Round Fourteen of the Wimmera Hockey Association season threw up several big results, both on the scoreboard and in relation to some teams chances of making the finals.
The four finalists have been set in the Women’s competition with two rounds remaining, but there is still a chance of changes to the lower places in the top four in both the Open and Under 16 divisions.
Open -
A draw was enough for the Warrack Hoops to confirm they will finish in second place on the Open ladder, and it has also kept the Kaniva Cobras alive in the race for the finals.
This was a very even game, with the deadlock broken in the shadows of halftime when Dave Cole eluded the Hoops’ defence and put the Cobras ahead.
More even play continued after the break, and after Kaniva was unable to convert two penalty corner attempts, Oskar Bennett converted one for the Hoops to even the scoreline. Some determined attacking at both ends of the field late in the game did not yield any further goals, and the game ended as a tie.
Clint Beattie played a solid game at centre half-back for the Cobras, with help from Cole and Lachie Mills. For the Hoops, Cameron Bardel controlled the defence, and goalkeeper Russell Brown played well to keep his team in the game in the face of some solid Cobra attacking.
The Nhill Rangers put up a good fight against the undefeated Yanac Tigers, but they could not earn any vital points to shore up their place in the top four, and they remain vulnerable over the last two rounds.
Although they were forced to defend several penalty corners in the first half, the Rangers’ defence held firm, with goalkeeper Kayden Rowe a big part of this. Three more penalty corners were repelled early after the break before Todd Alexander converted a penalty stroke to score the Tigers’ first goal.
Yanac continued to attack, and the Rangers held out for much of the half, but a goal to Shaun Alexander with seven minutes of play remaining put the result beyond doubt.
Todd and Shaun were named the Tigers’ best players, and Jason Reichelt, Blake Miller, and Rowe were among the Rangers’ best.
With two games remaining, the Rangers hold fourth place by the slender margin of one win ahead of Kaniva and Horsham, so they must register at least one more win to ensure a place in the semi-finals.
The Tigers are safely on top of the ladder and cannot be overtaken.
In a high scoring game, the Dimboola Burras did enough to ensure they will have to turn up for the semi-finals by defeating the Horsham Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes, desperate for a win to keep their dream of a place in the finals alive, led at halftime by three goals to two, but two goals to Fraser Cullen of the Burras after the break, taking his game tally to three, gained his team the advantage, which they preserved until the end of the game.
Tim Jorgensen, who scored the Burras’ other goal, and Cullen were named as their best players, and Paul Mackereth and Traiyth Leffler controlled the Hurricanes’ forward line and were their best.
The Hurricanes are still in the mix for the finals but have the daunting task of playing the top two teams in the last two rounds.
Women -
An under-resourced Dimboola Roos team was no match for the Horsham Jets, who were keen to prove that they deserve a place in the finals with a big victory.
Four goal scorers contributed to their total of seven goals, with Ellie Morrow with three and Mia Guest with two showing that this team has some depth and could prove a challenge for the teams above them in the finals.
A goal by Leah Eilola for the Roos, only their second one for the season, was the highlight for the Roos.
The other game in the Women’s competition was much closer, with very even play throughout the first half seeing Yanac and the Nhill Thunderbirds go into halftime locked on two goals each. Apart from a brief period early in the second half when Louise Bone scored twice for Yanac, much of the second half was also very even.
Yanac cannot fall from the top place on the ladder, and the Thunderbirds finished this round in third place but still have the potential to rise to second or fall to fourth by the end of the last round.
Under 16 -
The most significant result in the Under 16 competition came when the Kaniva Raiders overcame the Warrack Revengers and replaced them in the top four.
Three Raiders’ goals in the first half and four in the second were too many for the Revengers to match, with a single goal to Sam Williamson their only contribution to the scoreboard.
Although there is still a chance for the Revengers to return to the top four, they need at least one and possibly two more wins to achieve this, which will be a challenge given their recent form.
Two second-half goals were the only difference between the Yanac Warriors and Nhill Leopards in their game, with the former team preserving their undefeated record this season. Rourkey Croot scored both goals and was named the Warriors’ best player, and Caitlyn Rowe, playing as goalkeeper for the Leopards, was their best.
Under 12 Development Program -
The Under 12 Development Program participants enjoyed getting onto the field after an enforced week off and thoroughly enjoyed the outing.
The Nhill Bandits scored seven goals to the Yanac Lowan Stars two, the Warrack Avengers found the goals six times against the Kaniva Rampagers, and the Horsham Black Hawks scored nine against the Dimboola Kookaburras.
This program will continue for another two weeks, concluding on August 28 with the last games at Kaniva.
Wimmera Hockey Association | Round Fourteen Results
Open -
Yanac Tigers 2 (Goals - S Alexander, T Alexander; Best - T Alexander, S Alexander, J Croot) defeated Nhill Rangers 0 (Best - J Reichelt, B Miller, K Rowe)
Dimboola Burras 4 (Goals - F Cullen 3, T Jorgensen; Beset - R Cullen, T Jorgensen, B Tischler) defeated Horsham Hurricanes 3 (Goals - P Mackereth, T Leffler, T Batchelor; Best - P Mackereth, T Leffler, T Roberts)
Kaniva Cobras 1 (Goal - D Cole; Best - C Beattie, D Cole, L Mills) drew with Warrack Hoops 1 (Goal - O Bennett; Best - C Bardell, R Brown, S Schultz)
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Tigers | 46 | 27
| | Warrack Hoops | 34 | 8
| | Dimboola Burras | 24 | -6
| | Nhill Rangers | 20 | -6
| | Kaniva Cobras | 16 | -8
| | Horsham Hurricanes | 16 | -15
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Women -
Horsham Jets 7 (Goals - E Morrow 3, M Guest 2, A Morrow, K Schwarz; Best -E Morrow, A Morrow, L Schilling) defeated Dimboola Roos 1 (Goal - L Eilola; Best - A Rintoule, L Eilola, C Hadzig)
Yanac Women 4 (Goals - L Bone 2, E Alexander, C Dickinson; Best - L Bone, M Farmers, T Croot) defeated Nhill Thunderbirds 2 (Goals - G McLeod, E Murden; Best - E Murden, C Rowe, J Hauselburger)
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Women | 44 | 34
| | Kaniva Women | 28 | 11
| | Nhill Thunderbirds | 24 | -2
| | Horsham Jets | 22 | -7
| | Dimboola Roos | 12 | -36
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Under 16 -
Kaniva Raiders 7 (Goals - B Williams 2, C White 2, X Stimson 2, L Krelle; Best - C White, X Stimson, J White) defeated Warrack Revengers 1 (Goal - S Williamson; Best - L Eilola, C Bennett, N Eilola, O Slater)
Yanac Warriors 2 (Goals - R Croot 2; Best - R Croot, A Farmers, H Pedie) defeated Nhill Leopards 0 (Best - C Rowe, I Deckert, K Clark)
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Warriors | 44 | 38
| | Horsham Bombers | 30 | 2
| | Nhill Leopards | 20 | 0
| | Kaniva Raiders | 18 | -14
| | Warrack Revengers | 18 | -26
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Under 12 Development Program -
Nhill Bandits 7 (Goals - M Lowe 3, S Albrecht 2, E Woodward, A Beattie; Encouragement Award - N Reichelt, C Bone, M Lowe, L Clark, A Beattie) v. Yanac Lowan Stars 2(Goals - H Zanker, S Pedie; Encouragement Award - M Prenzler)
Warrack Avengers 6 (Goals - Diani Nel 3, Durandt Nel, O Slater, C Slater; Encouragement Award - O Slater) v. Kaniva Rampagers 0 (Encouragement Award - D Stimson)
Horsham Black Hawks 9 (Goals - J Di Pietro 3, J Schwarz 3, J Mills, H Di Pietro, J Fagan; Encouragement Award - P Eagle) v. Dimboola Kookaburras 0 (Encouragement Award - C Wallace, R Williams)
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