Sport
26 August, 2025
Navarre eliminated at the hands of rivals Lexton
A dominant 27-12 second half was the catalyst for Lexton to overcome rivals Navarre in Sunday’s elimination final by 22 goals.
Trailing by four goals at the first change, the Tigers’ defence roared into action, holding the Grasshoppers to an average of just over six goals for the last three quarters.
After earning a win at their opponents’ expense in the home and away season, both teams were confident of their chances of extending their season for another week.
Similar to their encounter a fortnight ago, scoring was hard to come by in the first quarter, with Lexton and Navarre applying serious defensive pressure early.
Thanks to the efforts of Sophie Flood and Jade Allen in defence, as well as shooter Chloe Frank opening the game by scoring nine of her first 10 shots, the Grasshoppers entered quarter time with a four-goal lead.
Brianna Hyslop assisted her shooting partner’s hot start by netting four goals in the first period.
In a surprising move, Lexton’s Kirsty Sizeland made her first appearance at shooter this season.
The decision worked early with Sizeland scoring two and helping Leesa Donhardt lead the way with five goals from six attempts. Teenager Charlize Kennedy also added two for the Tigers.
After being on the back foot in the first quarter, Lexton took over in the second term, going on several runs which flipped the game on its head.
Tigers defender Sarah Griffin was spectacular throughout the quarter, coming up with some outstanding intercepts to limit the Grasshoppers to seven goals for the period.
Lexton took the lead midway through the second and never looked back, building a seven-goal buffer at half time.
The Tigers were mounting serious pressure on the Grasshoppers on both sides of the court, with Donhardt and Kennedy combining to score 18 goals from just 20 shots in the second quarter.
Frank and Hyslop did what they could to answer back when entry passes weren’t stopped by Griffin, with Frank scoring four and Hyslop netting three.
Navarre desperately needed to start the second half with authority to swing the game’s momentum back in their favour.
Player-coach Sidney Dyer seemed to be everywhere in the midcourt, interfering with multiple Lexton passes to bring some much-needed energy to the Grasshoppers.
However, Lexton’s defensive pressure was even more potent, stifling their opponents to four goals in the third term to extend their advantage to 13 goals at the final break.
The Tigers were utilizing their bench to maintain their high-level pressure, with the likes of Brodey McKay, Abbey Lewis and Evelyn Reid building on Griffin’s second-term heroics.
Kennedy ensured Lexton stayed on top with eight goals while Donhardt added two. As for Navarre, Frank and Hyslop both scored two goals each.
With 17 goals in the last quarter, Lexton ensured Navarre couldn’t unleash a late-game rally, earning their way to another finals matchup with Natte Bealiba.
It will be the third time in four seasons the Tigers and Swans collide in the finals, with Natte 2-0 in those previous fixtures.
Veteran Leesa Donhardt had a spectacular performance on Sunday, finishing with 27 goals, which included 12 in the final quarter, with a shooting percentage of 90 percent.
Kristy Hadler made a strong late cameo off the bench, netting five of her six attempts.
Frank was Navarre’s top scorer with 20 goals for the match after adding five in the final quarter. Erin Jackson joined Frank in the goal circle late, making all three of her attempts.
According to Lexton co-coach Megan Howell, their defence, anchored by Griffin and McKay, played a pivotal role in the victory.
“Our defenders play a major role, however, each individual player stepped up and did their role,” she said.
“We were able to reset our composure at quarter time, resulting in the entire team finding our flow.
“The use of different combinations on the court completely changes our game based on our opponent.”