As the hockey season progresses, it is very pleasing to see the development of skills and confidence at all levels, and especially in our newer players.
Under 6 Joeys
This week’s session revised the techniques and skills for passing the ball, with players making some nice strong and straight passes to their partner. All players showed some great scanning while dribbling and were able to change direction effectively. We finished with a quick game of ‘Keepings Off’ and even in the short time, it was clear that players were thinking about passing and then running again for the next pass. Excellent work by all.
Under 8 Mixed
Newtown Strikers v College Green
Strikers had a great match this week against the College Green. We welcomed two new players to our team, Cormac and Odin, who both played amazingly well! Strikers dominated throughout the first half, consistently moving forward and attacking strongly, despite crowding from College Green players. Whenever College Green had possession, Strikers defended and worked hard as a team to regain control of the ball.
At half-time Colleen praised the team’s efforts and impressed upon them the importance of calling to one another and taking free passes quickly.
In the second half, Strikers continued to dominate and showed increased confidence, particularly when passing to one another. The team displayed great tenacity, always chasing the ball and ensuring College Green were unable to mount a counter-attack.
All in all, Strikers had another excellent game this week and Isabella was awarded Subway Player of the Week for a hugely improved performance. Congratulations Isabella!
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Spirit
The first half saw a very competitive game with plenty of play in the middle half of the field. Isabelle, borrowed from Strikers, provided impetus with quick free hits to Edward, Amelia and Sofia ahead of her. Solid defence by George and Zeph didn’t let Spirit get any break away moves going, and Sam was in good position in front of goals, stopping a number of shots by Spirit. In the second half, a quick free pass from Sofia to a very focused Harrison saw him score a lovely goal. Best Team Player Award to Harrison.
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Rebels
Spirit players showed strong marking skills in their enthusiastic match against Newtown stablemate Rebels in Under-8 competition at Lloyd Reserve on Saturday. In a fairly even encounter, the two sides both enjoyed strong passages of attack as they worked the ball towards goals during the entertaining clash. While Spirit, which fielded a seven-strong team thanks to new player Edie’s arrival, initially concentrated play up the centre, Pollyanna and Edie stayed wide on the wings to provide options to open up the game while Drew was calm and collected protecting the goals.
After half time – where Coach Kellie urged players to use the sidelines to avoid congestion up the middle of the field – the game spread out as the reshuffled Spirit players lifted their heads and looked for their teammates. Maia and Summah followed their coach’s instructions, patrolling inside the sidelines from wing and ever ready to carry the ball into attack. Braxton, never one to stand back and watch a ball go by, was quick off the mark whenever the action came his way, tackling and applying pressure with growing skill. Oliver played a strong game as goalie and repelled many Rebel advances.
While the half backs strived to take frees as quickly as possible, their teammates worked the “clock face” positions well, using the width of the field more effectively and making it easier to manoeuvre the ball through the opposition.
After the game Coach Kellie said the team had played well, with players marking strongly, moving into the right position more effectively and creating better passing opportunities to drive the ball into attack. She awarded the Subway Best Team Player award to newcomer Edie for “getting right in there and having a good game” in her first match.
Under 10 Mixed
Newtown Spirit v Newtown Rebels 3-2
Newtown Spirit played an exceptional game of hockey today. Kellie reminded all players that she would like to see everyone spread out and open up the field, so we had plenty of players to pass to. There was plenty of tackling early on and with Matilda pushing the ball through her opponents legs she won many frees which Kellie was super excited about. Ruben had a few attempts at goal with plenty of support from his team mates until finally he was successful after Matilda shot for goal and Ruben pushed it in. Nate was also successful after beautifully lining up the ball to score the goal. Hamish in goals saved the day numerous times after not having “touched the ball” in 2 weeks. There was lots of talk about “manning up” and to make sure we were in front of our opposition and ready to tackle.
At half time Kellie was pleased and her opening comments were “it’s all coming together”. Everyone was having a fantastic game with lots of running, tackling, sticks were down, pushing through to win the free and everyone coming to meet the ball. Great connections with many triangles being used to move up the field. A reminder to use the right-hand side of the field more and when in the circle keep attacking the ball when heading into the goal – second and third efforts are important. A great second half with everyone playing in position and marking well. Nate scored another goal early in the second half.
Kellie absolutely loved the game and all players showed great confidence with lots of spinning out, meeting the ball early and spreading out. Thank you to George for filling in today. Emme received Best Team Player award for listening to the coach and applying her skills from training. Lucy received the Subway award for great tackling and always having her stick down ready to meet the ball.
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Spirit 2-3
Firstly congratulations to Alex on reaching your 50 game milestone.
Emma displayed some strong kicking skills as goal keeper this week. A quick penalty shot from Alex got the play back in the Rebels attacking position. Amelia was again showing some great stick control with her back stick work. Baxter worked hard on stopping and trapping the ball throughout the ball. Jai again found the back of the goals by scoring twice. There were great passages of play with play along the sides by Eliza to Amelia and onto Jai or from Alex through to Tommy and Lucinda onto Ruby. India played fantastically along the wing and running into position to trap the ball and play up along the line.
Throughout the game there was great stick work with everyone keeping their sticks on the ground. However we need to look ahead and think about our passes more instead of handing the ball straight back to the opposition, we need to focus on switching our play and making square passes. By knowing where our opposition players are we should be finding gaps or moving in front of them to minimise turnovers.
The highlight of the game was Jai’s second goal, scored from an acute angle just half a metre off the back line. Best Team Player and Subway awards to Ruby and Amelia.
Newtown Strikers vs Bellarine 5-0
Strikers started the match in an attacking fashion, with several promising runs forward early on. Meyah and Surry worked hard through the middle part of the ground to keep the ball moving into attack, whilst Zac and Lisette ran hard to support as inners, providing good passing options. When necessary, the ball was swept wide to the great positioning of Avah and Michael on the wings, however some great decision making was also shown by our half-backs led by Kye, by passing centrally to an open player on several occasions. This led to strong entries into the top of our attacking circle. Several short corners were awarded and despite an over-turned goal, the Strikers players regrouped and capitalised on another opportunity shortly after, with Zac finishing off truly from a great team set play. The first half showed a great improvement from the Strikers players to stick to their positions and switch between attack and defence mode!
In the second half, most players were asked to play a different position in order to involve everyone in a forward or defending role. Madison relished the opportunity up forward and played her best game of the season, making several determined runs forward with the ball and adopting a more attacking mindset in front goals. She looked extremely dangerous on a number of occasions and successfully hit the scoreboard. Madison was awarded the Subway award this week for her efforts…well done!
Hannah was moved from the half back line where she had been extremely reliable with her tackles and clearing balls out wide, to the centre forward position. She worked hard to position herself deep in attack and listened extremely well when asked to step up to trap and hit our short corners late in the game. Her solid all-round game earnt Hannah the Best Team Player award for the week.
Charlotte also listened well when moved onto the wing in the second half and provided plenty of run and good positioning. Will suited up as goalie this week and showed plenty of promise in his warm-up. His reliable kicking wasn’t required however during the game. Thanks again to Jacob for helping us out. He provided fresh run as an Inner in the second half and worked hard to pass to teammates during several forward runs. This was a great game for the Strikers players to build their confidence in finishing off their hard work in front of goals, display some great team work and show versatility in a number of positions.
Under 10 Girls
Team Pink vs Team Purple 4-2
Team Pink: Amelia, Matilda, Ruby (3), Lauren, Lily, Pollyanna, Phoebe (1)
Team Purple: Elliott, Maddison (1), Zoey, Dakota, Stella, Aimee (1)
There were many highlights in this game:
- Great running from Matilda keeping the ball in play.
- Amelia choosing where to pass to
- Great quick passes from penalties
- Defending goals by Pollyanna
- Nice passes that are growing in strength
- Knowing when it’s the right time to pass
- Looking for the gaps or making them
- Looking at whole field to choose the best option to pass to
- Spreading out and looking out wider to pass at the last minute with firm passes
Throughout the game Matilda showed fantastic running skills and covered so much ground to keep the ball in play. Amelia looked ahead when making passes to find gaps and showed some fancy ball control. Everyone made quick penalty shots by looking where their team mates were while walking up to take the shot. Great defence from Pollyanna for her first game with us.
Polly, Phoebe and Lauren worked well together in defence and talking to each other to set up an impressive back line. Lily and Phoebe made good square passes to set up goal scoring opportunities. Aimee had a couple of close attempts on goals and was rewarded by scoring in the latter part of the game. Zoey, Dakota and Stella also kept up with the change of direction of the fast pace of this weeks game. Great game girls
Under 12 Mixed
Newtown Spirit vs Geelong 0-5
Newtown Strikers Bye
Under 14 Mixed
Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia Maroon 3-0
It was a steady start to Sunday morning with both teams seemingly affected by the slightly balmy late May weather and taking a rather leisurely approach to the game. Play was end to end early on but with no genuine attempts on goal. Newtown began to gain the upper hand towards the end of the half with the majority of possession but weren’t able to convert the pressure into a goal with the half ending 0:0.
The second half started in much the same way as the first, but Newtown were finally able to break the deadlock when Will scored what can only be described as a ‘pinball wizard’ goal, as the ball shot around between sticks in the heavily congested D. The second Newtown goal was more conventional with an attack up the right wing by Liam and a successful shot in off the goal keeper’s pads from the baseline. The third and final goal to Sam was from a short corner near the end of play with the final score 3:0 to Newtown.
Thanks to Brandon for donning the goal keepers gear this week, although there was little need to implement tips from the impromptu pre-game goal keeping lesson due to the fantastic defence from fullbacks Luca and Amelia all through the game. Look forward to seeing you all at training on Thursday night at 5:30pm, and the next game on Saturday morning at 11:15am.
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Blue 3-2
Under 17 Mixed
Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 2-2
Newtown Spirit played Torquay on Saturday in a stunning game, with both sides putting in 100% and utilizing all players right up to the final whistle.
Scores were drawn nil/nil at half time after multiple goal scoring opportunities, and equally strong defense by both sides. Goalie Max played an incredible game to stop the relentless Torquay attack, with Rachel and Oliver a strong defending combination. Rachel displayed standout skills with her flat stick tackles and Oliver impressive with his many ball clearances to stop Torquay in the circle.
With 16 minutes of the second half to go, Miles sprinted away from the opposition to score. Torquay replied swiftly with a strong shot at goal saved by Max. Again with 13 minutes remaining, the ball was passed to Oli on the wing, was passed to Ben and then Angus who scored for a 2/nil advantage. Emily was a strong option on the post and was in the perfect positioning to provide opportunities for Spirit. Credit to Torquay who remained committed and scored with 7 minutes remaining and equalized at just 3 minutes remaining. Spirit held firm, however, for the remainder and the result was a nail biting draw.
After the game coach Paul thanked Oli for stepping up from U/14’s to make up team numbers and for working well with Ben to play the ball wide and provide attacking opportunities to the forwards. He praised Max for his outstanding goal keeping. He commented that “Ben and Angus did really well and Miles was great”. In finishing he said Spirit “played a perfect game, using all players. Everyone worked well as a team”.
Congratulations to all team members who played an outstanding team game it was fantastic to watch. Well done!
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 2-2
Strikers played Kardinia in perfect conditions on Sunday. Strikers won our previous encounter, and with both teams on 1 win for this hockey season, Strikers were looking for another strong showing. Kardinia had other ideas, and the first half could easily have gone Kardinia’s way with a few chances at the the 13th minute and late in the half, saved with Luka’s excellent goalkeeping. With 10 minutes remaining, Miles and Oscar ran through Kardinia’s defence enabling Oscar to score and give us a 1-0 lead. They nearly followed up again a minute later in a similar fashion, and EJ and Miles also had attempts on goal after a Kardinia penalty corner was intercepted by Ella and taken forward by Oscar.
In the second half, Kardinia continued to pressure our defenders and while we were able to hold off one penalty corner and Luke successfully defended another hit, their attackers managed to get through Luka’s diving defence and Sam S’s help to score a goal to make it 1-1. Kardinia followed up with another goal soon after. Strikers kept cool under pressure and with 2 minutes to spare, Jarret hit a nice reverse stick goal high into the net to level the scores at 2-2. Kardinia had a chance to win when a penalty corner was awarded on the final siren, but Strikers cleared the ball to end the game in a deserving 2-2 draw.
Our younger players, Harry, Sam R, Sam S and Amelia continue to impress with their skills and maturity when tackling, passing and dribbling around opponents, and overall, use of our wings and ball movement up forward is improving as the team gets more game time together. Thanks to Amelia for playing for us.
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay Tornadoes 8-3
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 1-4
Division 2 Men
Newtown Spirit vs Saints White 3-1
We had a tight struggle through the first half and were playing stronger than Saints but unable to make a real impact on the scoreboard. Fortunately we had a bench and Saints didn’t, so as the game went on we were able to maintain our intensity whilst the Saints faded. We scored 3 very good goals each with a great build up. Martin showed that he is more than just a goalie by scoring 2 and Tom C scored his first goal in his seniors. Our defence played very strongly again, covering the opposition well and although Saints managed to score a goal they never looked like being a real threat. Our team is continuing to get better each week as our newer players are beginning to settle into the side. This was good strong win and will continue to build our confidence.
Division 2 Women
Newtown Spirit vs Geelong 1-4
A quick foray into the attacking zone by Geelong in the first few minutes of the game caught our defence off guard and Geelong were able to deflect a goal in from a strong hit just outside the 25 yards area. However, the defence rallied and worked hard to cover the opposition players and slow down their forward moves. Spirit chased hard in the midfield and Kellie and Emma continued to pressure Geelong whenever they gained possession. There were some fantastic free passes to people in space which saw Spirit earn a number of scoring opportunities. A lovely pass by Peta from right midfield to the left attack zone found Kirsty in great position in front of the goal to score, and we were back in the game.
Kirsty and Deanne tried a temporary new position at full back, and acquitted themselves well. Sarah works harder each week, and is showing some excellent ball control skills, helping to push the ball into our attack. Despite the best efforts of our defence, Geelong regularly made use of square passes to unmarked teammates and took advantage of our inability to adapt to their quick changes, ending with a further 3 goals on the board.
