Sport
24 June, 2025
Dunolly earn back-to-back draws against Harcourt, 39-39
In an astonishing turn of events, Dunolly has received an improbable taste of deja vu, drawing for the second consecutive week, this time to Harcourt 39-39.
While both teams would’ve rather had all four points, the tie keeps the Eagles and Lions in the finals picture, with Dunolly six points out and Harcourt only two.
Nine goals from Zoe Aldridge allowed the Eagles to fly out to an early advantage at the quarter-time break, leading 12-10 after the first 15 minutes.
Jordan Bagley ensured the Lions remained close early at Deledio Reserve, leading the way with seven goals in the opening term.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams ensuring their opponent couldn’t pull away thanks to their defence, leading to the margin remaining at two at half time.
The returning Shakira Clark wasted no time making an impact, working well with Ashlee Lierich in protecting the host’s goal.
Not to be outdone, Morgan Yarwood and Carly Chaplin were keen to prove themselves after Harcourt’s loss to Natte Bealiba, and did so with some great intercepts and strong rebounding.
Aldridge and Bagley continued to lead their teams offensively, with Aldridge scoring eight and Bagley going a perfect four for four.
With both teams striving for a massive boost to their finals hopes with a victory, Harcourt gained the upper hand in a hard-fought third quarter.
With the returning Ella Rule not missing a beat in the midcourt alongside Tamara Farr, Stacey Mitchell and Lauren Peeler, coupled with the claustrophobic coverage of Yarwood and Chaplin, the Lions flipped their two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead by the final break.
Bagley was top-scorer in the quarter with six goals while Aldridge struggled under the surveillance of Chaplin, netting three.
After having a two-goal advantage heading into the final term in last week’s match against Campbells Creek, Dunolly was now tasked with completing what the Magpies couldn’t quite achieve to get the four points.
The Eagles’ offence kicked back into gear at the start of the fourth quarter, as their midcourt controlled the tempo early.
The last term slowly developed into a shootout between Aldridge and Bagley, as both in-form shooters tried to will their team to victory.
In the end, neither could land the knockout blow, as the match ended in a stalemate. It’s the third draw in the MCDFNL this season, with Dunolly involved in all three games.
Aldridge was the game’s top-scorer with 28 goals after netting eight in the last period, while Bagley scored eight in the quarter to finish with 25 goals from just 29 attempts for the match.