Sport
15 July, 2025
Swans soar over Carisbrook by four goals
Natte Bealiba has vaulted into second on the MCDFNL ladder, setting up a top-of-the-table clash and grand final rematch with Trentham next week after their 29-point victory over fellow premier-ship contender Carisbrook.
The defeat drops the Redbacks down to fourth, only two points ahead of the surging Harcourt in fifth with five rounds to play.
As expected, goals were difficult to come by in the first quarter, with Natte’s Brayden Mills and Jake Postle as well as Carisbrook’s Anden Lever and Jackson Bowen making it very tricky for forwards to find openings.
The Redbacks managed to kick two goals in the first term, boasting a one-goal lead at the opening break.
Scoring remained scarce as the game entered the second quarter, however this time it was the Swans’ who kicked two goals to one in the term, snatching a two-point lead heading into half time.
The game started to open up in the second half, with both teams taking advantage of some fatigued legs and extra space in the corridor and along the wings.
Bailey Jacobs and Daniel Vadala were powering the host’s transition, catapulting Natte into attack after multiple intercept marks that halted several Redbacks assaults in their tracks.
When Carisbrook’s forays forward weren’t stopped by Jacobs or Vadala, Angus McKinna was the one making things happen inside 50, with his key goals allowing the visitors to keep the margin down to a goal at three-quarter time.
With everything to play for in the last quarter, Natte showed the heart of a champion, booting five goals to two in the final term to pull away to victory.
Will Holt and Archie Chadwick were crucial in getting Natte over the line, kicking four goals each in a spectacular performance that earned both players a spot among the best players.
They were joined by Jacobs, Vadala, Stephen Ross and Brad Power.
Leo Fitzgibbon played his best game of the season in the Redbacks’ defeat, listed as Carisbrook’s best player with Lever, Mitchell Treacy, McKinna, Darcy Bond and Nicholas Wright named alongside Fitzgibbon.
McKinna was Carisbrook’s only multiple goal scorer, kicking three goals.
