Sport
10 July, 2026
MCDFNL Round 13 Netball Preview Maryborough Giants v Dunolly
In the cruel world of sport, the fate of a finals-aspiring side is often boiled down to a handful of pivotal matches during the regular season. One of those matches will be played at the Maryborough Netball Association this weekend as Maryborough takes on Dunolly.
As round 12 concluded with the Eagles earning a vindicating victory over Newstead and the Giants going down in a spirited effort to Talbot, Maryborough is back to being four points adrift of the top eight.
With clashes against Lexton, Navarre and Carisbrook upcoming, victory is paramount for Maryborough this weekend to reduce the reliance on a major upset against one of the competition’s top contenders.
Saturday would also be the perfect time for Dunolly to earn their first ever win over the Giants, giving them an arguably impenetrable eight-point gap with Maldon, Harcourt and Campbells Creek in their next three matches.
The timely return of defender Demcy Fraser allowed Eagles player-coach Lara Clements to retake the goal attack bib alongside Hannah Kenny. While Clements presence provides valuable reliability to Dunolly’s attack, the Giants will be quietly confident they can limit Clements’ impact in the goal circle with Riahni Egan and Macey Parry at their disposal.
Former Nalder Tracey Trophy winner Ashlee Lierich remains the unfaltering backbone of an Eagles defence who will look to restrict the scoring output of Maryborough player-coach Laura McStravick and MCDFNL 18 and under representative Bridget Allan on Saturday.