Sport
7 August, 2026
MCDFNL Round 17 Netball Preview — Avoca vs Harcourt
Reigning premiers Avoca will hope to refine their preparations for another finals gauntlet when they welcome Harcourt to the Bulldogs kennel.
Mathematically, the Lions return from their round 16 bye still in the finals hunt, but for them to potentially leapfrog Trentham into the top eight, they will have to do something no team has achieved in over three years.
The Bulldogs are unbeaten in their last 66 matches, a barely believable streak that began against Maldon on May 20, 2023 and was extended last weekend with a 76-30 win over the Bombers.
With their established core of Stacey Blair, Lucy Howell, Maddy Egan, Gina Steel and Caitlin Drummond, Avoca will be favoured to complete an extraordinary four-peat.
Yet with teams like Natte Bealiba, Navarre and Carisbrook hot on their heels, the Bulldogs will be determined to enter finals after full four-quarter performances against Harcourt and Campbells Creek.
While they suffered a convincing 54-goal defeat in their last encounter with the Bulldogs back in round four, Harcourt remained competitive with the defending champions for extended periods and have since improved, winning four of their last six games.
The defensive prowess of Carly Chaplin, Laura Suckling and Morgan Howorth has played a key role in Harcourt’s midseason turnaround, helping the Lions allow on average just 40 goals during that aforementioned stretch.
While Chaplin and Suckling will likely be the direct opponents of Egan and Steel, the Lions midcourt will have equally momentous defensive responsibilities on Saturday as they need to stop Howell and Blair moving the ball into the goal circle.