Sport
15 August, 2022
Natte brushes aside Royal Park
NATTE BEALIBA (72) def ROYAL PARK (36) Natte Bealiba tuned up for finals with a strong 36-goal victory over Royal Park, all but ending Bushy’s finals chances in the process. It was always a difficult task for Bushy, having to knock over the Swans...

NATTE BEALIBA (72) def ROYAL PARK (36)
Natte Bealiba tuned up for finals with a strong 36-goal victory over Royal Park, all but ending Bushy’s finals chances in the process.
It was always a difficult task for Bushy, having to knock over the Swans on their court, and they were unable to stem Natte’s powerful attack.
An 18-goal to 10 quarter set the Swans on their way to a big performance, but they really got into gear in the second quarter, tightening the screws defensively. Fifteen goals to six in that second stanza saw the Swans open up a 17-goal half time lead.
The third quarter saw Natte score a further 19 goals, while restricting Royal Park to 10, to double the Tigers’ score by three-quarter-time, leading 52-26.
The Swans swept aside Bushy with a 20-goal to 10 final quarter to take victory, 72-36.
Bushy’s loss means they now sit a game and just over eight percent behind eighth-placed Newstead with just one game to go, seemingly a bridge too far for a finals appearance now, now needing to rely on a big win against Maldon, Harcourt to beat Newstead comfortably and Rovers to lose to Lexton in order to make a finals appearance.
Melissa Oliver was dominant under the ring, scoring 66 goals, but it was Ella Tranter, Naomi Medlyn and Maddison Farrell that won the votes for the afternoon.
For Royal Park, Lucy Morcom was their best performer, scoring 20 goals, while Stella Roche and Alisha Hovey were also recognised for their efforts.