Sport
1 July, 2025
Lions hunt down Steaders in big win
A superb defensive performance in the second half has powered Harcourt past Newstead by 71 points as they look to regain their early season mojo.
Keen to impress in front of their home crowd, the Lions roared out of the gate with five goals in the first quarter thanks to their run and carry across the ground.
The Steaders responded with one major in the opening term, allowing the hosts to build a comfortable 25-point cushion at the first break.
Harcourt superstar Cameron Anderson continued to dictate play in the second quarter, always a danger with the ball in his hand and often setting up the likes of Jed Rodda, Braydon Vaz and Baxter Gurd for shots on goal.
Even as Newstead started to find some footing thanks to ruckman Jovian Goulton assisting on-ballers Joel Smith and Michael Dalrymple, Harcourt extended their advantage to 44 points by half time.
After the Lions’ free-flowing attacking display in the first half, the Steaders did remarkably well to limit Harcourt to three behinds in the third quarter.
However, Kaleb McBride, Mark Noonan and Jordan Gartside marshalled a Lions defence that allowed only two points in the third term, keeping the margin at 45 points.
After being held quiet to start the second half, the Lions kicked four unanswered goals in the final quarter to put the icing on the cake of a comfortable victory while keeping Newstead to three points in the second half.
Rodda once again led the way in the goal-scoring department, booting four goals while Gurd, Vaz and Luke Burns also finished with multiple goals.
Anderson was a clear choice among Harcourt’s best players and he was joined by McBride, Rodda, Alex Jensen, Vaz and Joshua Hogg.
Jedd Pedretti and Nicholas Woodman played well against the tide in Newstead’s defeat, named among the best players alongside Joel and Koby Smith, Dalrymple and Goulton.