Sport
16 June, 2026
Talbot earns long-awaited victory versus Trentham
As the old saying goes, some things are worth the wait, and victory still tastes sweet for Talbot, who snapped their five-game losing run with a gutsy win over Trentham.
Saturday’s eight-goal triumph was exactly what the doctor ordered for last season’s runner-up, who built a healthy half-time lead thanks to the returning Elenoa Costello.
Despite still trailing the Saints by four points in the standings, Talbot’s relatively favourable schedule to end the season places them as a strong candidate to rocket up the table right before finals.
While the Hawks enjoyed Costello back in their lineup after she missed their defeat to Carisbrook, Trentham found themselves in the opposite boat with in-form shooter Hannah Weier unavailable.
Desperate for a momentum-changing victory, the hosts quickly centred their attack around their returning star. Despite some strong shooting showings in recent weeks at goal attack, captain Loren Aquilina was largely a provider for Costello.
While that game plan allowed Trentham player-coach Jessica Walker and the returning Lauren Girvan to centre their defensive attention on Costello, Talbot’s leading scorer repaid her teammates’ faith early.
Meanwhile, the Saints were struggling to develop a consistent offensive rhythm without Weier, but their defensive effort meant their quarter-time deficit sat at a respectable three goals.
Talbot’s Melissa Scott and Jane Dikini amplified their opponents’ offensive woes in the second quarter, with the defensive pairing producing some brilliant intercepts.
Those turnovers allowed midcourters Tina Wardlaw and Portia Hughes to be patient in providing the right feeds to Costello, who remained red-hot under the net.
While possessing a 20-13 lead at half time, the Hawks knew they needed to remain urgent before they secured a long-awaited victory.
With that in mind, young ballhawk Naomi Henderson came off the bench to provide extra pressure in the midcourt and allow the experienced Scott to move into goal keeper.
Despite those defensive minded changes, an attacking spark created a Saints second-half fightback.
While Amy Vandenham and Stevie Courtney continued to create ample opportunities, shooters Sharna Ford and Charli Copeland were enjoying a turn of fortune with their shooting accuracy after an inconsistent first half.
As their offence began to click, Walker and Girvan were doing an excellent job denying easy service to Costello, playing a major role in Trentham cutting the lead back to four by three-quarter time.
Having gone nearly two months since tasting victory, it would be understandable for Talbot to showcase some nerves as they attempted to prevent a Trentham comeback.
Yet in the dying stages, the Hawks were as cool as the dairy aisle, expertly preserving possession as time ticked away.
Key takeaways from Diniki and Scott secured Talbot’s long-awaited victory as they held the Saints to three goals in the final term.
Costello proved instrumental to Talbot’s triumph, scoring 33 of their 35 goals in her return with an impressive 89 percent shooting percentage.
Ford led the Saints in scoring with 18 goals, followed by Copeland, who added nine.