Sport
26 August, 2025
Avoca reach 50 games unbeaten with Giants win
Avoca’s outstanding unbeaten streak has reached the landmark milestone of 50 games after ruthlessly pulling away from the Maryborough Giants in the second half to advance to their fifth consecutive preliminary final.
It has been 836 days since the Bulldogs last tasted defeat back on May 13, 2023, taking themselves one step closer to back-to-back-to-back premierships.
The Giants were hoping to capitalise on their watershed win over Natte Bealiba the week before to earn their first finals victory in A grade.
However, Avoca flexed its muscle early, generating some early turnovers to score the first five goals of the contest.
Immediately behind in the match, the Giants wasted no time making alterations, bringing on in-form shooter Abbey Devereaux into goal attack while Ruby Saunder was shifted into defence where she made a game-changing impact versus the Swans.
Those chances did help the Giants recover from their early setback, but they couldn’t make any sustainable inroads on the Bulldogs’ advantage, with the favourites leading by four at quarter time.
Avoca shooters Maddy Egan and Gina Beavis showcased their almost telepathic chemistry with midcourters Stacey Blair and Faith McKenzie.
Egan led the way with 12 goals while Beavis forced the Giants’ defence to remain vigilant of her with five goals.
Star shooter Lacey Broad had some early misses for the Giants, but created several double chances with her rebounding and found her groove quickly to convert nine shots.
Devereaux made an instant impact off the bench, scoring all three of her attempts while Saunder added one before moving to the other side of the court.
With Avoca threatening to take control of the match, the Giants begin to claw back in the second quarter.
Some timely intercepts and efficient movement in the midcourt allowed the underdogs to level the scores at 21 apiece midway through the term.
The two teams traded goals for the rest of the quarter, meaning Avoca’s lead was slashed down to one at the main break.
Despite limited gametime as a pair this season, the partnership of Broad and Devereaux remained fruitful. Broad took full advantage of some great lob passes from Ella Hocking and Alisha Hovey by making all 11 of her attempts in the second period, while Devereaux scored one.
Even with limited chances thanks to the coverage of Saunder and Julie Anderson, Egan and Beavis kept the Bulldogs in front, combining to go a perfect nine from nine in the quarter.
The Bulldogs and Giants both made some adjustments to start the second half, hoping to find an edge in the premiership quarter.
Like they have done on countless occasions during their 50-game unbeaten streak, Avoca were presented a small opening and ruthlessly capitalised, putting their opponents under pressure with a meticulous run.
The Giants tried everything to derail their opponent’s momentum, but the Bulldogs train continued to steam along to a double-digit advantage by three-quarter time.
Egan’s clinical shooting played a key role in Avoca’s stellar quarter, punishing the Giants with 13 goals while Beavis netted three.
Playing in her first A grade game since round 13, Kodie Smith made a cameo at shooter for Avoca, scoring three.
Broad and Devereaux tried their best to keep the Giants in touching distance, combining to score nine goals from 10 attempts.
Trailing by 11 goals heading into the final quarter, the Giants needed an outstanding start to have any chance of an unforgettable come-back.
Avoca were having none of that. Keisha Tonzing and Caitlin Drummond capped off another stellar performance marshalling the Bulldogs’ defence by allowing only six goals in the last period to help secure a 62-40 victory.
Egan brought her game-high goal tally to 43 goals with 12 in the last quarter, while Beavis made all five of her attempts to finish with 16.
Broad was the Giants’ leading scorer with 31 goals at an 86 percent conversion rate, while Devereaux scored eight goals from nine attempts for the match.
“We still didn’t have the full four quarter performance that we needed to have, I think we turned up in the second half so we got there in the end,” Avoca player-coach Egan said.
“We were trying to play a rushed game when we didn’t need to and we just needed to take our time and keep possession of our ball.
“We needed to have a think about where we were placing the ball and up our defensive pressure down the court.
“Putting Lucy Howell forward was a good move, she is such a smart playmaker and we have played together for seven years so she knows how to feed me the ball.
“She was able to work well with McKenzie in that centre position to be smart with the ball.”