Sport
8 May, 2026
2026 MCDFNL Netball Round 5 Preview — Maryborough vs Trentham
Maryborough will welcome Trentham to the Maryborough Netball Association in a clash between two talented teams hoping to rebound following a convincing loss to a league heavyweight.
The Giants have had an incredibly difficult run of fixtures to start 2026, with three of their first four opponents currently sitting inside the competition’s top four.
Their other adversary was 2025 preliminary finalist Carisbrook, who despite the best efforts of Riahni Egan and Macey Parry, scored 17 goals or more in every quarter last weekend.
After their strong defensive showing in their season-opener against Lexton, the Giants have conceded at least 70 goals in their last three matches, a team issue they’ll need to rectify in order to snap their losing rut.
A silver lining to a challenging starting gauntlet is that fixtures will eventually begin to ease, and the Giants would love to enter that stretch with a boost of self-belief thanks to a round five victory.
The Saints are currently facing the opposite issue to their upcoming opponents, averaging 27.6 goals a game to start the season.
That problem was apparent against Natte Bealiba on Saturday, held to four goals in the first quarter and just three makes in the last 15 minutes.
Despite their attacking struggles, Trentham have impressed to start 2026 with their exceptional team defence led by Jessica Walker, Kerrie and Madelyne Brennan. However, the Saints would like to ease some pressure off their defensive trio with a refined offence led by stalwart shooter Sharna Ford and midcourt recruit Amy Vandenham.