Sport
12 August, 2025
Lions take third win of the season over Maldon
A commanding 26-14 second half allowed Harcourt to pull away from Maldon at Bill Woodfull Reserve, taking a 16-goal win.
The victory is the Lions’ third win of the season, improving their win total from last season as they look to push further up the ladder in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Bombers will finish the season without that elusive victory with the bye in the last round of the home and away season.
In exciting news for Harcourt, talented youngster Emma Smolak made her season debut in A grade, the headline addition to a team that also saw key defenders Tamara Farr and Carly Chaplin return to the side.
While the Bombers were without defender Gabrielle Kelly for this clash, her unavailability was cushioned by the return of Claire Hamilton, who missed the last two games.
With both teams welcoming back talented defenders, it wasn’t a surprise to see goals come at a premium in the first quarter.
After a hard-fought opening 15 minutes, neither team had a clear edge, with the Lions up by a goal at quarter time.
Sophie Zammit played a key role in the Bombers keeping pace with the Lions early, with five goals in the first quarter.
While Morgan Yarwood and Chaplin ensured their defence kept Maldon in check, Harcourt began to open up their opponents more frequently in the second quarter through Farr and Stacey Mitchell.
That, coupled with shooter Gemma Papadimos making four of her six shots for the period, allowed the visitors to extend their lead, yet the Bombers were still in the match, down by four at half time.
Zammit made the most of some sublime entry passes from Claire Kelly and Sophie Bennett, sinking four of her five shots in the quarter.
With everything still to play for after the first half, both teams wanted a fast start in the third quarter to help grab some much-needed momentum.
It was Harcourt’s defence who kicked into an extra gear in the third term, conceding just five goals for the period as the margin ballooned out to 11 goals at the final break.
Papadimos made no mistakes under the net to begin the second half, going a perfect three for three in the third quarter.
Maldon tried everything they could to mount a late comeback in the fourth quarter, but Papadimos’ dazzling shooting touch continued for the Lions, with her 10 goals from 11 shots keeping Harcourt at bay.
With a further four goals in the fourth quarter, Zammit ended with the most goals for the Bombers with 16.