Sport
17 June, 2025
Natte Bealiba survives a late scare from Harcourt in memorable 12-point win
Natte Bealiba survived a fourth-quarter scare to hand Harcourt their third consecutive loss and keep themselves in the top two after an enthralling 12-point victory.
The Swans win not only keeps tied on points with Carisbrook, Talbot and Trentham in the battle for the minor premiership, but it also builds an eight-point buffer between themselves and the Lions who sit just outside the top four places in fifth.
Harcourt arguably came out of the blocks the better side, taking early control of the midfield battle.
However, similarly to their losses against Carisbrook and Trentham, they were wasteful with their chances.
Inaccurate kicking and their decision-making in front of goal allowed the Swans to peter out chances with several rushed behinds as the Lions scored 1.7 in the first quarter to trail by three points at the first break.
Determined to make the Lions pay for their uncharacteristic mistakes, the Swans sprinted away in the second quarter with four unanswered goals.
Club legend Stephen Ross and Jai Howell started to turn the midfield battle in the hosts’ favour, with the like of Archie Chadwick, Trent Mortlock and Jayden Templeton making the most of the extra forays forward, giving the Swans a 25 point advantage at half time.
With both teams keen to stake their claim to a vital three points in the premiership quarter, a finals atmosphere started to bellow at CHS Broadbent Oval as the third quarter became a feisty affair.
As the Lions and Swans traded blow after blow, Alex Code excelled in the third term, proving to be a valuable last line of defence for the visitors.
Not to be outdone, Natte defender Daniel Vadala was back at his best in the third, taking several intercept marks on the wing that halted multiple Harcourt forays forward.
After an intense 25 minutes of football, Natte extended the margin to 30 points at three-quarter time after Emmet Smith kicked a goal just inside 50 midway through the term and Will Holt made the most of a 50-metre penalty.
Harcourt found themselves in a similar position to their round eight clash against Trentham, needing a massive comeback to defeat a premiership rival.
After a quiet opening 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, a goal from Jed Rodda roared some belief into the Harcourt camp.
That belief caused a remarkable sequence that turned the game on its head.
Firstly, a long-range set shot from Jack Threlfall brought the margin down to three goals at the 16-minute mark, then, two minutes later Cameron Anderson converted a set shot after a 50-metre penalty.
After seemingly cruising to victory eight minutes before, Natte looked shell shocked and Harcourt had their tails up after three unanswered goals.
Things looked like it would go from bad to worse for the Swans when Mitchell McKnight found himself open inside 50 lining up for what likely would’ve been a certain goal.
However, Chadwick and Brayden Mills made a heroic tackle before McKnight could get his shot off, halting the Lions’ momentum in its track as they held on to a famous victory.
Vadala continues to excel against the Lions, named among the Swans’ best players alongside Ross, Howell, Lachlan Cameron, Chadwick and Nathan Holt.
Code was deservingly named as Harcourt’s best player for his continued effort in the back line, and he was joined by Threlfall, Mark Noonan, Rodda, Anderson and Kaleb McBride.
