As the 2016 hockey season progresses, the development of skills and teamwork is suggesting an enjoyable year for all, and holds the promise of another successful year for the Newtown Hockey Club.
Kookas Midweek Hockey
Another great game by all players this week, with Sam S and Ella making great position for Team Red to intercept passes meant for Team Orange. Jai and Ben provided great support, making position in attack to move the ball forward. Good use of space in front of goal saw the score mount up for Team Red. Great running by Amy, Cate and Sam H for Team Orange but the defence of Team Red made it hard to score. The second half saw some fantastic challenges by Cate, and she gained possession and sent her team into attack with a lovely through pass, and resulted in a goal for Orange after some slick passing in front of goal. Great effort everyone.
Under 8
Newtown Strikers vs College White
Thank you to Amelia for volunteering to play for another Newtown team. We have been impressed with everyone’s willingness to help out with other teams.
Throughout the first half everyone displayed great defence in what was an evenly matched first half against College White. Eliza showed great coverage of the field and following the ball throughout the entire game. Ruby was always helping her team out with calling and running back to help support Alex S in goals. Emma showed a growing confidence on the wing with strong passes back into play. Amy was able to read the play and took the opportunity to gain possession and running down the field.
The second half was a slower start with College managing to get a couple of quick goals in. Alex J was able to tackle College to gain possession and calling for assistance. Alex S was brought into the centre half to also take on the tackling role. After a period as goal keeper Isla moved back into the right half to get a couple of attacks on goals. The last few minutes were hotly contested and everyone lifted their game. Emma was awarded Best Team Player for great work on the wing. Remember to be 5 steps away so your team mate has someone to pass to.
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Rebels
Newtown Spirit concentrated on ball control and accurate passes in a good-natured encounter with stablemate Rebels at Lloyd Reserve on Saturday. Spirit enjoyed a full contingent of players so loaned Ruben, Charlotte and Pollyanna, who was trying out Under-8 competition for the first time, to help fill Rebels’ depleted ranks.
Spirit put in a strong first half, with Max and Nate on fire from the start. The boys worked well together with their passing as they successfully drove the ball forwards time and again. Max switched teams part way into the half after illness forced an opposition player from the field.
While play was concentrated in the centre corridor in the first half, Spirit attempted to spread the action to the wings after the break. Despite only having four to their side for the majority of the game, Nate, Meyah, Avah and Lucy didn’t let up on their pace, combining well in both defence and attack. Lucy made some clever passes, including off free hits, to set up a great sequence of play on several occasions. Meyah put in a strong performance, shutting down fast breaks by Rebels and, when in attack, proved a valuable option for fellow teammates. She, like sister Avah, never stopped running. The two combined well during the game.
Spirit’s players didn’t get a chance to feel cold during the game – none of them really had time to stand still. The four players displayed an impressive work rate as they covered the whole field, backing up their team mates when needed and supporting each other as they pushed forward. Lucy won the Best Team Player award for Spirit after showing great vision, impressive passing and good selection when taking free hits. Great game Spirit and well done also to the Spirit trio who put in a strong match for Rebels to help out their numbers.
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Spirit
Well done to both teams in a very exciting match which showed how well both teams have improved their skills. With Rebels only having three players, it was wonderful to see how Spirit were willing to loan their players. Charlotte was wonderful with her trapping of the ball and hitting into space and tackling. Ruben starred in the middle and on the backline trapping balls well and running into space. Max moved with speed down the middle passing to team mates and calling for the ball. A great game by Pollyanna in her first U8 game, staying on the wing well, with strong tackling and she never gave up.
Well done to Scarlett and Hamish who found space and called for the ball, with some fantastic passing to team mates. Great commitment by Mai to come even though she wasn’t 100% well, and had to retire early. Hope she is feeling better soon. Overall, a great game by all players, and the efforts of the Spirit players were much appreciated.
Newtown Raiders vs Kardinia 3
Growing confidence and improving skills are evident each week for Newtown Raiders, and the determination of players to take possession of the ball and the game was demonstrated well by Cate and Isabel. Great ball control skills and focus on the ball saw Newtown Raiders control the game early in the first half, with Isabel finishing off a number of attacks strongly. Lovely passing by Eliza-May found Amelia and Charlotte in space in the scoring zone and set up opportunities to have a shot. Great defence by Oscar, and great support by Cate for her teammates in attack kept the play in Newtown’s forward half for much of the game. Jesse gained possession with his stick on the ground, and made some nice passes to move the ball forward for Newtown. Thanks to Amelia for filling in for Raiders. Best Team Player award to Jesse.
Under 11 North
Newtown Rebels vs Bellarine Lightning 2-1
The U11 Newtown Rebels met Bellarine Lightning at Stead Park for their 8:15am match on Saturday. A sunny morning soon gave way to light rain and a chilly breeze, but that didn’t stop both teams from having a red-hot go. Bellarine Lightning came out firing with many pushes into attack. There were a barrage of short corners for Bellarine, but our defense of Genevieve, Grace, Charlotte and goalkeeper Olivia held tight. Imogen and Brandon had some nice touches through the mid-field, and Basyl was able to take the ball well into our forward half but scoring opportunities for both he and Kiah were defended well by Bellarine. With a few minutes remaining to half time, Kiah was able to score thanks to some good passing from Sam, Basyl and Patrick.
In the second half, Bellarine again troubled our defenders and soon evened up the score one-all. From then, neither side could make the most of their opportunities although Bellarine seemed to have more of the ball. With minutes to go Newtown had the ball in our forward line a few times but couldn’t convert. It looked like being our first drawn game for the season until, with seconds to go, Teijai received the ball more than 5 metres out and hit a great goal that sealed the win.
Congratulations to Charlotte on reaching 25 Junior games for Newtown, and thanks to Teijai and Brandon for topping up Bellarine’s team for a half each.
Newtown Rebels
Under 11 South
Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 2-1
This weeks game was yet again a great effort by all. Peter Eastman stepped in as coach and the kids listened well to his instructions. Nate and Max stepped up from Under 8 to help us field a team. These young Under 8 players are certainly willing and more than able.
The game was a challenge due to some interesting play by the opposition but Spirit dealt with the swinging sticks and rough play really quite well. We certainly had plenty of the play with many shots on goal. Golden Plains’ defence was quite strong and they held us to 2 goals ( Angus 1, Mia 1) which would have been 3 but for the whistle being blown just as Harry struck the ball!
The team is starting to play very well together and the ball is being moved up the field well. The players are starting to realise that you can go back to make more room before heading forward. Well done everyone. Best Team Players were Liam and Oliver.
Newtown Strikers vs College White 0-3
College began the game strongly, and the crowded play made it difficult for Newtown to move into attack. Michael in goals made some great stops, and Nathan worked hard to take free hits quickly but we found it hard to penetrate the College press on our free hits, leaving our defence under great pressure. Lack of precision in passing did not allow Newtown to create any great headway in the first half. Some position changes at half time resulted in better co-ordination between team mates, and pro-active defence and some great passing from Jack and Grace B found space for forwards Declan, Owen and Zoe to get the ball into the attack zone, with a couple of near misses in front of goals. More determination and focus on gaining possession is required if Newtown Strikers are to show what a great team they can be. Thanks Ruben from Under 8 for filling in. Best Team Player awards to Jack and Owen.
Under 13
Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 4-1
Congratulations to the team for a good win (4:1) against Torquay, who despite being 2 players short played a strong game and challenged us several times. A clear highlight of the the game was the great passing forward and out of defence. Harry had a cracker of a game with some great passes, tackles, runs with the ball and hitting the first goal of the game. Max (RHB) also had a fantastic game and was so solid in defence and in moving the ball through to our forwards. I have to mention the awesome goal by Torquay off a short corner, lobbing the ball up and over, perfectly weighted to just fall into the net over everyone’s heads. It is so exciting to see the skills of our junior players!
Newtown Strikers Bye
Under 15
Newtown Spirit vs Bellarine 2-3
A dogged Under 15 Spirit went down to Bellarine 3-2 in a highly competitive game. Fielding only 9 players the team lived up to it’s name, defending grimly and attacking with tenacity throughout the match. In the first half both teams had only a few genuine scoring chances, with the undermanned Spirit having the better of general play. The Spirit was unlucky not to score first with Matt creating an opportunity for Tom, who’s shot on goal deflected off the post. Bellarine eventually scored through a well taken short corner but the Spirit struck back almost immediately with a powerful strike from Amber, also from a short corner. In the second half, despite fatigue beginning to set in, the team continued to follow instructions from Niko to run and spread the ball. Eventually however Bellarine gained the ascendency and using it’s numerical advantage generated numerous scoring opportunities. The Spirit continued to defend grimly with Erin in particular stoic in defence and Max showing fantastic skill and determination in goal, saving several shots (many consecutively). Despite these efforts Bellarine scored two second half goals. A late goal to Tom gave the Spirit a small chance of salvaging a draw but time ran out. It was a fantastic effort by all players who never stopped trying throughout the match.
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 5-1.
The U15 Strikers took a strong win against Kardinia on the weekend with a final score of 5:1. Scoring early with a goal from Oscar in the first few minutes set up a very fast first half that had the forwards converting 3 more chance before halftime. The second half saw a resurgent Kardinia with them scoring a goal early and putting our back line under constant pressure for the most of the second half. Taking advantage of a late short corner, Jack put away his second goal and the 5th for the team. Great field play from Rachael ensured the ball was moved quickly into position setting up many opportunities and ensuring that she was voted as our most valuable player for the game.
Under 17
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 7-1
Before this game, the Strikers, were sitting in second place on the ladder and came up against Torquay who were sitting third on the ladder; only one win behind. This was going to be an important game to ensure that we cemented ourselves in second place on the ladder. And what a performance! It was a great example of team play with all players working extremely well to support each other. The two Toms got us off to a flying start with both scoring early goals. Given the good start to the game, coach decided to try a few players out in different positions to test their versatility. Erin was moved into a high centre forward role and scored within five minutes after positioning herself perfectly in the spot. All of the spectators were impressed with the first half display and we were rewarded with a halftime lead of six-nil. Torquay increased their work rate in the second half and pushed some of their players forward to try and reduce the impact of our forward press. Luka was put under a bit more pressure in the second half but responded with some fantastic saves off a couple of Torquay tomma’s. It was impossible to pick a best on ground this week as it was an impeccable team effort.
Newtown Spirit Bye
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Saints 4-2
Buddha once said ‘Three things can not be long hidden: The sun, the moon and the truth’. The truth is that SFG in incapable of not scoring from the baseline. Even when he does not mean to, he scores from the baseline. Even opposition goalies want SFG to score from the baseline. A good win against Saints warms the cockles of your heart and last weekend’s game was no exception. Handles had everything under control down back, Rossie and Big Red doubled up, and GK Thornster had his first win against his old club. Well done lads. Big thanks to Peter Stuart for his work too.
Newtown Strikers vs Geelong 3-1
Well it just goes to show that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. After the pummeling that the Strikers have endured over the past two weeks, we were keen to play against Geelong as they beat us earlier in the season 3 – 2. From the start of the game the Strikers took control, maintaining possession of the ball through a combination of back passing and short one twos which we’ve been working on throughout the season. Effective manning up in the midfield forced Geelong out wide limiting their chances at scoring, while our attacking plays were able to better use our numbers for a combination of field goals and short corner conversions. But we can’t rest on our success, next week has us up against Saints which will be another tough game and another chance to continue to improving both individually and as a team.
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 1-1
Newtown Strikers vs Geelong 0-2
Division 2 Men
Newtown Spirit vs Bellarine Storm 2-2
Spirit played a high intensity match against Bellarine this week that resulted in a 2 all draw. The pleasing aspect to the match was that Spirit had a lot of possession and were very strong in defence again this week, despite a couple of hiccups. Once we get the forwards to pass and run to go around the opposition we will start to move up the table. Well done to everyone – a whole team effort.
Division 2 Women
Newtown Rebels vs Geelong 0-3
A big winter welcome back to Pam Oliveiro. Great to have you back as centre half again. Geelong started off fast and slick with a quick goal. Rebels upped their marking and made great plays to thwart Geelong’s many attacks. Outstanding ball control from Jacinta coupled with Eichelle’s freaky saves kept Rebels in the game. Sharon and Colleen earned their stripes under the constant attack.
In the second half Newtown made a few break throughs with good ball passes along the wings. Emily W played so well in her first senior game, creating space and driving play through to the circle. Rebels were rewarded with a penalty corner and were unlucky not to score.
Overall a great game with Rebels holding up well throughout the match. Thoughts are with Andy. Hope the hamstring is OK.
