Sport
2 September, 2025
Swans back on track with 14-goal victory
Natte Bealiba have got their finals campaign back on track, earning their spot in a block-buster preliminary final encounter with rivals Avoca after defeating Lexton by 14 goals on Sunday.
After the Tigers took the upper hand early, the Swans went on a late run to end the opening quarter and were able to keep themselves out of reach in a hard-fought contest between two excellent teams.
Natte player-coach Emma Ryan said it was somewhat of a relief for the team to get back into the win column following back-to-back defeats.
“We are super pumped and super excited — the first half was really tough and we had to really work hard and slog it out a little bit,” she said.
“It opened up in the fourth quarter, where we were able to put the foot down, but it did take all nine of us.
“We were probably a bit more disciplined in defence, we were staying in play a bit more.
“We were really looking after the ball in attack too, so we were able to score off most of our turnovers in the second half.”
With the Swans and Tigers’ offences clicking from the opening pass, neither team could find an edge in the first five minutes until the Tigers took the advantage midway through the first quarter.
Determined not to play catch-up like in their qualifying loss to Carisbrook, Natte cascaded late in the term, forcing several turnovers in their defensive goal circle and counter-attacking with authority, allowing them to take a five-goal lead into quarter time.
Ryan started well with a quarter-high 13 goals, assisted by shooting partner Ashlee McClelland’s two goals from two attempts.
Lexton started with the experienced shooting tandem of Leesa Donhardt and Kristy Hadler, with Donhardt draining seven and Hadler netting three.
Similar to the opening 15 minutes, there were sparse opportunities for either team to find an opening in the second quarter.
That allowed Natte to maintain the lead after the first half, up 30-22 at the main break.
With pinpoint entry passes from Ella Tranter and Ebony Raven, Ryan kept the Swans’ offence moving with 14 goals while McClelland scored one.
Following a short cameo in the first quarter, teenager Charlize Kennedy seemed remarkably unfazed by the big occasion, scoring 11 goals. Donhardt played a role in Kennedy’s second-quarter output while also adding one.
After the success of their second-half switches in their elimination final win over Navarre, Lexton tinkered with their lineup throughout the third quarter.
Those changes seemed to work as the game began to open up in the second half, with momentum constantly shifting thanks to numerous moments of brilliance on both defensive ends.
However, the Swans were able to adapt to the Tigers’ constant substitutions, maintaining their eight-goal advantage at the final change.
Evelyn Reid and Abbey Lewis made their presence known in defence after coming on as part of the Tigers alternations, forcing their opponents to make extra passes which Sarah Griffin and Brodey McKay could intervene with.
Ryan was Natte’s only scorer for the third quarter with 15 goals.
As part of their rotations, Donhardt, Hadler and Kennedy shared time in the goal circle, with Donhardt leading with nine goals from 10 attempts, Kennedy sinking four and Hadler nailing both her shots.
Looking to prevent a Lexton fightback before it started, Natte asserted control early in the fourth quarter, building a double-digit lead quickly and never giving their opponents the chance to respond.
Ryan was fantastic during crunch time, making 17 of her 18 shots to finish with 59 goals with an 86 percent conversion rate.
With a comfortable lead midway through the fourth quarter, club stalwart and premiership player Shannae Mills returned to the court, scoring two late goals.
After suffering what looked to be a season-ending injury in round 17 versus Talbot, Ryan said the team was delighted to see Mills back on the court.
“It’s unreal, it meant so much to her and it meant so much to all of us to get her out there,” she said.
“She broke her elbow, and we thought that she was done. There’s no way she was going to get back out there.
“She was very nervous, but it was good to get her out there this week just for a little bit before we hit next week.”
After going a perfect six for six in the final term, Donhardt ended as Lexton’s leading scorer with 23 goals, closely followed by Kennedy’s 22 goals. Hadler chipped in with her limited time, netting six.