Sport
12 August, 2025
Natte Bealiba narrowly escape Talbot assault
Natte Bealiba survived a major scare from a fast-starting Talbot to earn their 14th victory of the season, 54-49.
Player-coach Emma Ryan provided the icing on the cake of a terrific win for the Swans, scoring her 1000th goal for the season in an incredible milestone for the star shooter.
While the defeat puts their top four chances on life support, the Hawks certainly showed they can compete with the league’s elite, a very encouraging sign come finals, whether they have the double chance or not.
The return of Toni Bucknall and Kayla Stewart brought a defensive boost for Natte, with Macy Tatchell making way for their arrivals. The only notable team news for their opponents was the unavailability of Hawks midcourter Abbey Klemm.
That didn’t seem to faze Talbot early, as their midcourt trio of Shianne Milera, Loren Aquilina and Tina Wardlaw helped the hosts burst out of the blocks.
The Hawks starting midcourt was more attacking-minded than what we have seen recently, and that decision paid off early, with Talbot up by three at quarter time.
Talbot shooters Elenoa Costello and Eleisha Phelps piled on the pressure created by the midcourters, combining for 17 goals in the quarter, with Costello leading the way with 14 makes.
Fellow Costello, Jane, was tasked with slowing Ryan early alongside Jess White, and they succeeded, holding the MCDFNL leading scorer to 10 goals in the first 15 minutes.
Ryan’s teammate Shannae Mills ensured the Swans were right on the Hawks’ heels, going a perfect four for four in the period.
While both teams made some slight adjustments at the first break, neither team could find an edge throughout the second quarter.
The Hawks reverted to a more defensive lineup, with standout defender Melissa Scott playing wing defence ahead of White and Jane Costello to keep Talbot’s small advantage secure.
Despite Natte beginning to develop an offensive rhythm, Talbot’s patient, methodical build-up created enough clear-cut chances for Elenoa Costello and Phelps to keep the visitors at bay, holding a two-goal lead at half time.
Elenoa Costello and Phelps only had one miss each for the quarter, with the former sinking eight shots and the latter scoring six.
With Mills suffering an injury near the end of the first quarter, Swans midcourter Ebony Raven was moved into a shooting role for the first time this season. Raven did a fantastic job distributing to Ryan in tight spaces, who scored all of Natte’s 15 goals in the second term.
Following a first half which saw frequent scoring, the premiership quarter was a much more defensive affair.
With the inexperienced Raven remaining at goal attack to start the second half, Jane Costello and White were constantly double-teaming Ryan, even with Raven in the goal circle.
That forced Ryan to settle for some tough opportunities and Raven to have some attempts of her own, leading to Ryan netting 10 and Raven adding one.
Despite those struggles, those 11 goals were enough to give Natte the lead by three-quarter time.
A brilliant defensive quarter from Bella Westbrook and Ellie Martin restricted Phelps and Elenoa Costello to eight goals in the third term, giving the Swans the smallest of leads at three quarter time.
That lead was short-lived in the fourth quarter.
The substitution of Milera into goal attack for Elenoa Costello gave more room for Phelps to maneuver in the goal circle, allowing her to tie the game for the Hawks with 12 minutes left to play.
The two teams continued to trade the lead thanks to their offensive efficiency until some clutch interceptions from Martin swung momentum in Natte’s favour.
Despite some last-quarter heroics from Aquilina, the Swans took full advantage of some uncharacteristic mistakes from Talbot down the stretch to pull away late, winning a gripping affair by five goals.
Even with Jane Costello and White draped all over Ryan, Ella Tranter and Raven still found a way to get the ball to their star shooter, who finished with a game high 47 goals.
Elenoa Costello was Talbot’s leading scorer with 29 goals, followed by Phelps, who made 19 of 21 shots, including nine perfect attempts in the last quarter. Milera also added a goal in the final term.