Sport
21 July, 2026
Talbot survives severe Harcourt scare
Following a gripping first half at Harcourt Recreation Reserve on Saturday, the hosting Lions and Talbot Hawks must have felt an underlying sense of deja vu.
Just like their round one encounter earlier in the season, Harcourt proved to be a serious challenge to last season’s runner-up during the first two quarters.
After trailing by six goals at half time in their last meeting with Talbot, the Lions entered the main break on Saturday in an even more advantageous position, behind by just one goal.
With their promising season opener ending in crushing defeat courtesy of a 37-10 second half, the Lions were determined not to let history repeat itself.
However, the Hawks checked Harcourt back into the heartbreak hotel with a sensational third quarter that triggered a hard-fought 10-goal victory.
While the result effectively clinches Talbot’s third consecutive finals appearance, the Lions will now need to defeat either Dunolly, Avoca or Navarre in their next three fixtures to have any chance of ending their remarkable mid-season turnaround inside the top eight.
Fresh off their fourth victory in five matches, Talbot welcomed back Naomi Henderson from her recent Track and Field voyage to North America and called up Casey Ansell from B grade to provide defensive depth.
Despite former Loddon Valley Football Netball League A grade best and fairest Tia Webb being a major out from the team that defeated Campbells Creek last weekend, the Lions still showcased an offensive punch against the well-structured Talbot defence.
While Loren Aquilina, Tina Wardlaw and Portia Hughes ensured Hawks shooters Elenoa Costello and Charli Kaye built an early lead, Ursula van Dyk and Morgan Howorth were finding space in the midcourt for the Lions to remain relatively close.
Shooters Jordan Bagley and Jarrenhy Webb routinely capitalised to limit the Lions’ quarter time deficit to four goals, but Talbot were confident they could noticeably extend that buffer after the interval.
However, the opposite occurred in the second quarter, as the Lions began to claw away at Talbot’s lead.
Despite being at a noticeable height disadvantage, Laura Suckling was doing an outstanding job marking Costello with help from veteran defender Carly Chaplin.
At the other end, Bagley was in the midst of an outstanding shooting performance, presenting as a commanding passing target for Howorth and Zoe Mclean, who immediately boosted the Lions midcourt after taking the wing attack bib at quarter time, and finishing with exceptional accuracy.
With their lead now shrunk to one goal at half time, the Hawks elected to alter the game’s complexion with a lineup shuffle.
With an emphasis on ball security and experience in attack, Aquilina replaced Kaye at goal attack, prompting Hughes to step into Aquilina’s centre position.
In defence, Talbot elected for some fresh, energetic blood, bringing on Henderson and Ansell alongside Melissa Scott, who generalled the unit at wing defence.
That revamped defensive trio proved decisive for the visitors, restoring Talbot’s advantage with a plethora of turnovers early in the second half.
Harcourt fought to answer back, but with Aquilina and Hughes in proximity, Costello was able to receive the netball with regularity, helping the Hawks take an eight-goal lead into three-quarter time.
The Lions remained highly competitive right until the final whistle, but a 44-goal performance from Costello quashed their attempts at an improbable comeback.
Aquilina provided excellent passing support to Costello in the second half while adding three goals after Kaye scored 12 in the first two quarters.
Bagley ended a remarkable individual performance with 34 goals, her highest game tally during the past two seasons. Jarrenhy Webb was also excellent for the Lions, netting 15.