Sport
28 April, 2026
Trentham remove Newstead voodoo on Anzac Day
After trailing by four goals at three-quarter time, Trentham overcame their Newstead demons on Anzac Day, clawing their way back to a two-goal victory.
In a rather poetic performance, the Saints showcased the Anzac spirit throughout the thrilling contest Saturday night, coming back on multiple occasions before pulling ahead at the crucial moment.
One team unfortunately had to be the losers in a gripping game of netball, and while it was a noticeable improvement from their opening two rounds, the Steaders will be left bitterly disappointed they couldn’t close out the victory.
After being a noticeable absentee in Newstead’s 80-goal defeat to Navarre, Amelia Britt was a welcome addition for the visitors.
As for the Saints, shooter Jacqui Bell and defender Kerrie Brennan were brought into the side, deputising for Hayley Bourke and Lauren Girvan.
Looking to prove themselves following their aforementioned demolition against the Grasshoppers, Newstead came out firing in the first quarter.
With promising passages in the previous fortnight, the shooting tandem of Emily Cooper and Brianna Jury flourished thanks to the increased service from hardworking midcourters Jessica Currie and Caitlan Bird.
After not reaching double figures in their first eight quarters of the season, the Steaders had 16 in the first period, building a seven-goal buffer at the opening break.
Led by centre Amy Vandenham and Sharna Ford in the goal circle, Trentham began to dig itself out of its first quarter hole.
However, a quarter time substitution was paying immediate dividends to Newstead’s defence. With Britt anchoring the goal circle, Layla Benson-Zepnick was emboldened to be hyper-aggressive attacking the netball, coming up with several interceptions which routinely stunted promising Saints runs.
Currie also had several key interventions in the second term, as the Steaders maintained a five-goal lead despite a Saints buzzer-beater.
In the iconic words of Bonnie Tyler, Trentham were holding out for a hero until the end of the night, looking for someone to catapult a second-half comeback.
Fortunately for the hosts, Jessica Walker once again answered the Saints’ prayers.
The multiple-time MCDFNL Team of the Year goal keeper took over the third quarter, cutting off the passing lanes to Cooper and Jury as Trentham tied the scores with six of the first seven goals of the second half.
Newstead was able to regroup in the dying stages of the quarter, going on a commanding run of their own to rebuild a 32-28 lead.
Despite having some shooting struggles since coming on in the second quarter, the Saints kept their faith in Bell for crunch time alongside the dependable Ford.
Bell repaid that faith massively in the fourth quarter, as she and Ford sank some clutch shots to give Trentham the lead.
Walker, Kerrie and Madelyne Brennan did the rest, locking the Newstead offence to six goals in the deciding period to guide the Saints to a memorable win.
After scoring 19 goals in 28 attempts in round one, Ford managed to improve to 23 goals from 29 shots on Saturday. Bell and Charli Copeland also chipped in on the scoring front for the Saints, netting 11 and six respectively.
Despite Ford’s excellence, Jury was the game’s sharpshooter with 18 goals and only four misses, while Cooper was the Steaders’ top-scorer with 20 goals.