Sport
20 May, 2025
Ryan dominates for Swans in star-studded win
Seventy-two goals from Natte Bealiba star-shooter Emma Ryan has powered the Swans to a convincing victory over the Talbot Hawks by 32 goals.
With both teams looking to play netball into September, the contest could have critical importance in ladder positioning and mental advantages come finals time.
After their high-scoring battle with the Maryborough Giants last week, Natte Bealiba’s offence was cooking on gas immediately, doubling up Talbot 21-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Ryan was on fire out of the blocks for the Swans, scoring 18 goals from 20 attempts while shooting partner Shannae Mills added three.
Elenoa Costello made her debut in the goal circle for Talbot, and she impressed early, scoring five goals while Eleisha Phelps also converted five.
The Hawks improved in the second quarter across the court, but the Swans continued to have too much quality, boosting their lead to 18 at half time.
The defensive duo of Naomi Henderson and Jess White slightly unsettled Ryan and Mills in the second term, but couldn’t fully stop them making an impact, with Ryan netting 16 and Mills scoring two.
Phelps stepped up with eight goals from nine attempts in the quarter, while Costello made three of her five shots.
The Hawks needed an upgraded performance in the third quarter to salvage anything from this contest, and they got it on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 16, including 10 from Costello, to put some serious pressure on the Swans.
Even with Phelps moving into goal defence for the third quarter, Ryan and Mills kept the Hawks at bay, with Ryan scoring 17 from 18 attempts and Mills a perfect four for four to have the game out of reach at three quarter time with a 23 goal margin.
The introduction of Kayla Stewart at centre added an extra injection for the Swans in the midcourt, as they cruised to a comfortable victory after a 21-12 final quarter.
Ryan continued to excel right until the final siren, scoring all of the Swans’ goals in the last term.
Six goals in the last quarter for Costello meant she finished with 24 for the match.