SWNFL 2023: Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault pull off convincing win against Bunbury with valuable WANL cameo

A cameo appearance from a WANL player has helped the Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Lions on their way to emerging as a top contender, defeating Bunbury by 31 goals. East Freo Shark’s Jessica Repacholi made a guest appearance for the Lions in their round three match win against Bunbury, 65-34, at the South West Sports Centre on Saturday. From the first centre pass, both sides matched each other goal for goal in a very evenly matched contest until Bunbury found themselves capitalising on defensive rebounds to start building a narrow lead. Just as Bunbury started to pull away, HBL fought back with strong driving by Jasmine Barrett and Megan O’Hare to Katie Martin to help them level the score at 14-all by quarter-time. While Bunbury made a fast start during the second quarter, HBL were starting to build a lead. As Jen Maaka came on the court in goal attack, she made an immediate impact, helping the Lions start pulling away from the Bulldogs. In the midst of the high-pressure contest, Bunbury lost some composure with a couple of wayward passes resulting in turnovers. While Hailey Burrows, Maddi Nuske and Catelynn Bedford stepping up in defence for Bunbury, the Lions held on to lead 34-21 at half-time. The Lions started to put their foot down in the third quarter, placing Repacholi in centre and helping drive the ball down the court to extend their lead. While Bedford fought hard in goal defence to help Bunbury try to shave the margin down, the Lions were on their way to sealing the win, leading 46-28 at three-quarter-time. Despite a solid effort by the Bulldogs during the final term, they were ultimately unable to topple the Lions, who held strong to win. Elsewhere, Donnybrook Blackwood recorded their first win of the season, holding off Augusta Margaret River 48-42 in an exciting contest, while Eaton pulled off a convincing 63-25 win against South Bunbury. This weekend, Bunbury will look to bounce back and potentially break Eaton’s undefeated streak in a Friday night match at South West Sports Centre, Busselton will return to the court after two weeks away when they go up against Donnybrook Blackwood at the Donnybrook Recreation Centre on Saturday, and Carey Park will continue chasing their first win when they host Augusta Margaret River at South West Sports Centre.