack by eight points.
With wet conditions at Carisbrook Recreation Reserve making passing and off-ball movement challenging, both sides’ stellar defences thrived under the challenging weather.
While Dunolly’s trio of Ashlee Lierich, Teagan Hovey and Ruby Lang kept the Redbacks grounded early, Charlotte Cain and Finley Wagstaff were also having stellar starts at the other end.
When the ball did climb those defensive walls, both shooting tandems showed impressive accuracy considering the weather, yet it was Carisbrook who held a 9-7 lead at quarter time.
The Redbacks turned to their talented depth at quarter time to expand their advantage, with Lauren Jones and Chloe Egan providing a boost to the midcourt after the interval, which allowed Nalder and Macilwain to continue their hot shooting streak.
Not to be outdone, the Eagles offence also showed some extra flight in the second quarter, with Lara Clements and Hannah Kenny using Charlotte Liddicoat and Melanie Schodde’s sweet entry passes to great effect.
Despite trailing at half time, Dunolly worked themselves into a highly respectable position, hoping to pounce on any Carisbrook miscues and apply extra pressure in the second half.
However, the Redbacks had other ideas. With Katie Bilton back at wing attack, the hosts’ offence kicked into overdrive, seemingly unstoppable from every centre pass.
Even the damp weather couldn’t extinguish the on-fire duo of Macilwain and Nalder, who were scoring like they were shooting into a silo.
Under Cain, Egan and Jones’ constant surveillance, the Eagles were unable to match the hosts’ torrid pace, allowing Carisbrook to blow the margin out to 15 goals at three-quarter time.
Dunolly returned to the rivalrous form they showcased in the first half, but a mesmerising third quarter did the damage for the Redbacks, who eventually cruised to their seventh consecutive victory.
Nalder was playing like someone who spent the recent break camped under a netball ring, continuing her sharpshooting form with 39 goals at an outstanding 86.7 shooting percentage. Macilwain supported Nalder’s excellence with 13 goals.
Kenny had arguably her best performance of the season against the vaunted Redbacks defence, converting 16 of her 19 attempts on goal alongside Dunolly player-coach Clements, who also scored 16.