Sport
7 July, 2026
Defending champs Avoca power past Trentham
Avoca will enter Saturday’s colossal battle with fellow undefeated heavyweight Natte Bealiba in typically terrific form after vanquishing finals hopefuls Trentham by 33 goals.
After doubling up the Saints in the first quarter, a 15-6 second quarter allowed the reigning premiers to build a comfortable lead that was never threatened in the second half.
The victory extends the Bulldogs’ historic unbeaten streak to 63 games, while Trentham are now the team with their finals spot under imminent threat after dropping to eighth on percentage.
The Bulldogs made two changes to the starting lineup that defeated Carisbrook 64-45 in Stacey Blair’s 550th game, with Kodie Greenwood and Ellie Meagher slotting into the defensive third for Ella Patten and Shayla Blair.
Meanwhile, the Saints made their trip to Avoca’s kennel without the services of defender Lauren Girvan and shooter Georgia Fearn, two standout performers in their narrow defeat to Lexton the week prior.
Charli Copeland and Kelly Matheson-Miller started in their place while Maddy Matheson and Bonnie Hodgson were called up from B grade to provide valuable depth.
After highly competitive starts in their last two matches, Avoca was determined to create an early buffer at Avoca Public Reserve.
Despite the best efforts of Trentham’s defensive sensation Jessica Walker, Stacey Blair and Lucy Howell were immediately on the money with pinpoint entry passes to Maddy Egan and Gina Steel.
Avoca’s destructive shooting tandem made the most of the five-star service from Blair and Howell, accelerating the hosts to a commanding 16-8 lead by quarter time.
Without the presence of a commanding shooting target like Fearn or Hannah Weier, Trentham struggled to get the ball into their attacking goal circle for Sharna Ford and Charli Copeland to hit the scoreboard.
Greenwood and Caitlin Drummond certainly weren’t helping matters, as their Mr Fantastic-like reach and telepathic quickness to switch when required kept the Saints to six goals in the second term as Avoca boosted their lead to 17 goals at half time.
Following a string of half time alterations, Trentham started the second half well and carried that momentum throughout the third quarter.
With Walker and Matheson-Miller doing an excellent job denying Egan and Steel the netball, midcourters Amy Vandenham and Stevie Courtney were given more time and opportunities to circumvent Avoca’s vaunted defence.
Ford also had an excellent third term, helping the Saints limit their three-quarter time deficit to 21 goals.
That margin quickly ballooned in the fourth quarter, as Egan and Steel completed a truly remarkable shooting performance.
Of their 68 combined attempts on goal on Saturday, Egan and Steel scored 63 for a stunning shooting percentage of nearly 93 percent. Egan finished with 44 while Steel sunk 19 goals.
Ford top-scored for the travelling Saints with 21 goals, while Copeland added nine.