Sport
12 August, 2025
Lexton power home against Navarre by 14 goals
Lexton has given itself an outside chance of sneaking into the top four after earning their fourth consecutive victory by knocking off Navarre by 14 goals.
The Tigers are now four points behind the Maryborough Giants in fourth, needing to defeat Carisbrook and the Giants to lose to Natte Bealiba in the final round of the regular season this weekend to have a chance of stealing the last double chance spot.
The loss is the Grasshoppers’ third consecutive defeat, now at risk of falling into eighth on the ladder even with a victory against Campbells Creek this weekend.
That didn’t look to be a foregone conclusion to begin the match, as both teams were evenly matched to start proceedings.
Both teams were exceptional defensively from the first centre pass, halting their opponent’s momentum with several turnovers.
At the end of a cagey first quarter, it was Lexton who held a one-goal lead.
Kristy Hadler shook off some early struggles caused by the defence of Sophie Flood and Jade Allen to swish five early goals for the Tigers, while Leesa Donhardt complemented Hadler’s efforts with four goals of her own.
Erin Jackson led the early scoring for Navarre with five first-quarter goals, while Brianna Hyslop added three.
The game began to open up for both teams in the second quarter, as their midcourts had more luck breaking down their opponents.
It didn’t translate into either team pulling away from the other, as Lexton took a narrow two-goal lead into half time.
The experienced Donhardt proved to be the most reliable shooter on the court, leading the quarter with seven goals while teammate Hadler sank four shots.
Chloe Frank was subbed into goal attack for Hyslop to begin the term, matching Jackson’s production with the pair netting five goals each.
With both teams virtually neck and neck heading into the third quarter, something had to give in this pivotal clash for finals seeding.
Fortunately for the Tigers, their defence began to create a sizeable gap with consistent stops in the third quarter.
Playing in her 50th game for the club, defender Sarah Griffin was commanding throughout the period alongside Brodey McKay, limiting Frank and Jackson to three goals each to help her team enter three quarter time with a six-goal lead.
MCDFNL under 17’s leading scorer, Charlize Kennedy, was proving to be a super-sub at the other end, scoring nine goals while Donhardt added one.
After itching away in the third quarter, Lexton’s offence sprinted from Navarre in the final term with 16 goals to blow the final scoreline out to 46-32 in favour of the Tigers.
Eleven goals in the final period from Donhardt were the catalyst for Lexton’s game-sealing push at the death, finishing as the game’s leading scorer with 23 goals. She was assisted by Hadler, who returned to replace Kennedy in the final quarter to score five goals for the quarter.
After having limited chances in the second and third quarter, Hyslop tried her best to keep the Grasshoppers in the contest, scoring six late goals while Jackson added two to finish with a team high 15 goals.