Sport
5 May, 2026
Giants unable to keep up with Redbacks
The Carisbrook Redbacks made no mistake against the youthful Maryborough Giants, completing a comfortable 75-21 win.
Alongside another outstanding defensive performance across the court, Abbey Nalder and Jordan McClure produced their best shooting performance of the young season as they completed their tough opening gauntlet in style.
While the Giants were relatively unchanged heading into this contest, the Redbacks were forced to make some changes following their thrilling victory over Talbot the week prior.
After being forced to come off due to injury late in Carisbrook’s one-goal victory over the Hawks, superstar midcourter Laura Hurse started on the bench.
With standout defender Finley Wagstaff unavailable as well, Holly Nichols, Lauren Jones and Chloe Egan were brought into the side to solidify Carisbrook’s depth.
The defensive pairing of Egan, Elise Mottram and Charlotte Cain gave the Redbacks a noticeable advantage in the first quarter, preventing the Giants from developing an offensive rhythm and kick-starting several attacks converted by McClure and Nalder.
Maryborough player-coach Laura McStravick hoped the addition of some fresh legs would improve the Giants’ competitiveness in the second quarter.
Maddison Smith and Jessie Tolson were brought into the midcourt, while Bridget Allan and Alisha Hovey platooned at goal attack and Jorgia Brown and Amelia Reynolds shared time marking the in-form McClure.
Those alterations did create some promising passages for the visitors, but Carisbrook’s unchanged lineup continued to pull away.
The Redbacks remained in control throughout the second half, with Katie Bilton and Cain orchestrating the midcourt in the absence of Hurse, who wasn’t required to come off the bench, while McClure was virtually automatic in the goal circle.
The Giants fought hard in the dying stages, trialling several lineup combinations to limit the damage and see what works ahead of their key clash with Trentham this Saturday. However, it couldn’t stop the Redbacks from storming to a 54-goal victory.
Nalder led the charge with a game-high 49 goals, while her player-coach McClure netted 26 of her 30 shots on goal.
After only having three attempts on goal against Navarre in round three, Giants young gun Allan finished with a team-best 13 goals. McStravick and Smith combined to add an additional eight goals.