Sport
15 May, 2026
2026 MCDFNL Football Round 6 Preview — Harcourt v Carisbrook
Only one team will be left undefeated in the MCDFNL after Harcourt squares off against Carisbrook in one of the most anticipated home and away matches of the season.
As two of the competition’s football heavyweights, the Lions and Redbacks have had a historic rivalry in recent years, culminating in the two teams meeting in the 2022 and 2023 Grand Final.
Both deciders went down to the wire, but it was the Lions who crowned themselves kings of the jungle, going back-to-back with eight and 11-point victories at Carisbrook’s expense.
While both teams remain among the competition’s elite, neither has been able to capture the holy grail over the last two seasons. However, Carisbrook and Harcourt have positioned themselves as the early premiership favourites in 2026 thanks to their rampaging starts.
The likes of Mark Noonan, Braydon Vaz, Jordan Gartside, Thomas Walters, Cameron Anderson and Baxter Gurd remain key cogs to Harcourt’s success, while two-time premiership player Jed Rodda has hit the ground running with 17 goals in five matches after missing Harcourt’s finals push last season.
Even by his lofty standards, Jack Threlfall has been in sparkling form, playing his way to be an early contender for the Berry Powell Medal alongside Carisbrook’s star forward Tim Rinaldi.
While Rinaldi and the returning Harry Butler have been instrumental to Carisbrook’s enriched forward line that currently leads the league in points scored, the Redbacks remain a quality defensive unit, conceding more than 45 points in just one of their first five matches.