Sport
12 May, 2026
Surgical precision sees Brook trump Maldon
A composed half-century from Abbey Nalder headlined a meticulous performance from the Carisbrook Redbacks, trapping Maldon with a smooth 48-goal victory.
After a competitive first quarter, a 22-3 second term allowed the Redbacks to build a comfortable margin that continued to grow throughout the second half despite the Bombers’ best efforts.
In exciting team news for the Carisbrook faithful, superstar midcourter Laura Hurse was named starting centre after a late injury scare versus Talbot ruled her out of the Redbacks recent clash with the Maryborough Giants.
Reliable defender Finley Wagstaff was another impactful in for the visitors, while Maldon welcomed back 18 and under defender Eva Gross.
Despite the reunited defensive tandem of Wagstaff and Elise Mottram preventing several of their advances, the Bombers showcased some early fight on their home court, led by Charlotte Harrison, Emma Webb and Heidi Brookes.
While Maldon’s resistance somewhat shackled their aspirations of a dominant early lead, the Redbacks still sat with a comfy 10-goal cushion at the first change.
That cushion turned into a sofa during the second quarter, as Carisbrook’s elite midcourt, led by co-captains Hurse and Katie Bilton, powered devastating scoring runs.
With Lauren Jones and Chloe Egan providing fresh legs in defence and Nalder and Jordan McClure locking their eyes on the ring, the Redbacks found themselves leading 38-9 at half time.
Following their disappointing end to the first half, Maldon elected to shift Sophie Zammit into goal attack alongside the platooning goal shooter tandem of Alannah Furmston and Laney McNeill.
Youngster Rory Baker filled Zammit’s role at wing defence while Gross came off the bench to play goal defence.
Assisted by the improved service from Harrison and Claire Kelly, Zammit provided a noticeable boost to the Bombers’ offensive arsenal to start the second half.
While the shooting of Nalder and McClure allowed the visitors to strengthen their lead to 39 goals, Maldon managed to reclaim the positives they showcased in the first quarter.
The Bombers’ improvement didn’t have any impact on the final result however, as Carisbrook officially clinched the four points with a 15-6 final period.
Redbacks player-coach McClure assisted Nalder’s 50 goals with 21 of her own.
McNeill was a bright spot in Maldon’s defeat, showing improved accuracy to lead her team with 10 goals. Co-captain Furmston netted nine while Zammit’s third-quarter shooting cameo resulted in four makes.