Sport
15 July, 2025
Talbot earn away win over Harcourt
Talbot remains in touching distance of the top four after a hard-fought 16-goal victory over Harcourt earned them their third consecutive win.
After Carisbrook’s loss to Natte, the Hawks are now only four points behind the Redbacks and Maryborough Giants as they look to snatch a double chance shot late in the season.
With Carly Chaplin unavailable for this match, Tara Ford made her season debut for the Lions in defence. Talbot made no additions to the team that defeated Campbells Creek the previous week.
Both teams deployed a slower tempo to start the first quarter, looking to limit early mistakes and get into a groove early.
As the dust settled on the opening period, it was Talbot who held a slight advantage, leading by four.
While the Hawks and Lions both had some early shooting problems, they were able to make up for it with multiple offensive rebounds.
Talbot shooting duo Elenoa Costello and Eleisha Phelps made the most of those earned second chances, scoring eight and four respectively.
Jordan Bagley and Gemma Papadimos gave Harcourt multiple avenues to attack early, scoring three goals each in the first term.
Keen to extend their advantage in the second quarter, the visitors brought on Jane Costello and Tina Wardlaw to help solidify their defence and boost their transition by forcing turnovers.
The changes seemed to do the trick, as Talbot took a 10-goal lead into half time after keeping the Lions to 16 goals in the first half.
Player coach Phelps led her team in scoring in the second quarter, converting eight of her 10 shots.
Ford produced some great intercepts early in the quarter for the hosts, yet Elenoa Costello began to get the better of the matchup late in the term, netting six.
The visitors remained methodical in their build-up to begin the second half, controlling possession which wore down Harcourt’s defence and limited their opportunities to mount a comeback.
To their credit, the Lions remained persistent, full of energy in defence and making the most of their chances in attack to limit the deficit to 13 goals at the final intermission.
Elenoa Costello continued to build on the momentum she found late in the first half, scoring eight in the third period while Phelps went a very respectable five for six from her shots.
Papadimos had a perfect shooting quarter from the hosts, converting all four of her attempts.
While the Hawks attempted to put the finishing touches on their win, the Lions remained combative until the very end, leading to an entertaining final term that ended 15-12 in the Hawks’ favour.
Elenoa Costello was automatic in the fourth period, draining all 11 of her shots to end up with 33 goals and made life much easier for Phelps, who assisted with four of their own.