Having won all premierships on offer in the 2018 season, the Yanac club has made the best possible start to their triple premiership defence, with all three teams remaining undefeated after five rounds of the Wimmera Hockey Association’s 2019 season.
With teams now having played all their opponents once, the ladders are taking shape but all are still in contention for a place in the finals although some have more work to do than others.
The entire competition had a bye last weekend whilst the Senior Country Championships were played in Geelong and Melbourne, with local games resuming with round six this Saturday at Yanac.
Open
The Yanac Tigers have established an enviable record since becoming one of the founding members of this competition in the mid-1980s, and the current era is as dominant as any in the last thirty years, having not lost a game since July 2016 and it is difficult to predict which team will be the next to defeat them.
Behind the undefeated reigning premiers are five teams separated by only three games and all have the potential to defeat any other on their day, with many results coming down to which players each can put on the field, and just as importantly the number of options they have off the interchange bench.
This week the Kaniva Cobras will be eager to begin to rebuild their season as they look to win their first game for this season when they take on the Horsham Hurricanes in the opening Open division game.
Both of these teams currently fill the bottom two places on the ladder but a Hurricanes victory could see them move into the four for the first time this season, and a first win for the Cobras will keep them well in the mix for the finals.
In round three the Hurricanes scored three goals to defeat the Cobras who only scored one, but the team that plays the smarter hockey on the day will take the points this time.
After starting their season with a win and two draws, the Nhill Rangers have lost their last two games, but could return to the winners list when they take on the Warracknabeal Hoops.
The last time these two met, on the grass at Nhill, the result was a draw and this encounter should also be an even game that either team could win.
The feature game will be the match up between the Tigers and Dimboola Burras. The Tigers’ recent record speaks for itself, and the Burras’ five goals to one win over the impressive Rangers suggest that they could challenge this opponent, providing that they can put their best eleven players on the field again.
Women
The clash between Yanac and the Dimboola Roos will attract the most interest in the Women’s competition as these two have been the best performed teams over the last few seasons.
Although the Roos have been playing well below their best in recent games, they still remain the most serious challenger to Yanac’s dominance, but a win on the reigning premiers’ home ground will take a big effort.
The Nhill Thunderbirds slipped out of the top four for the first time this year after a narrow loss to the Roos in round five, and the Warracknabeal Women are still looking for their first win.
Injuries and player unavailability have hampered Warrack’s season but many of the remaining players are beginning to step up and fill the roles previously filled by the missing players and it is only a matter of time before they score some points, and this week against the team just above them on the ladder could be the game.
The Thunderbirds have displayed some impressive form this year, but with four regular players having played in the Wimmera team in Geelong last weekend, the fresher Warrack team may have the edge.
After a slow start, the Horsham Jets are now finding some good form, but Kaniva have also been showing some unusually good form this year after many years toward the bottom of the ladder, suggesting that this encounter should be a tight game which either team could win.
Under 16
As with the other two divisions, the Yanac team in the Under 16s is also undefeated and it is difficult to see the struggling Dimboola Kangaroos challenging this record this week.
The Dimboola team has been putting up a determined effort this year despite enduring a serious player shortage, but to their credit they have still made the effort to put a team on the field and the experience their players are gaining will be valuable later this season and in the years to come.
The opening game on field two will see the Nhill Leopards and Warrack Revengers clash and with the prize for the winner being a place in the top three, and possibly top two, a tight game is expected.
The Horsham Bombers will be looking to reclaim a place in the top four when they take on the Kaniva Raiders, and with a three goals to two win by the Raiders last time these teams met, once again a very close game that could go either way is expected.
Under 12 Development Program
The six Under 12 teams will take over field two at 12.30 for the Development Program when the Nhill Bandits will take on the Warracknabeal Avengers, the Yanac Lowan Stars will play the Dimboola Kangaroos and Horsham Black Hawks play the Kaniva Rampagers.
Round Six Fixture
- at the Yanac Recreation Reserve
Field One
9:30 am - Under 16 - Yanac Warriors v Dimboola Kangaroos
11:00 am - Under 16 - Horsham Bombers v Kaniva Raiders
12:30 pm - Open - Horsham Hurricanes v Kaniva Cobras
2:00 pm - Women - Yanac Women v Dimboola Roos
3:30 pm - Women - Horsham Jets v Kaniva Women
Field Two
9:30 am - Under 16 - Nhill Leopards v Warracknabeal Revengers
11:00 am - Under 16 - Nhill Thunderbirds v Warracknabeal Women
12:30 pm - Under 12 Development Program - Nhill Bandits v Warracknabeal Avengers
12:30 pm - Under 12 Development Program - Yanac Lowan Stars v Dimboola Kookaburras
12:30 pm - Under 12 Development Program - Horsham Black Hawks v Kaniva Rampagers
2:00 pm - Open - Nhill Rangers v Warracknabeal Hoops
3:30 pm - Open - Yanac Tigers v Dimboola Burras
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