Sport
8 July, 2025
In-form Trentham stopped by Carisbrook 63-38
After back-to-back defeats, Carisbrook returned to winning ways, eventually pulling away from a defiant Trentham to record a 63-38 win.
Both teams entered this match relatively unchanged, however, both had key players unavailable for this match.
While the Saints were without offensive threat Hayley Bourke, the Redbacks were forced to line up without Chloe Egan.
Even with Egan out, Carisbrook immediately played some great defence on their home court, with Maggie Tranter fitting seamlessly with defensive stalwart Finley Wagstaff to limit Trentham to eight goals in the opening 15 minutes.
Not to be outdone, the Saints ensured the Redbacks couldn’t web away in a low-scoring first period, only trailing by two at quarter time.
The battle between Saints defender Jessica Walker and Redbacks sharpshooter Abbey Nalder was intensely interesting from the opening centre pass, with Walker keeping Nalder to six goals in the first quarter.
Nalder’s teammate, Jordan McClure, chipped in with four goals for the term.
The in-form Kasey Button led the Saints in scoring in the first quarter with five goals, while Sharna Ford added three.
Keen to stamp their authority on the match and get back in the winners column, Carisbrook grabbed momentum to start the second quarter, riding it to a 10-goal advantage by the end of the period.
Nalder began to find openings under the watchful eye of Walker, top-scoring with nine goals in the second term while McClure was as clinical as ever, converting seven of her eight shots.
Button remained as the Saints leading scoring option in the second quarter, netting six shots while being well supported by Ford who added two.
With Carisbrook constantly rotating their midcourt with the quartet of Ella Patten, Katie Bilton, Millie Cassidy and Paige McLean, the Redbacks began to overrun the Saints at the start of the second half.
Thanks to their midcourt’s high tempo and court coverage, the Redbacks had 21 shots to 12 in the third quarter, with Nalder and McClure scoring 18 to extend the margin to a comfortable 19 goals at the final change.
While Nalder once again led the scoring, McClure went a perfect five for five in the third period.
Button copied McClure’s feats for the Saints by netting all five of her attempts in the third quarter.
Trentham’s offence kicked into gear in the final 15 minutes, but by then it was too late, as Carisbrook maintained their scoring rate in the fourth quarter to complete a confidence-boosting 25-goal victory.
With a hefty lead heading into the final quarter, the Redbacks moved McLean into the goal circle for the first time since Carisbrook’s win over Harcourt in round seven.
McLean didn’t miss a beat, scoring four goals while McClure top-scored with 10 and Nalder added five in limited minutes.
Thanks to the passing of Holly Wheeldon, Brooke Healy and Madelyne Brennan, Button and Ford had their highest-scoring output in the last 15 minutes, combining for 13 goals in the final quarter.