Sport
14 April, 2026
Talbot flies past Harcourt in second half
An outstanding second half performance allowed Talbot to power past a valiant Harcourt, eventually winning by 33 goals.
With the assistance of recruit Laura Suckling, the Lions’ defence was keeping pace with the Hawks throughout the first half, trailing by just six goals at the main interval.
After being brought on midway through the second quarter, shooter Elenoa Costello changed the game for the Hawks, finishing with 34 goals as Talbot outscored Harcourt 37-10 in the second half.
On the eve of their season opener, the Hawks announced the arrival of former Learmonth goal keeper Maddy Williams, an inclusion that allowed Jess White to shift into the opposite goal circle at goal attack alongside player-coach Eleisha Phelps.
The Lions were also allowed to experiment with their lineup thanks to the inclusion of a new defender.
With Suckling slotting into goal keeper and Carly Chaplin defending White as goal defence, Morgan Howorth was free to play in centre, giving Harcourt a defensive boost in the middle of the court.
Those alterations, coupled with less than ideal conditions for netball, meant the first quarter was a low-scoring affair, ending with Talbot leading 12-9.
Harcourt made the only alteration during quarter time, with Ella Rule coming off the bench to substitute the versatile Mercedes Gill at wing defence.
Both teams increased their scoring output during the second quarter, with Jordan Bagley breaking free from the persistent defence of Williams and Melissa Scott to keep Harcourt rolling while Elenoa Costello made an immediate impact at goal shooter when she replaced Phelps midway through the term.
The Hawks managed to expand their advantage, but the Lions remained in their rearview mirror, only trailing by six at half time.
Looking to gain a definitive edge to begin the third quarter, Talbot brought on Jane Costello to bolster the defence while Elenoa Costello and Phelps started the half as the shooters, opening White to share time with Williams at goal keeper.
The alterations paid immediate dividends, as Elenoa Costello and Phelps placed serious pressure on the Lions with their precise shooting.
Jane Costello, Williams, White and Portia Hughes capitalised on that pressure with some timely interceptions, freezing Harcourt’s attack to three goals in the third quarter as the margin exploded to 22 goals at the final interval.
The Lions returned to being competitive in the final term, but the damage was already done in the premiership quarter, with the final scoreline not doing justice to their encouraging performance in the first half.
Despite only spending three quarters as a shooter, Phelps netted 24 shots at a ridiculous 92.3 percent shooting percentage to complement Costello’s game-high 34 and White’s nine.
Bagley was a dependable scorer for the Lions on Saturday with the assistance of shooting partner Ursula van Dyk, scoring 23 goals while van Dyk added six.