Sport
22 July, 2025
Natte’s offence powers past Trentham
A dominant Natte Bealiba has virtually secured their double chance shot thanks to another offensive showcase, powering past Trentham by 45 goals.
After both teams played their last fixture against Carisbrook, resulting in a win for Natte and a loss for Trentham, the Swans remained relatively unchanged for this match, while the Saints made some additions.
Following their round 13 bye, Trentham brought in B grade standouts Jacqui Bell and Tahlia Bickerdyke for their first A grade appearance this season, replacing Holly Wheeldon and Madelyne Brennan.
The match started at a frantic pace, with both teams generating intercepts galore, especially from defenders Jessica Walker and Toni Bucknall.
That unsettling start seemed to favour the underdog Saints, who had a three-goal lead midway through the quarter before the hosts composed themselves, generating a 10-2 run to end the quarter up by five.
Both teams were lights out shooting the ball in the opening term, with Natte’s Emma Ryan and Shannae Mills combining to score 16 goals while Trentham’s Kasey Button and Sharna Ford weren’t too far behind with 11 makes.
After their strong finish to the first quarter, the Swans began to dictate the tempo in the second term, with Ella Tranter and Ebony Raven capitalising on any mistake made by the visitors with their precision passing to Ryan and Mills.
Even a Saints’ midcourt reshuffle couldn’t stop Natte, who stringed together consecutive centre pass stops on multiple occasions and seized momentum with 21 goals to blow the margin out to 19 goals at half time.
With Tranter and Raven’s entry passes neglecting the Saints’ double team, Ryan scored 18 goals in the second period, assisted by Mills who netted all three of her attempts.
Button remained a viable option for the Saints, converting five of her six shots in the quarter while Ford added two.
Natte’s dominant second quarter was just an appetiser for the third. After the two teams shared some early goals, the hosts went on a blistering 13-0 run spanning seven minutes to put the game out of reach.
The substitution of Bell helped the Saints late in the third, but the damage was already done with the Swans boasting a 37-goal advantage heading into the final break.
Ryan was the catalyst for Natte’s remarkable run halfway through the period, thanks to her 21 goals, while Mills contributed two goals from her two attempts on goal.
Bell made the most of her chances with three goals while Ford and Button finished with one each.
Even with the final result decided, Trentham were full of fight in the last 15 minutes, managing to score 14 goals in the final quarter.
However, Natte still outscored the Saints by eight goals in the fourth period, sealing an 82-37 victory.
After scoring 57 goals in Natte’s round one win over the Saints, Ryan went even further by netting 69 goals on Saturday, including 18 in the final quarter. Mills also converted four in the last term to finish on 13.
Button and Bell produced a bright spot for the Saints late, with Button not missing a single one of her seven attempts on goal in the last period, and Bell also scored seven.
