Sport
17 July, 2026
MCDFNL Round 14 Football Preview — Navarre vs Natte Bealiba
With four wins in their last five matches, Natte Bealiba has rocketed back up to eighth and built an eight-point gap between themselves and finals hopefuls Lexton and Maldon.
However, with Carisbrook, Trentham and Newstead in their last three games, the Swans would love to celebrate Stephen Ross’ 400th game with a victory over the team that began their hellacious 0-5 start to 2026 in Navarre.
Led by a three-goal haul from Riley Bibby and outstanding individual performances from Angus Bade, Sam Walker and Jack Mentha, the Grasshoppers preserved their four-point lead over Natte at three-quarter time to begin the new year with a narrow victory.
The Swans were without several key players for their season opener, including Ryan Semmell, Trent Mortlock and Will Holt, who made a triumphant return last weekend in Natte’s 65-point victory over Avoca.
Despite not playing since mid-April, Holt quickly showcased how he’s kicked 40 or more goals in his last four seasons with the Swans, finishing with seven goals in a dominant performance inside 50.
Star full-back Jayden Fowkes, who’s also recently returned from a lengthy absence on the sidelines, will be a key cornerstone to Navarre’s gameplan of restricting Holt’s impact as they strive to rectify last Saturday’s hard-fought defeat away to Trentham.
Walker, Oliver Notting and Nick Birthisel were all outstanding in the 33-point loss to the Saints and will be striving for another dynamic midfield performance against Natte’s talented onballers like Ross, Nathan Holt, Kyen Burrill-Grinton and Aidan Medlyn.