2016 Hockey Season – August 20 & 21

What a great hockey season this has been so far, and the last round of home and away games brought great excitement for our younger players in particular. With 2 Premierships claimed, end of year presentations happening for the lower junior players, and 9 teams progressing to the Semi-Finals next week,  it was a fantastic weekend all round.

As this round was also designated RESPECT round by Hockey Geelong, there were some wonderful examples of fair play and sportsmanship, and some great messages written on the RESPECT WALL.

Recognition – Enjoyment – Sportsmanship – Participation – Everyone – Caring – Teamwork

Respect roundRespect round 2fair go sport

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to our players who received the Fair Play awards during the weekend, and will now be sporting a pair of rainbow socks. Well done Jack, Riley, Hailey.

2 Premierships in Under 11

The Newtown Rebels team claimed the Under 11 North Premiership in emphatic fashion in the inaugural year of the competition. The team finished the hockey season undefeated, with 14 wins, 1 draw and a goal difference of +77.  What an amazing performance, with 3 first-year players in the team, and little previous experience playing on synthetic surface fields. Who says you can’t learn good hockey skills playing on grass? Who says girls get neglected and ignored in mixed teams? The team is to be commended for the sportsmanship and respectful attitude they have shown to all teams in this competition. As the season began with low player numbers for some of the opposition teams, Newtown Rebels happily loaned players to the opposition team to ensure a fair go for all players.

A fantastic hockey season

A fantastic hockey season for Newtown Rebels – Under 11 North Premiers

Newtown Spirit also claimed a Premiership with an impressive season in the Under 11 South competition – 12 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses and a goal difference of +51. The final match of the season was an exciting one, against the Runners Up, Kardinia. A great effort by all players, with excellent efforts by the 3 first-year players and 2 Under 8 players who stepped up to help out.

We look forward to the Exhibition Match which will be played on Grand Final Day, September 10, between the Premiers of the two Under 11 competitions – Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Spirit. What a match it will be!

Kookas Midweek

 More wet weather this week so we took to the verandah again to play some fun hockey in relative dryness. Matilda joined us and showed that skill and determination has very little to do with size. Great skills and great teamwork by Matilda with Jai and Ella always in good position to receive the ball and pass it to advantage. Sam, Sam and Amy got their team off to a flying start with some lovely goals as a result of long passes and players running on. The gap between the scores narrowed in the second half with some nice rebounds by Jai and Matilda but couldn’t overcome the strong opposition and the silky ball skills of Sam, Sam and Amy.

Under 8

Newtown Spirit v Torquay Tornadoes

Newtown Spirit put in a convincing display of skill, teamwork and enthusiasm against Torquay Tornadoes to sign off its 2016 winter campaign at Lloyd Reserve on Saturday. The Under 8 team has steadily developed over the past months and wasted little time in its final game to spring into attack. Within minutes Nate had goaled, Ruben showed some great ball control and the accurate passes between Spirit players kept them in attack and pressuring the Torquay defence. Half backs Lucy and Meyah and centre forward Charlotte combined well to kick start several forward runs, with Spirit players including Avah and Max peppering the goals in a confident first half. At half time Coach Kellie praised her charges for showing great vision, saying they were passing the ball between themselves to get around their opposition, keeping to their positions and passing out wide. She encouraged them to keep their sticks down low to the ground and set them a target of at least four touches before shooting for goal. “Keep it up guys, I like it,’’ she said.

And so did the Spirit spectators watching on the sidelines as the team headed out for the second half with their customary determination. But Torquay put up a good fight, putting more pressure on Spirit’s defence with fast breaks and shots on goal. But that didn’t stop Spirit from launching its own forward forays with some great linked play between Nate, Ruben, Charlotte, Lucy, Max and Meyah. Avah worked hard in full back, directing the ball to her half backs so they could run it into attack once again. Kellie applauded the team’s efforts at the game’s end, highlighting Spirit’s impressive team work and positioning throughout the entire match. Max and Ruben received Best Team Player awards for the final game for their strong efforts.

Thanks should go to Pollyanna for volunteering to play for Torquay on Saturday. She did some good stops and tackles and has clearly improved in her time filling in for Newtown’s Under-8 teams. Spirit’s game on Saturday was a fitting end to the 2016 season. Well done Spirit players for your great attitude and effort, thanks to Kellie for coaching and umpiring so well and a round of applause to the parents for supporting the team during the competition.

Newtown Rebels vs College White

The last game of the season saw the Rebels take on College White.  The whole team came together brilliantly showcasing all of the skills and tactics they have learnt throughout the year.  Each player stuck to their positions and roles enabling clean passing, and creating few opportunities for the opposition to score. Some very impressive passages of play between players resulted in many successful attempts at goal. A special high five for Hannah who scored her first goal….Super effort Hannah! Surry, Scarlett and Georgie received Best Team Player awards – well done!  On behalf of the coaching and management team, well done to all for great season of Hockey!!!!  We look forward to seeing you all in the Summer season.

Newtown Raiders vs Newtown Strikers

A lovely game by Raiders to finish off a very enjoyable hockey season. Great hockey skills, game strategies and teamwork were on display with all players contributing to the team performance. Cate and Eliza worked well together to take the ball into attack, with fast dribbling skills, and with Isabel making great interceptions and quick free passes, Raiders looked to put pressure on the Strikers’ defence.  Eamonn was in great position in front of goals, stopping many of Strikers attempts to score and deflecting other attacks. Oscar, Charlotte and Jesse found some great position and made some nice passes. Great concentration by the team this week saw Raiders mark their players and gain possession to send the ball into attack. Best Team Player award to Eamonn.

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Raiders

Thank you to all Strikers players and parents for a fantastic year. Thank you to Alex S for cheering on the team from the sidelines and we look forward to seeing you back playing next year.

Amy and Ruby paired up early in the game to assist in attacking the goals. Alex J has been working throughout the season with her ball control and turning. Eliza was unstoppable throughout the mid field and put into practice everything that we have worked on for the year. Emma was fantastic on the wing with her passing along the side lines and Isla never stopped tackling. Amelia played in goals again and was proving hard to get the ball past. During the second half she joined the rest of the team on the field and assisted Ruby with another goal.  Eliza was awarded Best Team Player.

 We are so proud of you all for your sportsmanship throughout the season and willingness to play for the opposition. Thank you for a wonderful season and your dedication. We hope to see you for Summer hockey with most of the team moving onto Under 11s for next season.

Under 11 North

Newtown Rebels vs Bellarine Thunder 4-0

Newtown Rebels played Bellarine Thunder at Stead Park on Saturday in their round 15 and final match of the season. Rebels continued their good form from last week and had the majority of the play all game. We had a number of short corners and troubled the Bellarine defenders who did really well under so much attack from Newtown. The final score was Newtown 4-0, with one goal each to Basyl, Kiah, Olivia and Patrick.

U11 Rebels great hockey season

Newtown Rebels vs Bellarine Thunder

Season Summary:

Basyl runs all over the pitch from deep in defence right up to the circle, he’s been great at stealing the ball from the opposition and taking it right up to the scoring zone. Brandon’s stick skills while dribbling on the run are great to see and his ability to find good passing options has been outstanding in the latter part of this season. Charlotte and Genevieve are getting a lot more of the ball in the second half of the season and this will continue next season as they gain more confidence in their game play and strength in their hits. Grace is fearless in defence and very few balls get past her, but she also had some time in attack. Earlier in the season, she scored 2 goals, and she’ll be a very versatile player for her team next year. Imogen has played some great games this season where she has been able to get quite a few hits in. She scored a goal in Round 8 which was fantastic to see.

Kiah has been a great scorer for the team all season. She makes good position near goals each game and was the leading goalscorer with Patrick, both on 17 goals. Luca spent a lot of time in defence for us, he reads the play well and runs fast to get to the ball and defend. His jinks past attackers in the latter part of the season were great, and he was also a very handy attacker, scoring 5 goals during the season. Olivia has set a great example for the rest of the team. She defends opposition attacks through the centre really well, comes back into defence when needed and is also really dangerous in attack where she made goals from short corners her speciality late in the season. Patrick is one of our first-year players and surprised everyone with his brilliant goal-scoring ability in Round 2, and continued that through the season to finish with 17 goals. His strong hits will be sure to hit many more goals next season. Sam’s stick skills are very good and he loves moving the ball from left to right as he dribbles the ball past opponents. Keep up the good work and don’t forget to look for a pass earlier! Teijai is another of our first-year players and he’s been really handy in attack, scoring 9 goals for the season including a ripper in Round 7 just before the final siren that the team loved as it gave them a close-fought win.

The enthusiasm of the whole team and their improvement during the season has been really great to see. Coach AJ and Team Manager Zen congratulate the team on a fantastic unbeaten season and we look forward to following all of our players’ progress in future seasons with Newtown City Hockey Club. Thanks also to the parents and supporters of our players who helped us run the games smoothly, and who gave the players so much encouragement at every game.

Under 11 South

 Newtown Strikers vs Golden Plains 0-6

 Enthusiasm, commitment and attention to coaching advice given came together in the last game of the hockey season for Strikers, with some excellent examples of teamwork and use of space out wide. Solid defence by Jack, Nathan and some really good approaches to the ball by Michael in goals saw Newtown get the ball out of trouble in defence. Great passing to team mates in good position ahead of the ball by Lachlan, Declan and Owen allowed Zoe, Alex, Grace and Gil to create some attacks and some narrowly missed opportunities in front of goal. It even looked like Chris was going to score another goal this week by being in the right spot at the right time, but it didn’t quite work out. The strategy of playing the ball wide worked really well, and the team looked great when this strategy was used. Unfortunately there was a lot of play down the middle and lack of marking the opposition allowed Golden Plains plenty of opportunities to set up goals, which they happily took advantage of. Best Team Player awards to Zoe and Declan. Thanks to all the players, team manager Morven and parents for their enthusiasm and effort during this season, and we can look forward to some great games in 2017 from these players.

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 2-1

It was hard to imagine it was the final game of what has been a brilliant season for the Spirit team. We were up against Kardinia who came out with a very determined attitude. We were a little caught off guard to say the least! The team panicked a little and once again tended to follow the ball instead of holding their positions.  Matilda was in goals this week and made a brilliant save to deny Kardinia what would have been a great goal. However the second time the ball was in the goal circle it unfortunately hit the back board. Well done Matilda on a great game.

The second half saw Spirit calm down and hold their positions. Kellie was most relieved. There were some great passages of play and Liam was very strong in the middle making determined tackles and following through. We had 2 on the bench this week so there are lots of changes. The kids did really well adapting to their different positions when Kellie moved them. With some great passes through the half backs and up to the forwards, Spirit were able to convert 3 goals which had us finish 2 games clear at the top of the ladder!

Well done to the entire team. You have been a joy to work with this year and you should all be very proud of yourselves.

Under 13

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 8-0

This week was RESPECT week and it was fantastic to see so many players acknowledging and asking questions about what the day was all about.  This week U13 Spirit played Kardinia and at one point in the game a Kardinia player was hit very hard in the foot by the ball, the player fell to the ground holding their foot and I was incredibly impressed by how many of our players gathered around the player to make sure they were OK.  That is exactly what RESPECT day is all about. Showing great sportsmanship, caring for fellow players regardless of who they are, where they come from, how old or young, tall or small, dark skin or white skin or whether they are right or wrong.  So well done team on showing great sportsmanship and remember Respect day isn’t just a one off day we need to demonstrate these values every day.  A big congratulations to Riley who won the coloured socks, he played a great game and certainly demonstrated the values of the day.  Look forward to seeing the socks at training Riley!!

The Spirit played a great game of hockey with again some fantastic team work. Players were looking for others who were free with lots of great talking.  We worked well at taking the ball wide and then crossing into the circle to create lots of scoring opportunities and this was evident with both Nick and Claudia scoring their very first goals in Hockey.  Awesome!!

Well done team on another great game and let’s keep up the great team play leading into the first final this Saturday.  It should be a fun game against the Strikers!!

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 3-1

On Saturday the Strikers met Torquay in the final home and away game of the season. Special thanks to Ely, Max and to Sam S for filling in. In a tough first half the Strikers had a number of opportunities but could not penetrate the Torquay defence until late through Miles and then Harry on the cusp of half time.  In the first half Harry, Sam R and Miles were all solid contributors along with Kade and Harrison.

 Down to 9 players for the second half the question was whether the Strikers could hold on against a determined Torquay team.  There was some great play in the second half from Angus R in defence who was fantastic, Olivia, Ella and Sam S and Jonah.  Miles ran all day up and down the pitch.   The Strikers held on for a commendable win in the circumstances 3-1.

U13 Strikers - a great hockey season

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay

 

Under 15

Newtown Strikers vs Bellarine Storm 5-2

What an action packed game for the week that was Bellarine Storm. It was a convincing win that saw the team bag five goals against Bellarine Storm. It was a highly contested match that saw Newtown giving the game their all in, at times extremely difficult circumstances, and clearly showing they were the better team – on a number of levels. Starting on the pitch without a full compliment of players created a gap in the backline with Eneko padded up to be our last line of resistance. Bellarine managed to score early despite tight opposition. Thanks must go to Max (U13) who had remained kitted up as goalie and resting between games he graciously helped us out at half time coming in as goalie, giving us a full team who played an awesome running game and ‘owned’ the play driving it to the win that was. Our sticks were on the ground and we ran with and pressured the opposition fairly at every turn. Everyone put in such solid effort that they are all to be highly commended. Particular mention must go to Hailey who was singled out by the Geelong Hockey Association to be Awarded Player of the Day in the Respect Round – valuing fair and decent play. Congratulations all and be proud of finishing second on the ladder. Well deserved and all the best for the finals rounds.

Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 5-1

Under 17

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 9-0

Last match of the 2016 home and away season, and Spirit were pretty well manned today – only a couple out, leaving us in a better position than Kardinia. Off to a good start, with positive attack even with the resettling of players, that comes with a variety of ins and outs each week! Monique working hard, running to position herself both in best position to receive the ball and on the post when required. Monique’s efforts paid off with 2 post goals scored within the first half. Great to see Monique’s attention to this role and good lesson for all players. Some frustrations coming for Spirit, when they resorted to leading down the centre of the ground, allowing congestion and therefore difficulties with elimination to result. Beautiful work from Dan to refocus back to using the width of the pitch and passing purposefully up the ground, allowed further opportunity to score. Jonah also scored in the first half to take the lead to 3:0 at halftime.

Second half more effectively attacking though not without some niggles between team players. Scoring opportunities giving goals to Matt, Alex, Dan and Gus in the second half.  Overall team effort with lovely pressure from wings and insides, and as always very solid defence from Tom. Into finals now Spirit – well deserved.

Newtown Strikers – Bye

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Saints 7-5

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong 4-1

With the Torquay Tornadoes going down to their other Division 1 side, the Strikers 4th spot on the ladder was confirmed regardless of the result of the Geelong match.  That being said, we saw the game as being a great chance to get into form before the finals. Having a full bench meant that we were able to run hard for the majority of the game, unfortunately there were a few injuries which hopefully will come right by next weekend. Although we ended up winning the game 4 goals to 1 it wasn’t our best performance but on the plus side it acted as a reminder of the type of hockey that we will have to bring next week vs Saints.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 2-2

A great game by Falcons who had the majority of the play and lead for much of the game. Great defence by Penny, Deb, Bec W and Elese who teamed well with great attack moves by Nicole, Bec C, Jess and Tiahna. Torquay managed to sneak a goal in to force a draw in the last few minutes of the game.

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong 0-14

Strikers last game of the season was not how we wanted to finish. Geelong came out fighting to prove they were number one, and did very well. Although the score reflected a one sided game, Strikers held their heads high and persisted till the final whistle went. It was a wonderful effort by our mids and forwards to try and penetrate the Geelong defence. Our defenders did a fantastic job stopping a number of goals as well. Well done to the Strikers for your great sportsmanship.

Division 2 Men

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 1-1

Spurred on by Coach Don’s mid week text a healthy squad turned up to see if Spirit could get a win and then Bellarine lose and then the mathematical equalisation bye equation would work and then finals would come our way. Yep Don may have had too many spirits as he texted us all but hey he is a half glass full sort of guy.

Well we had a go. Fitzy and Stu and Brodie were fighting over each other to keep out Torquay forwards. Craig with his beard trimmed and Ian with his beard used all their experience wisely. Young guns Alex, Hudson and Tom Mac fired up. Woodsy and AJ played well out wide but forgot to change sides after half time. Sharpshooter Tom P scored the equaliser. Niko almost got a deflection from a late penalty corner to nearly achieve the dream. Richard and David C moved well in the midfield. Luke stuck to his task of manning up on anyone that Don didn’t want to.
Where was our own Gordo?

A spirited effort by all. A gutsy end to the season. Thanks to Don and Gordo and Craig for leading us this year.

Division 2 Women

Newtown Rebels vs Geelong 0-3

The final game for the season for the Rebels and the girls stepped up and played well against the current ladder leaders. Solid defence from Ros and Hill with great sweeps and sharp calls from Eichelle ensured that Geelong’s attacks were shut down. Mid-field, Colleen, Jacinta and Pam played well and were well supported by Kellie and Katelyn in bringing play forward. Andy, Nicola and Sharon made some great moves into Geelong’s territory. Despite the score Rebels played well to finish off the season.

2017 will be ‘The Season’!

Tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply