Round 3 of the hockey season saw the celebration of the Newtown Hockey Club’s 40th Anniversary, with a fantastic Gala function on Saturday night, and a full day of Newtown hockey on Sunday.
Kookas
Another excellent game for the Kookas this week, with great positioning by Braydn in front of goals. Excellent use of the back pass by Charlie allowed Team Orange to switch the play to create space in attack. Great tackling with stick on the ground by Baxter and good running in support by Emily allowed Team Red to defend well and create attacking moves.
Under 6 Joeys
As the hockey season progresses, our youngest players are developing their skills and learning ball control. This week we saw some great circles around the cone and some reverse stick work. Nice straight passes will be useful in coming weeks as we learn more skills.
Under 8
Newtown Raiders vs College White
This was a great game to watch. Some excellent passing from defence, with Issy watching the ball well. Great marking of opposition players by Charlie and Hannah. Well done to Hannah for a great goal as well as the rest of team the team for supporting her. In the second half, Lily found some good space on the wing and created some forward runs with good dribbling skills. Good job to Charlie and Issy who did lots of running. Jesse and Chloe also managed some strong tackles and put pressure on the other team.
Congratulations to Lily for receiving Subway Player of the Week
For Next Week our aim for everybody is keep their Eyes on the Ball and 2 Hands on your Stick!
Newtown Spirit Bye
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Strikers
Only four players were available for Strikers so two Rebels players kindly volunteered to swap teams. It was a strong start from Strikers who scored quickly. However the Rebels’ defence fought back and put pressure on Strikers who then missed some chances before returning to the attack at the end of the first half.
There was a faster pace in the second half, with both sides moving forward and attacking well. Rebels defended well in the face of consistent attacks from Strikers. There was a noticeable improvement in this game with players from both sides calling out more to one another and passing the ball more confidently. Everyone was involved in the game, marking well and staying in position.
Subway Player of the Week Awards went to Alex (Strikers), and Neve (Rebels) for her enthusiasm and improved effort.
Under 10 South
Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 1-2
A fantastic game by Spirit with ‘Killer’ running from everyone, and great work by Ryley on the wing. Avah was in the correct position all the time, and Lucy, Oliver and goalie Seb showed great teamwork and solid defence at the back. The team was switched on well, with great positioning from everyone. More use of voices to help their team mates would be an advantage. Focus for the second half was to stop the ball and look for team mates before passing wide, away from the crowded middle.
The second half featured some great tackling from everyone, and improved scanning for players out wide. Leo found his correct position and scored a goal. Great passing down the sideline from Meyah to Avah, and great dedication by Hana to come back after being hit with a ball. Max did some great running with Charlotte backing him up well. Subway Player of the Week Award to Grace, who always marked her player, and was focused and consistent with her efforts. Best Team Player Award to Lucy, who was always in position with some excellent defence and always tried her best. Thanks to Oliver and Avah for filling in this week.
Newtown Strikers vs Geelong College 0-0
What a well matched challenging game we had on Saturday. All team members showed great pressure throughout the game and forced the opposition to turnover. Elliott showed fantastic skills on the wing with her passes and dribbling. Thamindu and Amelia provided great support to Anna in goals and successfully defended a couple of short corners in the final stages of the game. At half time we were reminded to pass to the wings and not back in the centre of play especially in front of goals. Jai and Eliza showed great tenacity throughout the midfield with their reading of the ball and knowing where to be. During the second half the team was very unlucky not to score with the pressure they had placed on goal attempts. Amber and Isla worked together to gain possession with support provided by Ruby and Alex. During the second half there was a significant improvement with passing to the side. Jai at right half proved very effective with quick passes to Ruby on the wing which allowed her to take the ball down the right side and create very promising attacks. A fantastic game from everyone and staying in your position within crowding the play. Well done Strikers.
The most pleasing aspect of this game was that every player made great efforts to position themselves well to intercept the ball when College had possession. In addition, there were some fantastic strong and accurate passes to team mates. Subway Player of the Week award to Elliott and Best Team Player Award to Jai.
Under 12
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 2-1
Round 3 of the hockey season saw a sunny day at Stead Park and a very enthusiastic spirit team take the field. With the help of Eliza we were able to start the game with one on the bench which was exciting. With Pete away, Kirsty was interim coach and the kids treated her very well.
It was a fantastic game from the entire Spirit team with some really good work out of the backline, through the half backs and up to the forwards. Angus was solid in defense and if we can get our wings and inners onto the end of his clearing hits it will cause headaches for the opposition!
Inner was the position for Archer, which enabled him to roam a little. Mia found the back of the goals in the first half from a fantastic hit from the very deep right side of the circle. It was then Maggie’s turn to score her second goal for the season. Every team member was strong in their tackles and we seemed to go to the ball instead of waiting for it to come to us thus preventing it being cut off. Liam was in goals this week and saved 2 certain goals for us for which he should be commended. Our defense did however lapse at one point which saw the other Newtown team convert a goal and their level of commitment rise ever so slightly which was a little nerve wracking.
However, we held on and ended with our first win of the season. It truly was a brilliant game and I was just so impressed and proud of the Spirit players with the way they played their game and didn’t get distracted by what was going on around them.
Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 1-2
It was a tough match against a talented Newtown side. It was our first defeat of the hockey season but our players can hold their heads up high with their effort and persistence in defence. Spirit scored fairly early in the first half and Jack answered back with a lovely goal. Unfortunately we lost one of our star players, Ruby, soon after through injury missing her pace and ball control on the field. Spirit scored again before half time. The second half proved goal less with strong defence shown on both sides. Kenna was our standout player of the match showing great determination and a solid performance on the wing also giving great assistance in the D. Tom was strong as a full back and continually cleared it out of the danger zone and Archie tackled and chased players down like a pro. It was great to see the team starting to pass out wide rather than taking their chances down the middle. Looking forward to seeing further development in their upcoming matches.
Newtown Rebels vs Bellarine Lightning 0-3
Bellarine Lightning put on a dominant display against Newtown Rebels this week winning 3-0. The first and last goals were bookends, being scored in the first and last 30 seconds of the game. Lightning used sharp passes and angles throughout the game, placing constant pressure on the Rebels defence which held up well. Lachlan did an excellent job as goalkeeper, showing plenty of poise. The second half of the game saw Rebels move the ball into their forward half several times but were unable to penetrate the excellent defence of the Lightning’s Full Back. Thank you to Maggie, Alice and Surry who filled in this week and all played fantastic games. A big thanks to Niko too who filled in as coach.
Under 14
Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 3-2
Newtown Spirit had many players absent due to Wildcats tryouts, injury and illness but with U12 fill-ins Archie, Jack, Rory and Oscar from U14 Strikers, we were able to field a full team and had some subs available.
Kardinia launched straight into attack early and continued a series of fast breaks from Newtown’s forward half into attack, which resulted in them having a 2-nil lead at half time. There was some great defence from Charley, Ella, Nick and Riley, and Oscar from U14 Strikers, our goalie for the day, did a fantastic job as he was tested many times during the half. Harley, Max and Charley combined well on a number of occasions, and Jack from U12 Strikers also took the ball forward but Kardinia had many players in defence. Newtown had a few short corners late in the half, but the strikes were defended or slightly wide of goals.
The second half saw the tables turned, with Newtown doing lots of attacking. Jack again did well to find some space through to Jamie who put a score on the board for Newtown. The U12 fill-ins of Archie and Rory worked well in the mid-field with Bailey, and Grace provided opportunities up forward. Jamie created some great plays giving Nick and Max a chance up forward, but Kardinia was able to hold Newtown back temporarily. Our second goal came when Jamie was able to dribble down to the left of the goal, then cross in to Jack who scored. The last 10 minutes of the game were really tense, with Newtown having 6 or more short corners through the great persistence of Max and Charley. Jamie finally broke through during a short corner to score. With seconds to go, Kardinia made one final attack but as the crowd held its breath, the siren sounded, giving Newtown a 3-2 win in an exciting match.
Newtown Strikers vs Golden Plains 3-2
Under 17
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 1-2
Strikers took to the field with only 9 players initially. Unfortunately the strong Torquay opposition took advantage of this and scored quickly during that period. We soon gained another player shortly after the goal was scored and this allowed us to lock down our defence; the game became much more even after that despite still being 1 player down. It was a luxury to have the cool heads and leadership of Corey and Callum playing defensive roles which allowed us to play with a defender short. Having Luka back was also a treat and he really helped limit the damage with several good saves. Another valuable contributor in defence was Jen who tagged her opponent as reliably as usual. At half time we managed to hold the margin at 0-1.
We were very lucky to have Ella join in the second half which brought us up to a full team. The change in team dynamics was instantaneous and we had most of the offensive play in the second half. Very early in the half we managed to score a goal from a short corner with Erin taking the shot and Tom deflecting it in. We really started to gain momentum and it looked like we might get up for the win. However Torquay played really well and limited our attacks. As the game went on we started to get heavy legs due to the huge effort put in by the team in the first half to stay in the game and unfortunately Torquay scored a very late goal. We nearly stole the game back with a short corner after the final whistle but unfortunately we were unable to convert.
Newtown Spirit Bye
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay Tornadoes 4-4
Falcons looked in control for the first 10 minutes of the game against Torquay Tornadoes. Niko started on the right wing, combining well with Adam at right half, playing his first game for Falcons. A nice straight ball down the line by Adam allowed to Niko to run onto the ball, and he took it along the side line and a miss hit ended with a goal, 1-0. Then some good team work got Falcons a number of short corners and Gus scored from one, 2-0. Torquay came back and found a hole in the defence to score, 2-1.
The early second half play saw Falcons concentrate the play on one side of the field, passing to Torquay’s advantage, and without close marking of opponents, Torquay were able to gain possession. Torquay pounced on any mistakes made by Falcons, and earned a goal, 2-2. Falcons settled again and scored from open play and good passing in the circle, 3-2. Torquay kept the pressure on and capitalised on any Falcons mistakes. Good play by Lachy in defence with Adam and Niko doing well. Final score 4-4.
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 1-12
It was always going to be a tough game, adding to our challenge was a number of injuries from last weekends game and players unavailable. Regardless, the team played well and limited Torquay to six goals in the first half. To our credit Torquay was only able to score another six goals in the second where these types of games can often turn into a blood bath / score fest. Also on the positive side, we were able to mount a number of counter offensives which resulted in Sean Fitzgerald scoring a glorious tomma into the top right of the net. With a number of tough games ahead of us, first Saints and then last years premiers the Falcons, we’ll have to focus on lifting our game and playing the type of hockey that had us in the top four last hockey season.
Note: this game later awarded to Strikers as a forfeit by Torquay.
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Geelong Jaguars 0-7
A number of unavailable players due to injury and other commitments left Falcons to start the match with just 10 players. Thanks to Sam and Lucy for stepping in to make a full team. Geelong put the pressure on from the start and the Falcons defence had to work very hard, and did a great job keeping out many more shots. The players never gave up despite the pace of the game. With one on the bench, there was some opportunity for relief, until late in the game when Ainsley went off after being hit on the forearm with a ball.
Newtown Strikers vs Saints 0-9
With the defence under pressure for much of the game, Meg and Hill at full back fended off many Saints attacks. A ‘give it your all’ game by Penny in the midfield, with Teeah giving great support, was able to gain possession for Newtown and create avenues through to the forward line. Fantastic running all game by Shannon saw the ball in Newtown’s attacking zone many times but we weren’t able to capitalise on the chances. Saints scored the majority of their goals from short corners, using a variety of plays to achieve results. The game included 2 penalty strokes – 1 scored, 1 saved.
Division 2 Men
Newtown Spirit vs Geelong Jaguars 0-1
Division 2 Women
Newtown Spirit Bye
