Sport
26 August, 2025
Natte kick away to 45-point Maldon win
Natte Bealiba have cleared the first step in their mission of repeating as MCDFNL premiers, ending Maldon’s late-season surge with a 45-point victory.
The Swans’ next obstacle comes in the semi-final against one of their fiercest rivals in Harcourt, expected to be another fascinating encounter between two great teams.
Following their disappointing end to the home and away season that saw them finish outside the top four, Natte player-coach Trent Mortlock said he was pleased to see the Swans implement their style of play early, aided by some big returns from injury.
“It was a hard-fought battle, they threw everything they had at us. I felt like we moved the football quite well in patches, but they had some quick additions and counterattacked well,” he said.
“Our defence held up and we were able to score when we went inside 50, which was good.
“The boys that did come back in had an impact and it was good to get a game under their belt.
“We had Nathan Holt, Jayden Templeton and Brad Power all back and all played well with significant midfield minutes.”
After the Swans and Bombers traded several behinds to start the contest, Natte’s Joshua Grant found the dangerous Bailey Jacobs deep inside the forward 50, allowing the favourites to draw first blood with Jacobs converting the set shot.
Maldon responded to Jacobs’ opener with multiple forward entries, but couldn’t translate that strong patch onto the scoreboard until Mitchell Colston kicked their first goal at the 17-minute mark.
That proved to be the final score of a surprisingly low-scoring first quarter, with Natte heading into the break with a three-point lead.
Not satisfied with their early advantage, the reigning premiers showed how dangerous they can be by dominating the second quarter, booting six unanswered goals to change the complexion of the game.
Matthew Gray gave the Bombers a little bit of hope with his running goal to end the quarter, but Natte were now well and truly on top with a 30-point lead at half time.
The Swans were determined not to relinquish their control in the second half, with an early goal from veteran Kurt Mortlock extending their advantage to 35 points.
Not willing to go down without a fight, Maldon captain Ashley Woodman delivered an instant reply.
He took advantage of the ensuing centre clearance to kick the Bombers’ first goal of the third quarter before setting up a strong finish from Thomas Maxwell to reduce the deficit to 26 points.
After Jaxson Stewart and Ashley Davies kicked goals for the Swans and Bombers respectively, a late double breakthrough courtesy of Jordan Fraser and Will Holt allowed Natte to double up Maldon at the final change, leading by 38 points.
Fatigue began to set in after three quarters of gritty football, giving both teams more room to attack in the fourth quarter, with the Swans trying to kill the game and the Bombers trying to save it.
Maldon showed signs of a potential comeback, landing the first two goals thanks to Noah Thompson and Bryce Coffey to cut the deficit to 26 points.
However, Natte iced the game with five goals in the final term to advance to the semi-final.
Mortlock highlighted the forward line as a key element to the Swans being able to build and maintain their lead.
“When we got out and ran and carried to create with how we transitioned the football, we were getting good one-on-ones inside the forward 50,” he said.
“Will Holt was really dominant, and our forward line was able to lock it in and create more opportunities.”