After six exciting semi-final matches played at Kaniva on Saturday, one team in each of the Wimmera Hockey Association’s divisions has confirmed a place in their respective grand finals, two others are still in the premiership race and must face off next Saturday at Dimboola to stake their claim for the title, and one more from each has dropped out of contention.
All games featured evenly matched teams, which contributed to some very entertaining hockey, with no result a foregone conclusion. While the higher-ranked team prevailed in four of the six matches, they still had to produce some of their best hockey of the season to secure a win.
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The Tigers-Hoops match started at the usual frenetic pace that is regularly witnessed when these two meet, but with the added intensity of a final, and it only got livelier as the game progressed!
The Tigers struck first with a field goal from reliable goal scorer Todd Alexander just five minutes into the game, but the Hoops equalised soon after when Sandon Schultz converted a penalty stroke.
Despite penalty corners being earned at each end of the field, the scoreline did not change during a fast and furious second quarter.
A goal from a penalty corner by Hunter Knoop minutes into the third quarter put the Hoops in front, and it was another penalty stroke, this time by the Tigers’ Brad Alexander, that once again levelled the scores by the three-quarter time break.
As the intensity increased through the second half, some undisciplined play resulted in a steady parade of players to the penalty box with temporary suspensions from yellow cards which increased the pressure as the Hoops spent more of the closing stages of the game one or two players short on the field, which opened the door to the Tigers drawing ahead with two more goals, to Kim Croot and another to Brad Alexander, in the last quarter.
With this result, the Tigers are into a staggering twentieth consecutive grand final, while the Hoops have another chance when they line up in the preliminary final next weekend.
The Nhill Rangers’ juggernaut continues to roll on after a comfortable four-goal win in the elimination semi-final to keep alive their ambitions of contesting a season decider for the first time in thirty years.
After a string of below-par seasons, they were playing in their first final since 2019, and following an even and scoreless first quarter, the Rangers picked up the pace in the second and took control of the game with three field goals to hold a commanding lead at the long break. They added another in the third quarter, then played out an even fourth to finish with a resounding four-goal win and a place in the preliminary final.
After not experiencing finals for seven years, the Rangers have approached this season with renewed belief, which has seen them defeat the higher-ranked Hoops twice, push the Tigers to within a goal on two occasions, and, by adding this victory, they have put themself within reach of the dream of that elusive grand final appearance, with only the Hoops in a preliminary final standing in their way.
Women
Yanac took full advantage of a Dimboola Roos’ team missing several key players and recorded a four-goal-to-one win to advance to the Women’s grand final.
Yanac started strongly, controlling most of the play, and courtesy of scores to Caitlyn Alexander and Erin Alexander, had two goals on the scoresheet by quarter time. Dimboola’s Tamara Clark recorded the only score in the second quarter to leave a margin of just one goal between them at half time, keeping the game in the balance going into the second half.
A field goal by Susan Hedt three minutes into the third quarter extended Yanac’s lead, and a goal to Alexis Farmers with five minutes to go in the match sealed the win, which was their first in three attempts against the Roos this season.
While Yanac will now enjoy a week off before the season decider, the Roos will front up again next Saturday when they will play Kaniva, who had to fight hard to overcome the determined Nhill Thunderbirds in the other semi-final. The only thing separating these two was a field goal by Olivia Diment towards the end of the second quarter in a match that Kaniva led the penalty corner count with nine to six, but some solid ‘Birds defence kept them in the game. Some equal work at the other end of the field prevented the Nhill team from equalising, which ended their season.
Under 16
The battle between the top four teams in the Under 16 competition has been very even all year, and it was not surprising that two of the day’s closest games were played out in this division.
In the only match decided by a shootout, the Nhill Leopards and Yanac Warriors were tied on one-all at full-time, after both teams created many opportunities to score throughout the game, only to be thwarted by some solid defence.
It was the Leopards who held their nerve in the shootout to outscore their opponents with three goals from their five attempts, ahead of Yanac’s one, and they now advance to the preliminary final where they will take on the Kaniva Raiders, who lost a very close semi-final to the Warrack Revengers.
Warrack took the early lead with a goal two minutes before quarter time; a lead that they would hold until four minutes into the last when a Raiders’ field goal equalled the scores. This deadlock lasted only four more minutes before Warrack regained the lead by converting a penalty corner, which set the final margin at two goals to one.
The Revengers are through to their first grand final since 2018, while the Raiders and Leopards will play off on Saturday for the opportunity to join them.
Wimmera Hockey Association - Semi-Final Results
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First Semi-Final
Nhill Rangers 4 (Goals - L Mills, O Bone, S Bone, R Reichelt; Best - A Zanker, J Knoll, L Mills) defeated Kaniva Cobras 0 (Best - C Beattie, N Krelle, T Jorgensen)
Second Semi-Final
Yanac Tigers 4 (Goals - B Alexander 2, K Croot, T Alexander; Best - B Alexander, T Alexander, H Pedie) defeated Warrack Hoops 2 (Goals - H Knoop, S Schultz; Best - C Bardell, H Johns, R Brown)
Women
First Semi-Final
Kaniva 1 (Goal - O Diment; Best - N Hutchins, I Dickinson, L Stimson) defeated Nhill Thunderbirds 0 (Best - C Rowe, C Zanker, N Gill)
Second Semi-Final
Yanac 4 (Goals - E Alexander, S Hedt, C Alexander, A Farmers; Best - E Alexander, C Alexander, S Hedt) defeated Dimboola Roos 1 (Goal - T Clark; Best - J Hauselberger, A Rintoule, T Clark)
Under 16
First Semi-Final
Nhill Leopards 1 (3) (Goals - D Bee 2, B Clark, A Albrecht; Best - J Cannell, B Clark, B Cannell, D Bee) defeated Yanac Warriors 1 (1) (Goals - H Zanker, A Zanker; Best - L Dickinson, H Zanker, A Zanker, I Hedt)
Second Semi-Final
Warrack Revengers 2 (Goals - H Knoop, S Williamson; Best - H Knoop, S Williamson, R Bish) defeated Kaniva Raiders 1 (Goal - R Williams; Best - L Williams, F Dodson, D Stimson)
- The winner of a second semi-final progresses to the grand final, while the loser will play in the preliminary final against the winner of the first semi-final. The loser of the first semi-final is eliminated.
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