Come & Try Hockey

Come & Try Hockey

Hookin2Hockey

Children aged 5 to 12 are invited to join our Hookin2Hockey program.

The Hookin2Hockey Program is run at King Lloyd Reserve, 80 Windsor Rd, Newtown (opposite Balyang Sanctuary), from 4.30 to 5.30 pm on Tuesday March 5, 12, 19 and 26.

It’s free to attend your first session just to come and try hockey, and equipment is provided for use during the program. There is a charge ($60) to attend the remaining 3 weeks of the program, which provides insurance and covers the Hockey Victoria fee for the 2024 season. If the child wishes to join a team and continue playing at the end of the program, the Hockey Victoria fee does not need to be paid again.

Come and Try for 12 to 18s

We are also offering people aged 12 to 18 the chance to Come and Try hockey and learn some basic skills. This is a free program, with equipment provided for use during the sessions. Sessions will be conducted at Lloyd Reserve, from 6 to 7 pm on March 5, 12, 19.

Details and registration here https://www.revolutionise.com.au/newtoncityhc/events

2024 Registration Day

2024 Registration Day

Registration Day for the 2024 Winter hockey season is Sunday March 24, from 9 to 11 am, at King Lloyd Reserve, Windsor Rd, Newtown (opposite Balyang Sanctuary).

You can complete your registration at home, or we can help you get it done and pay your Hockey Victoria fee.
https://newtownhockeyclub.com.au/membership/

Uniforms will be available to try on and order or purchase.
https://newtownhockeyclub.com.au/about-newtown-hockey/uniform/

Bring your stick and have a hit – and bring your friends too. Everyone is welcome, regardless of age, experience or skill level. We have teams for players from Under 6 to Senior – male or female.

Help is needed for uniform sales and registration/ fee enquiries, so if you can spare an hour or two check the details and sign up here
https://signup.com/go/dkqAwdn

Enquiries: Claire Barnes, 0417 015130 or email contact@newtownhockeyclub.com.au

2023 Hockey Season – May 20 & 21

The Victorian Junior Country Championships is an annual highlight of the hockey season for junior players in Geelong, providing the opportunity to represent the Geelong Hockey Association and compete against other Country Associations. The Championships were held on May 20 and 21, and this meant that there were no local games for U14 and U17 teams. It also meant some rearrangement of teams to cover the players in U12 and the parents in senior teams who were at the JCC.  Thanks to everyone who filled in and assisted.

Under 8

There were no U8 games scheduled on this weekend, but we had a very enjoyable parents and kids game at Lloyd Reserve. Parents and children enjoyed playing together in the same team, and there was some great teamwork and skills displayed on the day. Thanks to all who played.

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 2-3

U/10 Strikers were only narrowly defeated by Geelong Jaguars. The tone for an entertaining match was set early, with a miraculous save by Paige in defence (ably supported by Vicki) then backed up by a stellar run forward, resulting in Paige scoring the first goal for Newtown. An equally impressive run by Paddy shortly afterwards saw the lead stretch to 2-0 and great positioning in defence by Campbell and Tom kept it that way.

Geelong scored early in the second half, and despite some strong passes out of defence by Georgia, Tom and Campbell, another goal to Geelong followed. Heartbreak in the final minutes of the match with Geelong scoring again to seal the win. Best Team Player Awards to Lexi, with good positioning and passing, and Paddy  with his fine work in attack.

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 0-2

With two of our players at representative games, the Under 12 Strikers did well to hold Kardinia at bay with a 2-0 loss. Jack had a great attacking game and Mitchell saved numerous goals in his first time as goal keeper. Eliza played well on the wing and was always ready to push the ball up the field.

The score was an improvement from the previous game against Kardinia and with three of our more experienced players out of the team this week, players should be very proud of their efforts. A big thank you to Paddy from the Under 10 team who filled in for us on Saturday.

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 1-1

Both teams had lost players to the JCC so the unbeaten Torquay were vulnerable. Spirit dominated the first half with half a dozen shots at goal but only a goal by Evelyn separated the teams at half time.

The second half was more even but again Spirit had opportunities. Torquay got a break away goal late in the second half to even it up. A game Spirit should have won but final score Spirit 1-1 Torquay.

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Red 3-2

With the Junior Country Championships on last weekend, Newtown were struggling for numbers. On Friday we had only 9, and numbers bounced around between 9 and 12 over the next 48 hours. When the whistle blew to start the match, we had only 10 players including Luke who had volunteered to keep as our regular keeper was absent. We were up against it!

We played determinedly and managed to score first through Tom P. Saints levelled just before half time. We scored again early in the second half through a nice finish by AJ. Saints levelled shortly after. At three quarter we were tired, but determined to fight hard for 17 more minutes and WIN. Mid-way through the 4th quarter, Basyl scored our third goal to take the lead after a great interception and solo run at the opposition keeper. We held on for the final five or so minutes for a very satisfying win.

Thanks to Dave, Tom B, Cal, AJ and especially Luke for filling in.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Geelong Jaguars 0-3

With many regular players off at the Junior Country Championships, Falcons women were also struggling for players.  Thanks to Georgie for marshalling the troops so we could take the field.

We began with 9 players, including 4 who were doubling up from the D2 game the day before. Despite being outnumbered, Newtown had a significant amount of play in our attacking zone in the first quarter and achieved a number of circle entries.

Great defence from Ainsley, Kat and Alex turned back many of the Geelong forward moves, leaving Claire with an easier game in goals than she had anticipated.

The second half saw some excellent through passes from the defence and midfield with strong passes from Peta finding Georgie, Hailey and Audrey heading toward goal.  De is relishing her new role as the midfield tagger, and limited the opposition ability to attack down the left wing.

A great game by all players, with thanks to all those who worked so hard even though it was their second game. Well done everyone!

Division 2 Men

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 0-5

Unfortunately, with lots of junior players and parents involved at the JCC, there were not enough players to field a team in this local match, resulting in a forfeit by Strikers. Next time around will be a great match with Torquay.

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Saints 1-8

We had a rusty start this week, once we sorted out our marking strategy we were 5 nil down already to a very strong Saints team. Great team positivity and persistence enabled us to push back and some beautiful leading by Claire and Claudia led to a quick takeoff leaving their defence standing in the dust as Claudia converted.

The whole team put in above and beyond struggling with numbers (down to 8 at one point). Izzy, Kat and Georgie trying their hardest to cover both ends of the game. Great strength at the back from Kellie, Andy, Peta, Jeanie and Alex enabled them to push forward where possible.

Mentions to Dee and Peta who are both joining Kirsty on the own goal legends board. Dee’s was a perfect deflection that made our whole team cheer (despite the end). Peta decided to use Jeanie as a backboard for a quick conversion.

As always Paul remained positive and everyone came off smiling no matter the 1-8 scoreline.

 

Hockey Season 2019 – Grand Final

Hockey Season 2019 – Grand Final

A beautiful sunny day capped off the 2019 hockey season, with a thrilling win in the U14 Grand Final for Newtown Spirit, and a satisfying win for the U10 Strikers.

Under 14 Mixed

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia Blue 4-3

A nail biter! The grand final on Saturday against Kardinia Blue had the promise of being the match of the hockey season in the U14 competition. And it probably was. Both teams started by marking each other closely. Spirit defended well with Tom, Cam and Mitchell giving great support to our full backs. Long passing out of defense by Harry B to our running high striker, Harry W opened up our forward half and eventually resulted in a short corner. Harry B left nothing to chance with a powerful shot that sent us to a 1 nil lead. Spirit continued to work into space, with Harriet skillfully trapping a searing pass from Harry B and working the ball forward to Adam making good position just outside the D. Kardinia rallied and marked us harder in centre pitch where we got bogged down and started losing possession. They soon capitalised and drew level at 1 all. The play remained evenly split between both teams but Kardinia’s aggression up forward earnt them a short corner with only a few minutes remaining in the half. We defended well but failed to slow their momentum and they nosed in front 2 -1 at half time.

In the break coach Darren calmed the mood, focusing on the basics, marking players, making space and quick passing to players in that space.

It was immediately evident from the whistle in the second half that Kardinia meant business. Harry W’s game ended when he took a hard hit to the hand from a lifted ball. Then Spirit lifted. Forceful tackling by Mason in mid field dispossessed running Kardinia players; Tilly continued to shadow one of Kardinia’s key scoring players denying him much influence in the game; and Grace put up her own defensive wall on a number of occasions, stopping aggressive attacking plays by Kardinia in their tracks. Daniel and Izzy got in on the act when they were subbed on, both gaining possessions and looking for players in space. Still, we were down 2 – 1. With 16 minutes to go, a tomahawk by Harry B after a short corner was well defended by Kardinia full backs right on the goal line after beating the goalie. Only 2 minutes later, on another short corner, Harry B with a fore stick shot levelled the game at 2 all. Yet another short corner was followed by another shot by Harry B that would have hit the mark but was very well defended by the Kardinia goalie. At the 9 ½ minute mark, with tension rising, Tom snuck through a pass that found Luca lurking at the top of the D. After skillfully gaining possession, he beat 2 Kardinia players and the goalie to put us back into the lead 3 – 2. Spirit kept the pressure on Kardinia and looked set to seal the match with 3 ½ minutes left when Harry B, took on 6 Kardinia players deep in the D and forced a another short corner. No score. The clock dropped below 2 minutes and was there for at least 1 ½ minutes when a loose Kardinia striker made good from just inside the D; 3 all. Extra time.

Vocal crowd + extra time + golden goal = tension. Kardinia gained the upper hand early pushing into offense from the whistle. Our defenders rallied, led by Grace who held firm to give us breathing space. Harry B and Amber teamed up with nice passing around the top of our D. Five minutes in to extra time Kardinia strikers drove hard into offense, outnumbering us deep into their D leaving our goalie exposed for the first time in the match. A high speed shot that looked certain to be a season winning goal for Kardinia ended with the dull sound of ball on polystyrene, and Mai kicked the ball to safety. Nothing more, nothing less than we expected from our star goalie. Spirit didn’t panic, passed well and wrestled the ball out of defense to midfield. Harry B gained possession just outside the 25 line, rounded 2 Kardinia defenders and ran into space. Deep in the D, it was business as usual, goal; but a golden one that capped off a great season for the whole team, coach, manager and parents. 4 – 3.

2019 Hockey Season – Grand Final

 

 

 

 

 

2019 Hockey Season – U14 Premiers Newtown Spirit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under 10 Mixed

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 2-1

Newtown Strikers faced up to Torquay in an exhibition match between the U10 Premiers and Runners Up for the 2019 hockey season. Strikers were keen to put on a good performance after three matches against the Premiers, Torquay, in this hockey season had resulted in three losses. The first match was a 0-7 result, followed by two matches finishing at 0-1, so there were some keen players ready to take the field.

Torquay began well, with great focus and great ball movement and scored in the first half.  Great effort and hard running from Will B and Jacob was supported by good positioning from Sofia and Harrison. Grace, Bella and Edward provided a solid defence, getting the ball out to the midfield, where Charles was in great position. However the tendency to pass the ball back down the middle allowed Torquay to regain possession and threaten the goals.

A switch with Charles back to the last line of defence saw Edward move to centre midfield, and he met the opposition onslaught beautifully, tackling well and passing wide with William and Cormac in support, also making some nice interceptions. Improved focus and great running to space, combined with strategic passing to team mates found Maddie in perfect position in front of goals and Newtown finished with 2 goals in the last 10 minutes, to claim a 2-1 win.

Congratulations to the U10 Strikers on an excellent season, earning their Runners Up medals and finishing the season on a strong note.

 

Hockey Season 2019 – Preliminary Finals

The Preliminary Finals on September 7 showed the improvement in team play and team strategy which has occurred during the 2019 winter hockey season. Two excellent matches featuring teams from Newtown Hockey Club were played and we congratulate the players, coaches and managers on the way they represented the Club.

Under 14 Mixed

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia White 3-1

Last Saturday Spirit played Kardinia White in the preliminary final, a team we had not beaten until the last home and away match of the hockey season on the 24th of August. We went in with some confidence after a 7 nil win against them in that last round match, but as we know, finals can produce unexpected results. So, Spirit ran onto the pitch without any complacency and this was justified in the opening minutes with Kardinia putting us on notice early that a repeat of our previous meeting was unlikely. The ball was hotly contested and possession was shared equally in the opening minutes. An early chance with Harry W running in open space deep into the D didn’t come off. Kardinia tightened up in defense. Harry B found a way in a congested D to break the deadlock and give us a 1 nil lead. Spirit started to gain a greater share of the ball and gave Kardinia little opportunity past their 25 line. We ran the ball well into offense and looked likely to score on numerous occasions. A well-earned short corner saw the two Harry’s combine, Harry W finishing off with a tomahawk to give us our second. Kardinia continued to press us with close, honest tackling that hampered our attempts to open up the play. They pressed harder into offense and forced a short corner with 5 minutes left in the half. Spirit defenders held firm and the score at half time stood at 2 nil.

The second half started tense. The ball spent most of the time between the 25 lines without either team really threatening goals. Great running by Adam across centre pitch helped prevent Kardinia breaking through their 25 line on numerous occasions. It wasn’t until 10 minutes in that Spirit managed a short corner when Harry W ran the ball into the D. A powerful shot by Harry B just missed. Kardinia reacted well, earning a short corner and scored their first with about 12 minutes left. The rising tension was capped when Harry B fired in a great running goal with about 8 minutes to go sending the score to 3 – 1. The remainder of the match saw defensive play by both teams, Spirit defending their lead, Kardinia focused on closing down space that we were creating up forward.

Congratulations to Spirit on making the grand final and to Kardinia White on a hard fought match. Newtown Spirit will face up to Kardinia Blue in the Grand Final, in what is expected to be another fantastic game between the two teams.

Under 17 Mixed

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong Jaguars 0-1

In chilly conditions Newtown Spirit tackled a determined Geelong Jaguars in the Preliminary Final on Saturday. There was even play with hard marking by both sides at the start of the game. Spirit players displayed lots of fast paced running and more confidence this time round against our opposition.  Jaguars were provided with 2 short corners but our replacement goalie E.J did some fantastic dives which prevented them from scoring. Both Tom and Jarret were able to apply lots of pressure with great run and passing, and created scoring opportunities. Harley was able to continue his fierce determination and fast running down the wing, but was unlucky to miss his target. Jaguars however did finally score their first goal, ending the first half as 1-nil.

Spirit started the second half with the same level of intensity.  Harri worked tirelessly in both attack and defence, marking up and continued cutting off balls to the winger. With Spirit’s hungry attitude both Bailey and Caleb provided some fantastic defence work, their best so far. Mitchell was able to link up some great passing to allow some scoring opportunities. Angus and Ethan were valiant with their usual hard running, marking, tackling, and always looked to pass. Nick continued his ideal role as winger, always ready to slot a goal, but unfortunately Spirit wasn’t able to replicate its great form from the previous 2 weeks.  Desperate to win, our players took the game on, but we probably needed to be smarter and more cohesive to work the ball forward.  With a tense last 5 minutes both sides were unable to produce further goals.  The end score, nil to 1, is definitely telling it was a tough game but Spirit should be proud to have made it this far to the finals after a rocky season, and to have conceded just the one goal against the league’s highest scoring side.

Thank-you EJ to fill-in as a replacement goalie, and also to Mitchell for doubling up every week. See you at presentation night.