Only 4 weeks left in this hockey season before finals, and teams are really putting in some great efforts.
Under 8 Mixed
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers
It was an intraclub clash when Spirit took on Strikers in the sunshine in the latest round of Under 8 action in at Lloyd Reserve. The good-natured weekend game featured its share of strong tackling, fast breaks, goals and clever passing in front of an audience enjoying the mild winter conditions. Spirit put on an enthusiastic display of hockey in the first half, with Maia controlling the ball well while moving into attack and Summah perfectly placed out wide. Edie protected the goals strongly, coming out on several occasions to meet fast-moving attacks by Strikers players.
At half time Coach Kellie praised her team but urged them not to crowd, to call more for the ball and let teammates know where they were. When the reshuffled Spirit took to the field in the second half, they used square passes on occasion and worked hard in attack and defence. Braxton was tenacious as usual, Oliver pulled out his trademark controlled spins with the ball while Pollyanna tackled strongly and passed the ball to good effect.
Despite their best efforts, the team’s energy flagged a bit towards the end of the game, their concentration slipped and they strayed from their positions. Coach Kellie praised her team after the final whistle, saying their first half especially had been really promising and they had all worked hard.
Newtown Rebels vs Torquay
The first half saw some good work from George and Sam in gaining possession of the ball for Rebels but loose marking of opposition players and great use of space by Torquay to pass to team mates put the defence under plenty of pressure. Edward was in great position in front of goal but the onslaught from Torquay was hard to contain.
The second half saw some quicker free passes, closer marking of opposition players and better use of space for Rebels. Rebels were able to create a number of promising attacks, with Sofia, Marlo and Ella providing good outlets from the midfield. Harrison followed up the play well, and found himself in great position to score. George worked hard the whole game, with great focus on the ball and great ball control skills, and received the Subway Player of the Week Award.
Under 10 Mixed
Newtown Spirit vs Bellarine 12-0
Spirit started the game well with plenty of energy, non-stop running and great focus. Although Bellarine were playing well with plenty of attacking and play on the ball there was no stopping Spirit with 5 goals scored in the first half. Scorers Leo, Matilda, Ruben and Nate were well supported by their team mates and it was great to see Spirit players so enthusiastic.
At half time coach Kellie was pleased but needed to highlight that we were playing the ball up the middle of the field which is where the most of the Bellarine players. Kellie suggested stopping the ball, take a moment to look up and send the ball out to the side players because they are all in position waiting for the hit out. Coach Kellie wants to see nothing but passing, passes all the way up the field and everyone to touch the ball. Hamish in goals was quick to point out that he probably doesn’t need to touch the ball!!
The second half saw more plays out to the wings and fantastic passing and movement of the ball with seven goals scored. Thank you to Max O for filling in today for us. Although we came away with a great win Coach Kellie reminded everyone to be excited but make sure we show good sportsmanship to our opponents. Bellarine are a new team to the Hockey Geelong U10 competition and played with great determination and energy right till the end. Spirit played a better second half with no loose balls and were more pro-active on the field.
Awards went to Emme for her focus and strong passes on field and Nate for his great listening to the coach and his non-stop effort throughout the game.
Newtown Rebels vs Kardinia 4-0
On a sparkling winter’s morning, with the dew dazzling on the grass U10 Rebels took the field against Kardinia. India kindly volunteered to keep goal, and has a perfect record, though after the game she did let us know that she was quite pleased to have not touched the ball. It’s fair to say that the team played as a cohesive group and the full back duties shared to perfection by Elliott, Amelia and Alex. Elliott did some great strong work on the half line feeding the ball straight back into attack many times when Kardinia tried to make a break for our goal. The halves and forwards did lots of running and came back to support the defence when required as well. The game was off to a fast start with Eliza feeding a square pass to Tommy in the circle for a goal. Eliza
continued to hassle in the centre causing the opposition to sigh in frustration as she was off again. On the wing Emma did a marvellous job tackling and showing her classy stick skills to keep the ball away from the opponents. Mia played amazingly and positioned herself well in the circle. Alex did very well even with a very sore lip. Lucinda learnt heaps of new skills and also did an amazing keepings off. Baxter did some hard running and was always ready for Kardinia to attack. Ruby scored an amazing goal and passed the ball to everyone. Amelia ran hard and played in a spot she had never played before.
So I expect you want to know what the final score was, well it was 4-0.
Newtown Strikers vs Red Jaguars 1-0
Strikers played in another highly competitive and closely matched game against the Jaguars. Starting with a more attacking positioning of players, Surry and Kye were moved to the forward line in the hope of generating some strong forward plays early on. Strikers were successful in moving the ball forward from the half back position, however could not link up successfully in the attacking zone to capitalise. Our strong hits were a feature early on, with Meyah leading the way from half back. A few short corners were attempted but Jaguars held firm and defended strongly. With our inners either pushing too far forward or retreating into a defensive mode, coach Jane quickly shifted Surry to half back and moved Meyah to right inner where she provided much needed run and forward pressure. Michael started the game in a confident and energetic fashion, completing some strong runs on the right wing when our hits broke through the defence.
At half time, some more positional changes were made, inners were reminded of their important role both attacking and defending as well as being a crucial link from free hits at half back, and forwards were urged to attack the goals whenever possible.
Shortly after half time the scoring deadlock was broken with another fantastic run down the right hand side, with Michael, Meyah and Maddie working together beautifully. Michael hit a perfect cross from deep in the right corner of the circle, as we have practised at training, and with some desperate work in front of goals, Meyah eventually popped the ball into goal from close range. Zac again provided a lot of run and skill once he was moved into his preferred inner position, Charlotte impressed once more with her growing confidence to be strong when in possession of the ball, and our full backs, Will and Hannah, did an enormous job defending our goals for the entire game. They held on bravely, particularly in the latter part of the game when Jaguars continued to break through our half back line and into their attacking circle. Thanks to Lisette for padding up this week as goalie.
Awards went to Surry and Michael this week. Surry was solid with his tackling at centre half and stayed composed throughout the match to dribble wide and consistently connect with his hits. Michael was a standout with his strong runs along the wing, great positioning and decision making throughout the game.
Under 12 Mixed
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 0-0
It was the battle of defences in our game vs Kardinia with Captain of the day Alice leading the way ‘reading the play’ with great tackling. Madeline, Ebony, Sam, Tom and Ruby held the defence with good structure and Mai saved the shots she needed to save when called on, including a penalty corner after the siren.
The Kardinia defence were also dominant with their goalie playing well and their number # 74 (Charlotte) repelling most of our attacks with strong passing to Kardinia forwards. Max had a number of goal opportunities but with no success unfortunately.
Newtown Spirit vs Torquay Tornadoes 0-0
A close contest resulted in a scoreless draw between Newtown Spirit and Torquay Tornadoes on a chilly and windy Sunday morning at Stead Park. The first half started well with Newtown pressing Torquay Tornadoes in attack. There was great passing between Liam, Daniel and Oli and excellent defence by Matilda. Strong tackling was important when Torquay Tornadoes took control and Gil played a key role in defence and attack as inner.
There were numerous shots on goal by Liam, Gil, Oli, Basyl and a well positioned Bella playing on the wing came close to scoring. Following strong defence by Brandon and good clearing play by Kate and Oli, we went into the halftime break 0-0 having had some opportunities for goals off strong attacking play but had also played a strong game in defence. We were tested on the whistle of halftime by a strong Torquay Tornadoes break but Emma played a fabulous game in goal and cleared a number of good attempts with strong kicks and quick reflexes : well done Emma.
On halftime, the players were encouraged to pick up a player when waiting for a hit and to continue to chase after the ball. The second half started strongly with Liam, Gil and Basyl combining to force several short corners but unfortunately, no goals. There was strong and continued pressure and good passing play and marking up by Issy in halfback and great running by Grace along the wing including being available on the post when required.
The team had lots of scoring opportunities but equally so did Torquay Tornadoes, so 0-0 was a fair result. Well done to the team on an excellent effort.
Under 14 Mixed
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Maroon 2-2
Strikers met Kardinia Maroon in a game with implications for finals contention. Ultimately it was a case of de ja vu. For the second time this year Strikers twice led Kardinia and twice conceded goals in ‘red time’ in the first and second half. The game ended a 2-2 draw. This preserves an opportunity for finals but did not secure finals. Jarret and Oliver were both strong contributors throughout the game and each scored. Particularly memorable was Jarrett’s thumping strike in the second half in front of the Striker’s dugout. Jonah had a strong first half and Mitchell implemented a number of clever plays in a first half which Strikers dominated. Sam was creative through the middle. In all Strikers are building a solid style of gameplay and this is highlighted by some excellent tackling and passing.
Newtown Spirit Bye
Under 17 Mixed
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 2-0
It was 8-a-side hockey on Saturday as Strikers and Torquay were unable to field full sides. With lots of space to cover, the game was fast and free-flowing and Torquay went with a kicking back making their defensive task a lot harder. Caleb and Ella, who would normally stay in the defensive half, had the opportunity to go into attack a few times, while EJ and Luka held guard in defence. Both sides had goal-scoring chances in the first half – hits by Miles and Oscar were wide, while Luka saved a Torquay hit and their subsequent penalty corner was wide.
At half time Coach Darren told the team to pass the ball more and play a game of keepings off, and the message was received as we used the ball a lot better in the second half. We were able to enter the attacking circle a lot more through passes from Jarret to Harry on the right or Miles through the centre, and Oscar and Jack were able to bring the ball up on the left wing, but good defensive pressure from Torquay led to inaccuracy in the circle and a number of hits wide of goal. Eventually through a great pass from Harry, Miles scored, and Miles followed up with another goal late in the game to give us a 2-nil win.
Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 3-0
Spirit played Kardinia in challenging weather conditions on Sunday. Both teams played well with opportunities on both sides throughout the game. Spirit came out strong and played wide utilising excellent passing skills and speed to put pressure on Kardinia. At the fifteen minute mark of the first half Oli had the ball in the circle and pushed it past the goalie’s foot to score the first goal for Spirit. Four minutes later Oli again made the most of an opportunity with a ball going across goals which he intercepted and converted to see the half time score 2:0 to Spirit.
With a confidence boost from the first half Spirit were relentless in the second with the Kardinia keeper saving many shots on goal. Attacking efforts by Kardinia were strongly defended by Rachel and Oliver and quickly returned to Spirit players. After an impressive run Tom snuck the ball through the smallest of margins and found the back of the goals to achieve the final 3:0 result. Credit to all players for a strong team game that focused on passing, creating space and opportunities. Thanks to Harry and Oli for playing up from U/14’s you were both instrumental in the successful outcome of the game.
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 0-10
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 3-2
May be we need to play more Saturday games, in nice weather! So far this hockey season each match against Saints has been closely contested and so it was again. Falcons came out with the victory 3-2. There were battles at both ends, requiring everyone to get their job done. Both teams had strong tackles, nice passing combinations, flurries in the circles, controversial moments in the game and some end to end action. I reckon it was pretty exciting for the spectators!!
We lined up with 11, two of which were not at full capacity coming back from injury, so thank you to Peta who stepped up from the Div 2 game which was being played at the same time. This proved to be a good money move as Peta was one of our goal scorers! Also finding the net were Shannon and Penny, each adding to their total so far. Jessie J, also jumped in to goals in Zoe’s absence. Thanks to some great slides, hard kicks, swats and aid in directing players our defense weathered most of the Saints push for net. Ainsley saved one on the line. Hannah gave a solid effort after a few weeks out with ankle injury. Emma had some great play through midfield and helped link our backs with Hailey, Erin and Kylie in the forward zone and help support the ball in attack. Georgia O’Brien was IGA Player of the Match.
Division 2 Men
Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 1-4
Division 2 Women
Newtown Spirit vs Saints White 1-6
It was a disappointing score, but there were many positive and pleasing aspects of this game for Spirit. Saints’ forward line boasted strong and skilled players who attacked time and again, and despite great defence with Andie, Wendy and Hillary intercepting and deflecting many attempts by Saints, they were able to find the back of the net.
Spirit had some great passages of play with well-co-ordinated passing sequences and play directed square to the sides. Great hassle and persistence by all players, with Kellie, Sarah, Beth, Katie and Emma chasing hard and applying pressure when Saints gained possession in the midfield. Emma was in the right place to score one for us. Kirsty and Deanne led well for the ball on many occasions and used players in supporting positions to maintain possession for Spirit and move into attack.
The team had to play the last 10 minutes with only 10 players when Kellie left the field with an injury, but there was no lessening of the effort and it was pleasing to see players step up and work hard to cover the gap.
