Sport
24 July, 2026
MCDFNL Round 15 Netball Preview — Natte Bealiba vs Carisbrook
As Natte Bealiba and Carisbrook prepare for another shot at premiership glory, Saturday’s clash between two top contenders will be an intriguing affair.
Since Natte’s convincing 78-41 round two victory over the Redbacks, both teams have gone on similar dominant runs that were recently dampened by back-to-back losses to Avoca and Navarre.
Those defeats have been particularly concerning for the Swans, who have gone from unbeaten ladder-leaders to third after last weekend’s 66-48 setback against the Grasshoppers.
While B grade call-ups Alex Williams and Macy Tatchell have done an outstanding job deputising, Natte has been snake-bitten by injuries and unavailability in recent weeks, being without their elite defensive tandem of Ellie Martin and Naomi Medlyn in both losses and missing emerging shooter Chelsea Ross last Saturday.
The Redbacks were similarly hampered in round 14 with Charlotte Cain, Elise Mottram, Laura Hurse and Chloe Egan all out, but still managed to vanquish a valiant Trentham 53-40 following an outstanding second quarter.
While Carisbrook will seamlessly filter those players back into their lineup when they return, things are slightly more complicated for Natte, especially after superstar Emma Ryan made her long-awaited comeback last weekend for a quarter at wing defence.
The simple solution would be to place Ryan, who scored an astonishing 1214 goals last season, back at goal shooter. However, with Ross exceeding all expectations in her absence and Ryan’s previous defensive experience, the Swans could be compelled to keep experimenting with Ryan in defence, at least until finals.