Sport
21 July, 2026
Avoca dominates in 45-goal win over Newstead
Reigning three-peat premiers Avoca made no mistake extending their gap atop the MCDFNL A grade ladder on Saturday with a polished 45-goal victory over Newstead.
Following in a similar vein to their season opener against the Steaders back in April, the Bulldogs burst out the blocks with a commanding opening term and remained ruthless until the final whistle.
With reliable defender Ellie Meagher and secure midcourter Caitlin Sleeman coming into the side for Kodie Greenwood and Paige Walkley, Avoca was determined for a dominant showcase following narrow wins over Navarre, Carisbrook and Natte Bealiba, quickly settling into a seemingly unstoppable offensive groove.
The Steaders had no answers for the dynastic duo of Maddy Egan and Gina Steel, who exacerbated the Bulldogs’ early advantage with their typically efficient scoring touch.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic, as Newstead had their moments of excellence throughout the first quarter despite being without standout defender Layla Benson-Zepnick and last weekend’s leading scorer Shannon Lamden.
While Emily Cooper has routinely been Brianna Jury’s shooting partner this season, the Steaders trailled a new pairing of Jury and Laura Johnston, who produced a respectable scoring rate against the defensive prowess of Meagher and Caitlin Drummond.
Despite their attacking positives, the Steaders’ nine-goal quarter time deficit only expanded late in the first half as the Bulldogs were putting on an offensive showcase.
Cooper, Amelia Britt and Caitlan Bird did their best to slow Avoca’s rampant attack, but without the aerial presence of Benson-Zepnick, Newstead struggled to stop Sleeman and Lucy Howell from finding Egan and Steel in the goal circle with textbook lob passes.
It resulted in Egan and Steel’s second consecutive 18-goal period, boosting Avoca’s advantage to 19 goals by half time.
Newstead’s defensive trio had better luck causing stops after the main break, but with Drummond and Meagher continuing to generate centre breaks for Sleeman, Howell and Stacey Blair to exploit, Egan and Steel rained in the goals.
While Egan is typically Avoca’s leading scoring option, Steel was having an outstanding shooting performance that showcased she can be as deadly as the competition’s leading scorer, guiding the Bulldogs to a 62-24 lead at three-quarter time.
The 2025 Grand Final best on court finished with 35 goals alongside Egan’s game-high 42 goals as the Bulldogs completed a powerful win with a 15-8 fourth quarter.
Assisted by the persistent efforts of Cooper, Bird and Jessica Currie, Jury and Johnston finished with 19 and 13 goals respectively, a solid showing ahead of another tricky test against Navarre.