Players and spectators enjoyed some welcome sunshine after a frosty start at Kaniva on Saturday for round twelve of the Wimmera hockey season, where several teams confirmed their place in the finals while others remain locked in a battle to join them.
With three rounds remaining, the top two on both the senior competition ladders have been locked in, although there is still the possibility that they could swap places before the finals. The next two places in the Women’s have been set, while the battle continues for three teams to fit into the last two Open places.
In the Under 16s, the teams to make up the top four have been decided, but they are so evenly matched that they could still finish in any order.
Open
The only team to change their position on the Open ladder after this round was the Nhill Rangers, who gained two points from a bye and moved up to third place after the two teams now below them were both defeated.
The Yanac Tigers remain four points clear at the top of the ladder after a three-goal win over the Kaniva Cobras. They earned the lead just five minutes into the game when Simon Farmers scored off a penalty corner, but despite seven more similar opportunities before half-time, the margin remained at one at the long break due to some determined Kaniva defence.
A field goal by Shaun Alexander less than a minute after play resumed for the second half and a third Tigers’ goal off Brad Alexander’s stick had them in control of the game three-quarter time. Some good work across the Cobras back line held out another five penalty corners in the second half, but the sheer number of scoring options that the Tigers bring to the field saw them comfortably win the match.
It was a similar story on the other field, with the Warrack Hoops scoring early with a field goal to Caleb Baldock, and they earned some breathing space when captain Sandon Schultz converted a penalty stroke late in the second quarter. While the Hurricanes repelled five penalty corners in the second half to prevent the Hoops from adding to their score, the early goals were enough to see the Warrack team earn the points, confirm a top-two finish, and keep them within reach of matching the Tigers by the end of the regular season.
The remaining three teams now have three weeks to settle which will fill the last two places in the top four, and while the Rangers and Cobras are currently in the best positions, the Hurricanes are still in with a chance to displace one of them, but they will need to win at least two of their remaining three matches if this is to happen.
Women
The biggest result from round twelve was Warracknabeal Women earning their first points for the season with a scoreless draw with the Horsham Jets. These two are resigned to finishing in the lower two places on the ladder, but are more evenly matched than they are with any of the teams above them, which contributed to a very entertaining and closely fought match.
Horsham dominated the penalty corner count, but to their credit the Warrack defence held firm and fended off everything thrown at them, with goalkeeper Madisson Bentley responsible for several impressive blocks to deny the Jets’ forwards any goals.
With both teams sensing the opportunity for the win, the game was fought out at a high intensity right to the final whistle, and the tie was a fitting result reflecting the evenness of the teams.
The leading two teams entered the round locked together on both points and goal difference, and after the Dimboola Roos defeated the Nhill Thunderbirds by four goals and Yanac defeated Kaniva by three, they remain on the same points, with Dimboola now just ahead with a one goal better goal difference.
Dimboola dominated much of the play in their game, although the Thunderbirds fought hard to shut down many strong attacking moves to keep the score to a reasonable four goals, considering the Roos have had some much larger victories this season.
The final scores also suggested that Yanac had an easy win over Kaniva, but on the field, they had to work hard to earn their three goals.
With the four teams to contest the Women’s finals now decided, and Kaniva and the Thunderbirds set in third and fourth places respectively, the most interest is now in the battle for the minor premiership between Yanac and the Roos. With recent form suggesting that they can both continue to win against other opponents, the final order in which they finish may not be settled until they meet again in two weeks (unless they play out a draw with each other!)
Under 16
While there were no positional chances on the Under 16 ladder after round twelve, the final finishing order remains a mystery with many combinations amongst the top four still possible.
The Nhill Leopards defeated the Dimboola Kangaroos to remain on top, and the Warrack Revengers are hot on their heels after a win over the Horsham Bombers. The third-placed Kaniva Raiders and fourth-placed Yanac Warriors played out a scoreless draw but are both still within reach of a top two finish if either team above them were to falter.
The Bombers are now out of the race for the finals, and the Kangaroos would need a very unlikely combination of results to go their way if they were to rise up the ladder. This does not mean that their remaining games are insignificant, as they are both quite capable of upsetting any team above them and having a big influence on the finishing order.
Wimmera Hockey Association - Round Twelve Results
Open
Yanac Tigers 3 (Goals - S Farmers, T Alexander, B Alexander; Best - B Alexander, H Pedie, T Alexander) defeated Kaniva Cobras 0 (Best - A Wallis, L Krelle, N Dickinson)
Warrack Hoops 2 (Goals - S Schultz, C Baldock; Best - B Williamson, C Baldock, S Schultz) defeated Horsham Hurricanes 0 (Best - C Hassall, D Jochinke, J Di Pietro, W Gulline)
| | Pts | GD
| | Yanac Tigers | 38 | 22
| | Warrack Hoops | 34 | 8
| | Nhill Rangers | 18 | -11
| | Kaniva Cobras | 16 | -6
| | Horsham Hurricanes | 14 | -13
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Women
Yanac 3 (Goals - E Alexander, N Harding, C Alexander; Best - E Alexander, A Zanker, A Farmers) defeated Kaniva 0 (Best - I Dickinson, H Pearse, B Knoll)
Warracknabeal 0 (Best - E Williamson, O Knoop, E Bull) drew with Horsham Jets 0 (Best - K Besselaar, L Schilling, V Ward)
Dimboola Roos 4 (Goals - B McMaster, E Baldock, A Askin-Klinge, J Hauselberger; Best - B McMaster, T Clark, J Hauselberger, A Baker) defeated Nhill Thunderbirds 0 (Best - K Clark, C Shurdington, B Cannell)
| | Pts | GD
| | Dimboola Roos | 42 | 56
| | Yanac Women | 42 | 55
| | Kaniva Women | 30 | 15
| | Nhill Thunderbirds | 18 | -11
| | Horsham Jets | 10 | -37
| | Warrack Women | 2 | -78
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Under 16
Kaniva Raiders 0 (Best - L Williams, J Beattie, D Stimson, A Carter) drew with Yanac Warriors 0 (Best - H Zanker, A Zanker, L Dickinson)
Warrack Revengers 9 (Goals - H Knoop 5, S Williamson 2, N Eilola, C Peters; Best - H Knoop, S Williamson, C Peters) defeated Horsham Bombers 0 (Best - K Besselaar, J Mills, H Di Pietro)
Nhill Leopards 4 (Goals - D Bee 3, B Clark; Best - B Clark, D Bee, A Marra) defeated Dimboola Kangaroos 0 (Best - C Elliott, R Hadzig, A Pretorius, R Wallace)
| | Pts | GD
| | Nhill Leopards | 34 | 36
| | Warrack Revengers | 32 | 13
| | Kaniva Raiders | 30 | 2
| | Yanac Warriors | 26 | 6
| | Dimboola Kangaroos | 14 | -16
| | Horsham Bombers | 8 | -41
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Development Program
Kaniva Rampagers 0 v. Yanac Lowan Stars 3 (Goals - E Alexander, L Reichenbach, A Reichembach)
Warrack Avengers 1 (Goal - S Camilleri) v. Horsham Black Hawks 0
Nhill Bandits 2 (Goals - H Albrecht, M Chequer) v. Dimboola Kookaburras 3 (Goals - L Hauselberger 2, C Wallace)
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