Sport
11 August, 2026
Dunolly prove no match for high-flying Hawks
The frightening forward tandem of Dean Galea and Jarrod Stephens kicked Talbot to a comfortable 118-point victory over Dunolly.
With Victor Micallef and Tommy Alkemade constantly conjuring forward 50 entries, Galea and Stephens added a sour taste to the end of Dunolly’s 2026 campaign with eight and seven goals respectively.
Noah Wardlaw and Brodie Geyer both made their first senior appearance this season for the Hawks, who burst out of the gates with a five goals to one opening term.
The Eagles were overwhelmed at the stoppage by Talbot’s riches of on-ball depth, with Micallef, Alkemade, Jude McGuire and Elliot Cullinan all capable of making their first use of the football count.
Marshalled by the calming presence of Bailey Morton and Jay McDonald, Dunolly did a commendable job of limiting their quarter time deficit to 28 points.
However, the Hawks weren’t going to be contained forever, booting eight consecutive goals to build an insurmountable advantage throughout the second quarter.
With their outstanding contested marking ability and ruthless finishing, Galea and Stephens were unstoppable in the first half, which ended with Talbot leading by 78 points.
Led by Lachlan Tranter, Ryan Burt and Willem Schepers, the Eagles produced a second-half resurgence, limiting the Hawks to three majors in the third term before ending their season on a high note with two goals in the final quarter.
After the Hawks extended the margin to 96 points at three-quarter time, livewire forward Zac Cicchini and long-serving veteran Luke Kemp complemented Galea and Stephens’ big hauls with two goals each as Talbot extended their recent win streak to eight games.
Micallef and Alkemade were outstanding for the Hawks, listed in their best players alongside Charles Aitken, Galea, Stephens and Joshua Szabo.
The Eagles named Tranter, McDonald, Burt, Schepers and Morton as their standout per-formers. Schepers and Morton were also goalkickers alongside player-coach Lloyd Needs.