Sport
22 July, 2025
Newstead avenge round one loss to Navarre
Newstead has sent a message to the rest of the MCDFNL — they are ready for a repeat dose of finals netball.
The Steaders have rectified their opening round loss to Navarre, coming back from a four-goal half time deficit to score an upset win over the Grasshoppers by six goals.
Six is also the number of points Newstead is now ahead of Trentham in the race for eighth, currently in the driver’s seat to earn a finals berth at the expense of the Saints for a second straight season.
Newstead made three changes ahead of this fixture, with Brianna Jury and Tahni Clark returning after missing the team’s loss to Avoca last weekend alongside B grade stalwart Layla Zepnick, who made her first A grade appearance of the season.
Caitlin Richardson, Erin Delahunty and Katie Tong stepped out for the three additions.
Navarre were unchanged after their win over Dunolly in round 13, looking to continue their momentum into round 14 and keep in the top-four discussion.
The Grasshoppers’ swarming defence threatened to give the hosts an early advantage, but Chelsey Williams and Zoe Douglass ensured the Steaders’ goal was just as defended.
Their efforts allowed Newstead to hold the narrowest of margins at quarter time, up 9-8.
With Jury seemingly suffering from some rust after her week off, Tayla Gale led Newstead’s early scoring with six first-quarter goals.
While Navarre’s Chloe Frank was having similar shooting struggles as Jury, Brianna Hyslop produced an efficient quarter, scoring five of six shots.
Despite their early deficit, the Grasshoppers remained calm, knowing their defensive play had the potential to overpower the Steaders as the game progressed.
That seemed to be the case in the second quarter, with the hosts holding Newstead to seven goals as they took a four-goal lead into half time.
Hyslop played a big role in Navarre’s lead at the main break, draining all eight of her shots in the second term while Frank began to find her range, netting four.
Gale and Jury did their best to keep the deficit to four, with Gale scoring four and Jury converting three.
After a third-quarter comeback turned Newstead’s half time lead in round one into a loss, the visitors were determined to deliver a cruel twist of irony in the second half.
They delivered in spades, with their offence starting to overrun Navarre’s vaunted defence, having 20 shots on goal in the term thanks to the midcourt tandem of Clark, Jessica Currie and Sophie Bond.
Thanks to their extended opportunities, Jury and Gale combined for 16 goals in the third term, flipping the Steaders’ four-goal deficit into a four-goal lead at the final break.
The instant impact of super-sub Erin Jackson limited the damage for the Grasshoppers, going a perfect five for five in the third while Hyslop cooled, adding three.
Newstead’s fightback set the stage for a tense final quarter, with every goal mattering in a low-scoring contest.
Navarre gave it their all, but nothing they did clawed back the deficit, as Newstead’s defence remained stout, guiding the visitors to a vital six-goal victory.
The dependable Gale was top scorer with 25 goals, including five crucial goals in the last period, while teammate Jury shook off some early cobwebs to net four in the fourth.
Even after Jackson’s strong third-quarter performance, Navarre went back to Hyslop and Frank in the final quarter, with Hyslop ending a strong game with five goals while Frank scored two.