Sport
29 August, 2025
Football Semi Final Preview: Harcourt vs Natte Bealiba
Another chapter in one of the MCDFNL’s most gripping and exciting rivalries over the past decade will be written this weekend, as Natte Bealiba and Harcourt will once again face off with their seasons on the line.
As two of the league’s heavyweights, the Swans and Lions are well acquainted, with Saturday’s clash marking the fourth consecutive season these teams have met in a final.
Interestingly, the victor of the last three finals between these two sides has gone on to win the ultimate prize that season.
Harcourt defeated Natte by 41 points in the 2022 preliminary final and by 33 points in the 2023 qualifying final on their way to back-to-back premierships after winning the minor premiership in the COVID-affected 2021 season.
More recently, the Swans vanquished the Lions by nearly 10 goals in last year’s preliminary final thanks to a first-quarter barrage, leading them to being crowned champions in 2024.
After leading by 18 points at quarter time, the Lions were arguably unfortunate not to upset Trentham last weekend, with a difficult Thomas Walters kick after the siren drifting just wide.
“As a group, I think it’s given us belief that we can match it with the top teams this year. There were just some small mistakes that changed the momentum of the game, and it’s something for us to work on,” Harcourt co-coach Alex Code said.
“In the last few games of the home and away season, we experimented with a few things that we wanted to try against strong opposition. It seemed to work, but we need to maintain that consistency.
“I don’t think there are many adjustments that need to be made. I believe in this group and at the end of the day, we only lost by a kick after the siren to the number one ranked team.”
When these teams last met back in round nine, the Swans survived a late comeback from the Lions to give their rivals their third consecutive loss.
Code said that mid-season stumble has left Harcourt better prepared for finals as they look to reclaim their place as kings of the MCDFNL jungle.
“We used these matches as opportunities to improve ourselves. We aimed to develop players in different roles and adjust our gameplay. It was a good wake-up call for us,” he said.
“Injuries were the real obstacle the last time we met. We will be putting out a full-strength side to combat all positions on the field. We can’t let them get off to a flying start as that’s been an issue in recent matchups.”
The reigning premiers made no mistake in their elimination final against Maldon, outscoring the Bombers six goals to one in the second quarter to advance. For Natte player-coach Trent Mortlock, the focus remains on internal improvements ahead of this blockbuster encounter.
“It’s just about controlling what we can and playing a brand of football that we like — I think if we play our brand of football, it stacks up against any side in the league,” he said.
“Obviously, they are a good side and they have won back-to-back premierships not that long ago, so they have still got the firepower to go again.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought battle, and we are going to have to play better than we did on Sunday.”