Sport
28 April, 2026
Avoca overcomes spirited Maldon by 53 goals
Avoca continues to be in unstoppable form in their pursuit of another A grade crown, completing another commanding victory against Maldon by 53 goals.
For a team typically hyper-critical of their starts, a 23-3 opening term allowed the Bulldogs to set the tone on their home court.
The Bombers were much more competitive for the remainder of the match, but that didn’t stop Avoca from extending its historic unbeaten streak to 55 games.
Both teams entered round three without key personnel for their defence. With Jaimee Mathieson unavailable, Avoca called up Caitlin Sleeman from B grade to fill the role of wing defence.
As for Maldon, the recalling of teenager Rory Baker allowed Sophie Zammit to start the game at shooter, but they were without Claire Hamilton, who’s been their key defensive stopper early in 2026.
Emma Webb and Gabrielle Kelly did their best to fill the shoes of Hamilton, but Maddy Egan and Gina Steel started the match in red-hot form, routinely finding the net after creating separation.
Avoca’s elite scoring tandem was the least of Maldon’s problems, as Ella Patten and Caitlin Drummond were causing a major scoring drought for the Bombers.
Built on Patten and Drummond’s takeaways, the Bulldogs went on several back-breaking runs in the first quarter, with the margin already at 20 goals at quarter time.
After dominating the opening term, Avoca looked a threat to repeat their 2025 demolition of Maldon and surpass the 100-goal barrier in back-to-back encounters with the Bombers.
However, at a typically low moment, Maldon found a way to regain its footing.
Zoe Brown came off the bench in the second quarter to play goal keeper alongside Webb, with the pair doing a commendable job stemming Avoca’s offensive tidal wave.
While the Bombers didn’t make any alterations to their attacking positions, they looked like a completely different unit after the quarter time break, routinely navigating past the reigning premiers’ juggernaut of a defence.
Midcourters Charlotte Harrison and Claire Kelly generated separation from their markers and delivered some great passes to Zammit and Furmston in the goal circle.
The pair delivered 13 second-quarter goals, Maldon’s highest quarter tally of the season.
Even as the Bulldogs extended their advantage to 25 goals, Maldon were extremely pleased to display their bounce-back ability against the league’s elite.
While the Bombers continued to find success on the offensive front, Avoca showed no mercy in the third quarter, with Egan and Steel netting 22 goals in the term.
The sharpshooters added another 20 goals in the fourth quarter to complete an 83-30 victory. Egan extended her lead atop the competition’s goal-scoring leader-board with a game-high 55, while Steel converted a season-best 28 goals.
Zammit was the focal point of Maldon’s offence with 16 goals, while Furmston showcased improved shooting accuracy on Sunday, finishing with 14.