Hockey
12 June, 2024
Hockey resumes for round six
After a weekend off while the Senior Country Championships were played in Melbourne, the Wimmera Hockey Association competition resumes with round six to be played at Dimboola on Friday evening and all day Saturday.
With the competition already a third of the way through a regular season that will see each
opponent played three times, all teams now know where they stand amongst their peers and
what they must do over the next ten matches to stake a claim to play finals.
- Open -
Hurricanes v Cobras
The first Open match on Saturday will see the Kaniva Cobras and Horsham Hurricanes
battle to secure their places in the top four. These two teams currently occupy third and
fourth places on the ladder, and with the fifth-placed Nhill Rangers starting to look
threatening, both could use the points from a win to relieve some pressure to hold their place
in the top four.
The first time they met this season, on the grass at Warracknabeal, the Cobras scored a five goals to two victory, but the Horsham team will provide more resistance this time, as they
play the artificial turf at Dimboola well.
Although they have shown some erratic form ranging from a draw with the competition-leading Tigers, only the second match the Tigers had not won in their last forty-five starts, to losses to the Cobras and Hoops. Their only victory has come against the winless Rangers.
The Cobras’ record is only two points better, with victories over the Hurricanes and Rangers.
The winner from this game will solidify their place among the leaders, while the defeated will finish the round in fourth place, remaining vulnerable to being overtaken by the Rangers.
Hoops v Tigers
This match will conclude the round under the lights on Saturday evening, but it will be a
game worth braving the cool temperatures to watch.
These two always put on an entertaining display of hockey, and when they met in round two, the Tigers snuck home with a one-goal victory. However, if any team is currently able to seriously challenge the Tigers' dominance, it could be the Hoops.
The Tigers sit on top of the ladder, having won three and drawn one of their four matches,
while the Hoops are just behind, having won three and only lost the one encounter to the
competition leaders.
A Yanac victory will see them start to pull away from the rest of the field
with a six-point buffer on the ladder, while a Warrack win will see them rise to the top.
Bye - Rangers
The Nhill Rangers have another week off with the bye. After narrowly losing to the Cobras in their last outing, they remain winless, but they have shown enough promising form recently
to begin worrying opponents, and although they sit just outside the top four, they are close enough to still be in the mix to make the finals if they can regularly get their best team on the
pitch.
- Women -
Roos v Thunderbirds
The opening Women’s match of the round will be on Friday evening, featuring the Dimboola Roos and Nhill Thunderbirds.
The Roos have made a positive return to the competition, with two wins and a draw from
their first five matches, while the ‘Birds have been competitive, with a win and a draw from
theirs.
The drawn result for both came the last time they met, at Nhill in round two, when
solid defending resulted in a scoreless tie.
A comfortable win by the Thunderbirds could see them displace the Roos in the top four,
while a victory for the Roos will create a buffer of eight points between these two teams in
fourth and fifth on the ladder, making it more difficult for the lower teams to remain in contention for the finals.
Warrack v Yanac
On paper, this match looks like a foregone conclusion, with Warrack yet to win a game and
Yanac sitting in outright first place, having lost just one of their five matches in 2024.
However, Warrack’s recent form suggests it could be closer than expected.
Yanac deserves to start the match as favourites, and if they play to their recent form, they
should come away with the win, but Warrack’s mix of young and inexperienced players has
shown considerable improvement over the first third of the season, and although it might be
a bit optimistic to think they are yet in a position to topple the reigning premiers, they should
still give a good account of themselves.
A Yanac win will keep them on top of the ladder, although a loss could drop them to second
place. Warrack cannot rise from sixth place regardless of the result, but a win would keep
their dreams of returning to the finals alive.
Jets v Kaniva
This will be one of the matches of the round, and a win by either team will keep them within
reach of the top of the ladder.
Having played out a scoreless draw the first time they met this season, they have proven
that when they can both field their best players, they are evenly matched, but when missing
a key player or two, this dynamic can change dramatically.
Both are just two points behind Yanac, so if the competition leaders were to lose, the winner of this game could finish the round on top, but regardless of other results, the winner here will have an outright claim to at least second place on the ladder.
- Under 16 -
Kangaroos v Leopards
The young Dimboola Kangaroos’ players, many of whom are still eligible to play Under 12s
or recently graduated from that program, have yet to seriously challenge any opponent this
season, which was not unexpected considering their experience.
Meanwhile, the Nhill Leopards have a relatively experienced team and are challenging the competition leaders.
On their home turf and playing the Friday twilight time slot, the Kangaroos have their best
opportunity to field their strongest team, but Nhill should still have their measure.
A Nhill win will keep them in touch with the two leading teams, while if the Kangaroos can
open their account, they could move up a place to fifth.
Bombers v Raiders
The Kaniva Raiders currently hold the top spot by percentage ahead of the Yanac Warriors, so they must keep winning if they are to stay there. This could be a challenge as they face the Horsham Bombers this week, who are coming off a big win in the last round.
After a slow start, the Bombers are finding form and are poised to push those above them on the ladder, and this week will be a good opportunity for them to test if they are a serious
threat to the leaders.
At their first meeting, the Raiders won by eight goals, but they cannot expect such a margin this time, considering the Bombers' recent improvement.
A Horsham win would increase the margin between fourth and fifth, making it difficult for
either of the lower teams to break into the top four, while if Kaniva continues their undefeated
record they will remain in the top two, with their exact position determined by the margin if
the Warriors defeat the Revengers.
Revengers v Warriors
In this second versus fifth encounter, the Yanac Warriors should continue their good form
and remain undefeated, having won four and drawn one from their first five games, while the
Warrack Revengers have only managed one win.
Currently equal on points and goal difference with the Raiders, a big win could see the
Warriors move to the top of the ladder, but it would take a very big win for the Revengers to
improve their goal difference enough to sneak into fifth place.