Sport
21 July, 2026
Superb second half powers Dunolly past Maldon
It may have been closer than they would’ve liked, but Dunolly earned the four points they desired on Saturday, surviving a hard-fought contest against the rebuilding Maldon 54-39.
With Maryborough losing to Talbot and Harcourt falling just short versus Talbot, Saturday’s triumph has all but guaranteed the Eagles’ return to finals netball, but that outcome wasn’t certain during a back-and-forth first half.
With one eye set on a potential do-or-die elimination final in their imminent future, Dunolly elected to experiment with their starting lineup against the Bombers.
With starting wing defence Ruby Lang unavailable, the Eagles shifted player-coach Lara Clements back into defence, allowing emerging shooter Chloe Goodwin, who impressed in Dunolly’s round one victory over Maldon, to start at goal shooter.
The Eagles threatened to seize control as Charlotte Liddicoat and Mel Schodde started well and generated early shooting opportunities for Goodwin and Hannah Kenny.
However, despite being thrown together after last weekend’s standout defensive duo of Heidi Brookes and Laney McNeill were ruled out, Louise Clarke and Eva Gross did an excellent job containing Dunolly’s quick start.
The introduction of MCDFNL 15 and under representative Mia Schodde midway through the term provided a helpful offensive spark for the hosts, but the underdog Bombers battled hard to remain deadlocked with the hosts at nine apiece at quarter time.
The interval proved the perfect opportunity for Clements to return to goal attack, making an immediate impact as Mia Schodde and Demcy Fraser filled her previous defensive duties.
Yet even as their offence clicked into gear, the Eagles were unable to exterminate Maldon, who were evolving from a pesky bug to a genuine threat.
With the returning Rory Baker linking well with Claire Kelly and Charlotte Harrison in the midcourt, Bombers shooters Sophie Zammit and Alannah Furmston were bombing shots to the bottom of the net, ensuring the visitors answered back to Dunolly’s challenge.
As both teams walked off the Deledio Reserve court at half time, the final result hung on a knife-edge as the Eagles possessed a narrow two-goal lead.
With Dunolly determined to overwhelm their opponents, takeaways from Fraser, Mia Schodde and Ashlee Lierich threatened to burst the contest open early in the second half.
In their attempts to promptly respond, a string of miscues in possession came at the worst possible time for the Bombers, opening the door for Dunolly to escape their clutches.
Despite Maldon introducing Zoe Brown and Mia Blake into their defensive unit, Clements and Kenny ensured the Eagles burst through that opportunity in full flight, scoring 18 goals in the third quarter to suddenly extend the margin out to 11 goals at the final change.
With a sizeable advantage now at their disposal, Dunolly was able to manage the remaining 15 minutes without a hitch.
Zammit and Furmston finished strongly for the Bombers, ending with 22 and 17 goals respectively, but the Eagles effectively punched their finals ticket with a 15-goal victory.
After Goodwin and Mia Schodde both scored two in the first quarter, Clements and Kenny starred with their scoring duties. Clements ended with 32 goals at a near 85 percent shooting percentage while Kenny netted 18 goals.