Sport
7 July, 2026
Eagles fly closer to finals berth with 14-goal win
Following five successive defeats against quality opposition, Dunolly’s finals spot was quickly placed under imminent threat.
Yet, against the team that handed them a shocking round four defeat, the Eagles generated some much-needed protection within the top eight courtesy of an impressive 41-27 win over Newstead.
As Ashlee Lierich and Ruby Lang led another outstanding defensive performance, Hannah Kenny and Lara Clements leveraged the relentless efforts of Mel Schodde and Charlotte Liddicoat to create a definitive gap that noticeably expanded in the third quarter.
While Dunolly took one step closer to their first finals berth since 2023, Saturday’s bitter loss was a crushing blow for the Steaders, who now need to eradicate an eight-point deficit while playing all the teams currently ranked in the top five during their last five games.
With defender Demcy Fraser making her first appearance this season, Dunolly player-coach Lara Clements rejoined Hannah Kenny in the attacking goal circle.
While Newstead were once again hampered by a slow opening, Fraser’s timely return was having a noticeable impact on both sides of the court for the Eagles.
With Kenny and Clements making up for lost time by converting several Lierich and Fraser turnovers into goals, Dunolly led by seven goals at quarter time.
After trailing at every quarter interval before snatching victory in their last outing with the Eagles, Newstead knew they could recover from their suboptimal start, hoping a couple of minor tweaks at the interval would do the trick.
Captain Jessica Currie was a key component to those adjustments, finding feeding avenues in her newfound wing attack role to shooter Brianna Jury, who finished accordingly.
That offensive uptick did relieve the pressure on defenders Layla Benson-Zepnick and Amelia Britt to keep the Steaders within touching distance. The duo kept the hosts working hard for every goal with their combined deflections and rebounds.
However, just as Newstead cut the margin back to six goals at half time, a sudden surge after the restart boosted Dunolly’s lead to double digits.
Schodde and Liddicoat were key to the hosts’ electrifying start to the second half, ensuring their team-mates always had a passing option with their tireless off-ball movement which preserved possession and opened avenues for forward feeds.
The Steaders attempted to answer back, but a combination of miscom-munication and untimely mistakes in the attacking third limited the visitors to three goals in the third quarter. That allowed the Eagles to stretch their lead to 13 goals at three-quarter time.
Newstead ensured the fourth quarter was a hotly-contested affair, but the damage done in the preceding period proved unsalvageable as the Eagles soared to a crucial four points.
Kenny flourished with Clements back by her side, leading all shooters with a season-best 23 goals while Clements ended with 18 goals from 24 attempts.
Alongside Jury’s team-high 20 goals, Emily Cooper scored six while Currie added one after being moved into goal attack for the final quarter.