Hockey
23 July, 2024
Winter bites at Anzac Park
Another taste of winter saw the Wimmera hockey players take to the field at Anzac Park in Warracknabeal on Saturday in cold and windy conditions, but the players adapted and still put on an entertaining display.
With each opponent played twice and only one more match against each remaining in the regular season, several teams have already confirmed their place in the finals and can begin planning their assault on the premiership. Meanwhile, several other teams' chances are fading, and they need a more short-term focus if they are to extend their season into September.
On the field on Saturday, there was one game in each division that provided a close finish, while the remaining matchups gave more predictable results.
Open
The Warrack Hoops bounced back from their loss the previous week with a win over the Horsham Hurricanes in a very fast-paced match despite the heavy conditions.
This was a game where the scoreline did not reflect how competitive the encounter was, with both teams earning significant periods in control of the ball, but it was the Hoops’ teamwork that saw passes hitting teammates' sticks more often than the Hurricanes, saw them control more of the play.
The Hoops led by two goals by quarter time, but the Horsham side held them for the middle two quarters, and it was only as their players tired, having several fewer options off the interchange bench, in the last period of play that the Hoops hit two more to finish with four. Oskar Bennett scored two, and Leo Nuske and Caleb Baldock scored one each.
Bennett, Isaac McPherson, and Sandon Schultz made solid contributions for the Hoops, and Tom Batchelor and Charles Hassall stood out in the Hurricanes’ midfield. Goalkeeper Justin Hawke also attracted attention for all the right reasons, making several spectacular athletic saves that prevented the Hoops from finishing with more goals.
The Nhill Rangers’ recent good form continued, and although they did not earn any points this week, they made the Kaniva Cobras work hard for their win.
Jason Reichelt converted a penalty corner seven minutes into the game, giving the Rangers a lead they would hold until midway through the last quarter when Josh Bedford scored a field goal to tie up the scores.
Nhill earned the next penalty corner but did not convert it to a goal to regain the lead, and it was late in the last quarter that Bedford scored again from field play to put the Cobras ahead of the first time in the game and they then successfully defended for the remaining three minutes before the final whistle to take the win.
The victors’ best players included midfielders Lachlan Mills, Adam Wallis, and Bedford, who played at centre forward, and for Nhill, Kayden Rowe continued his impressive season as goalkeeper, where his tireless and athletic work has prevented them from conceding many more goals. Jason Knoll and Craige Schultz also played well for the Rangers.
The Yanac Tigers enjoyed a weekend off with the bye, and now go into the run to the finals on top of the ladder and will only need a couple more victories to ensure that they earn another minor premiership by finishing on top of the ladder.
The Hoops will also need several more wins to stay in the top two, but the Cobras are not far behind, suggesting that their encounter in round fourteen could be a big game to decide second place.
The Hurricanes look the most likely to remain in the fourth spot ahead of the improving Rangers but will also need another win or two before they can feel more comfortable in that spot.
Women
There is still plenty to captivate followers of the Women’s competition over the next five weeks as the teams battle for prime position going into the finals.
The Horsham Jets have climbed back into third place on the ladder with a win over Warracknabeal, with their rise assisted by a Roos’ loss to Yanac.
The Jets opened the scoring from a penalty corner halfway through the first quarter, and although they had most of the play throughout this period of play they did not extend their lead as Warracknabeal effectively cleared the ball out of defence regularly but could not develop these passages of play into dangerous attacking moves of their own.
The following two quarters saw much more even play, but despite some good defensive play by Warracknabeal, the Jets extended their lead with goals in the dying minutes of each to go into three-quarter time three goals ahead.
Two more goals in the Los quarter, as the players fatigued in the heavy conditions, brought the final margin to five goals.
The reliable Hannah Werner and Annabelle Heal were amongst the goal scorers and were nominated as the Jets’ best players, and Warracknabeal’s Ellie Williamson continued to impress in defence, while midfielders Eileen Eichberger and Eddie Bull ran tirelessly all game.
The Nhill Thunderbirds keep snapping at the heels of the top four after playing out an entertaining draw with Kaniva.
Kaniva dominated more of the play but could not convert this into a lead on the scoreboard in the face of some determined Nhill defence, while at the other end of the field, the Thunderbirds looked threatening when they earned the opportunity to attack.
The teams remained scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter when a field goal off Rachel Clark’s stick gave the ‘Birds a lead they would only enjoy for several minutes before Kaniva’s Lisa Stimson equalised. As the clock ticked down, neither team could regain the advantage and a thrilling draw was a fitting result to a very entertaining encounter.
Unsurprisingly, the defenders greatly influenced the outcome in such a tight, low-scoring game. Naomi Kuhnell and Tori Cuming were Nhill’s best players, and Sharon Williams was solid in defence for Kaniva, with Lisa Stimson and Nyree Hutchins providing valuable assistance.
Yanac took full advantage of a Dimboola Roos team missing several key contributors and recorded their eighth win from ten matches this season. Erin Alexander had a day out with three goals and was named Yanac’s best player, along with Lexi Farmers and Mikayla Mackley, who formed a formidable midfield. Once again, Jenni Hauselberger and Cara Hadzig stood out for the Roos.
Yanac are a game clear of Kaniva on top of the Women’s ladder, and these two will spend the rest of the season battling for the minor premiership, but barring a dramatic loss of form, they should remain at the top of the ladder.
Six points further back are the Jets and Roos, who are still under threat from the fifth-placed Thunderbirds. This bodes well for some competitive hockey as these three sort out where they will finish.
Warracknabeal is out of contention for the finals but can still gain plenty of experience over the next five matches, which will help them as they look further ahead to 2025.
Under 16
The top two teams on the Under 16 ladder are drawing away from the rest of the field after the Warriors and the Kaniva Raiders recorded wins on Saturday.
The closest game saw the second-placed Raiders narrowly defeat the third-placed Nhill Leopards by one goal, which Flynn Dodson scored in the first quarter. For the rest of the game, Nhill appeared to enjoy more of the play but could not transfer this to the scoreboard. Although The Raiders earned the points to keep them in touch with the competition-leading Yanac Warriors, it was also a reminder that the Leopards remain a real threat to the top two.
The Horsham Bombers are now a little more confident of playing finals after a win over the Warrack Revengers, and Yanac stayed ahead of the pack with a victory over the young Dimboola Kangaroos.
Both the Kangaroos and Revengers are now out of serious contention of making the finals, but they both have young and enthusiastic squads that can still gain valuable experience out of their remaining games, setting them up for more success in the coming seasons.
Wimmera Hockey Association – Round Ten Results
Open –
Warrack Hoops 4 (Goals - O Bennett 2, C Baldock, L Nuske; Best - O Bennett, I McPherson, S Schultz) defeated Horsham Hurricanes 0 (Best - T Batchelor, C Hassall, J Hawke)
Kaniva Cobras 2 (Goals - J Bedford 2; Best - L Mills, A Wallis, J Bedford) defeated Nhill Rangers 1 (Goal - J Reichelt; Best - K Rowe, J Knoll, C Schultz)
Bye - Tigers
PtsGD
Yanac Tigers3028
Warrack Hoops2612
Kaniva Cobras22-2
Horsham Hurricanes14-14
Nhill Rangers8-24
Women –
Horsham Jets 5 (Goals - A Heal 2, H Werner, H Mackereth, J Mackereth; Best - H Werner, A Heal, H Knoop) defeated Warrack Women 0 (Best - E Williamson, E Eichberger, E Bull)
Kaniva 1 (Goal - L Stimson; Best - S Williams, L Stimson, N Hutchins) drew with Nhill Thunderbirds 1 (Goal - R Clark; Best - N Kuhnell, T Cuming, R Clark)
Yanac 6 (Goals - E Alexander 3, T Croot, M Mackley, S Hedt; Best - E Alexander, M Mackley, A Farmers) defeated Dimboola Roos 0 (Best - J Hauselberger, C Hadzig, L Hauselberger)
PtsGD
Yanac Women3241
Kaniva Women2823
Horsham Jets226
Dimboola Roos22-1
Nhill Thunderbirds164
Warrack Women0-73
Under 16 –
Horsham Bombers 6 (Goals - J Mackereth 2, J Schwarz, A Jochinke, H Mitchell, H Knoop; Best - H Knoop, J Schwarz, K Besselaar) defeated Warrack Revengers 0 (Best - E Williamson, M Bentley, S Williamson)
Kaniva Raiders 1 (Goal - F Dodson; Best - C White, L Krelle, C Bedford) defeated Nhill Leopards 0 (Best - B Clark, D Clark, O Bone)
Yanac Warriors 9 (Goals - H Zanker 3, Archie Zanker 3, S Pedie, Asher Zanker, I Hedt; Best - Archie Zanker, Asher Zanker, Annabella Zanker) defeated Dimboola Kangaroos 0 (Best - J Ward, R Hadzig, A Pretorius)
PtsGD
Yanac Warriors3645
Kaniva Raiders3442
Nhill Leopards2421
Horsham Bombers18-13
Dimboola Kangaroos4-47
Warrack Revengers4-48
Under 12 Development Program –
Warrack Avengers 1 (Goal - C Bentley) v. Horsham Black Hawks 3 (Goals - E Batchelor, E Elliott, A Neumann)
Kaniva Rampagers 4 (Goals - D Bee 4, ) v. Nhill Bandits 4 (Goals - N Krelle 3, R Wheeler)
Yanac Lowan Stars 5 (Goals - S Farmers 2, Z Rethus, H Zanker, A Cramer) v. Dimboola Kookaburras 1 (Goal - R Hadzig)