Teams will gather in Dimboola on Saturday for the penultimate round of the Wimmera Hockey Association regular season, and although with finals not far away, most teams already know where they stand, there are still several matches with outcomes that will influence the order of the finals.
The day will also have further significance as this weekend has been dedicated by Hockey Victoria as Mental Health Round, with several teams set to add some green to their uniforms to raise awareness of this important issue.
Members of the Warracknabeal Hockey Club will be donning green armbands to embrace the opportunity to show support and help break down any stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues and increase awareness of available support services.Catch up on the results from last weekend and the current ladders here. - Open -
In the Open competition, the Kaniva Cobras need to inflict the Yanac Tigers’ first defeat of the season if they are to ensure they remain in second place on the ladder going into the finals. The Tigers play the artificial turf at Dimboola well, and their 2022 record speaks for itself, but even if they don’t win, the Cobras need a solid performance to preserve their good goal difference.
The Cobras are one win ahead of the challengers for their place on the ladder, the Warrack Hoops, so a win will maintain this margin, but a narrow loss would also keep them in their current position due to their superior goal difference. However, the Hoops, who are coming off a loss to the Tigers, need to defeat the Horsham Hurricanes, who enjoyed an eight-goal win last week, if they are to make a late challenge to take over second place.
If all results on Saturday reflect the current ladder positions, we will be in for a big round fifteen next week, with the second chance in the finals still on the line when the Cobras and Hoops face each other.
In the third Open match, the bottom two teams, the Dimboola Burras and Nhill Rangers meet. Pride is the only thing on the line here, with the Rangers out of the running for the finals and the Burras only a distant outside chance, needing an unlikely series of other favourable results for them to scrape into fourth place.- Finals’ Venues Announced -
Earlier this week, the Wimmera Hockey Association announced the venues for the 2022 finals.
It was confirmed at the start of the season that Kaniva would host the grand finals after missing the opportunity in both 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic-related cancellations.
The Warracknabeal Hockey Club will host the semi-finals at Anzac Park in Warracknabeal, and the Nhill and District Sporting Club will host the preliminary finals at either Davis Park in Nhill or the Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre.
Semi-Finals - Saturday 27 August - Warracknabeal
Preliminary Finals - Saturday 3 September - Nhill
Grand Final and Association Awards Presentation Function - Saturday 10 September - Kaniva - Women -
Kaniva and Yanac are the two in-form teams in the Women’s competition and have already put on two enthralling matches this season, and with them already locked in to meet again in the second semi-final, the psychological advantage from a good performance this week will be more significant than the numbers on the scorecard.
The Horsham Jets will be looking to build on their victory over Nhill last weekend when they take on Warracknabeal, who are still looking for their first win, and the Nhill Thunderbirds have a week off with the bye before they embark on their assault on the finals.
- Under 16 -
The most interest in the Under 16 competition will be in the game between the third-placed Horsham Bombers and fourth-placed Warrack Revengers, who will meet again in the semi-finals but both need to find some form if they are to make a serious challenge in the finals.
The undefeated Yanac Warriors should be too strong for the very young Kaniva Raiders, but that doesn’t mean they won’t put on a fun display of hockey.
Wimmera Hockey Association - Round Fourteen Fixture
- Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre - Saturday 13 August 2022
| 9:30 am | Under 16 | Horsham Bombers | v. | Warracknabeal Revengers
| | 11:00 am | Under 16 | Yanac Warriors | v. | Kaniva Raiders
| | 12:30 pm | Under 12 Development Program
| | | | Horsham Black Hawks | v. | Warracknabeal Avengers
| | | Dimboola Kookaburras | v. | Nhill Bandits
| | | Yanac Lowan Stars | v. | Kaniva Rampagers
| 1:30 pm | Women | Yanac Women | v. | Kaniva Women
| | 3:00 pm | Women | Horsham Jets | v. | Warracknabeal Women
| | 4:30 pm | Open | Yanac Tigers | v. | Kaniva Cobras
| | 6:00 pm | Open | Dimboola Burras | v. | Nhill Rangers
| | 7:30 pm | Open | Horsham Hurricanes | v. | Warracknabeal Hoops
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