Annual General Meeting 2022

Club members and supporters are invited to attend the Newtown City Hockey Club Annual General Meeting for 2022, to be held on:

📅   Thursday November 17

⏰   7.30 pm

📍   Stead Park, John St, Corio

2022 was expected to be a rebuilding year after the 2020 and 2021 effects of the COVID pandemic.  We are very pleased to say that 2022 has been an excellent year for the Newtown City Hockey Club in many ways, with highlights including:

  • excellent on-field performances
  • significant recruitment activities and increased membership
  • strong financial performance
  • progress with facility development

The Annual General Meeting will allow members to see the strength of the club and the activities which have been undertaken in 2022. Reports will outline the strong financial position of the club and the performances of all our teams. The Annual General Meeting gives members the opportunity to ask questions regarding the Club’s finances, the actions taken during 2022 and future plans and projects.

The election of office bearers and committee members for 2022/2023 is one of the very important actions of the Annual General Meeting. The incoming committee will be guided by input from the members of the club, so contributing your thoughts and asking questions is both an important right and a responsibility of your membership of the Club.

We welcome any member who would like to volunteer their time, whether as a member of the incoming committee, or for an occasional role in the wide range of  roles and tasks across the club.

Supper will be provided.

The Annual General Meeting will be followed by a Special General Meeting. The results of the recent 2022 Annual Review survey and the actions planned as a result will be discussed. This is the opportunity for club members to contribute ideas to ensure that the club meets their needs and provides an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

How can we make the Newtown City Hockey Club even better than it is at present? Is there some aspect of the Club which is not performing as well as you, the member, expects? Do you have a suggestion which the club could adopt to ensure a strong and sustainable club?

We would love to hear your ideas for the Club’s future actions and aims. Please join us for the Annual General Meeting and share your thoughts.

 

Agenda:               Annual General Meeting Agenda 2022

Nomination for Office

Nominations are called for positions on the Committee of the Newtown City Hockey Club for 2022/2023. Nominations should be returned by Thursday November 10.

The Newtown City Hockey Club Rules  assign voting rights to fully paid playing members aged 15 and over. Members aged under 15 have Associate membership but do not have voting rights. Parents of Associate Members may choose to become members in their own right by becoming a non-playing Voting Member at a cost of $5.

The Committee generally meets once per month via Zoom, with each meeting lasting about 2 hours.  If you have a few hours to spare each month, we would value your input.

Proxy Forms

If a member is unable to attend the meeting, a Proxy Voting Form   may be submitted. This form should be received by 1 pm on Thursday November 17.

2022 Hockey Season – Fantastic Grand Finals

The 2022 hockey season has finished on a high for Newtown City Hockey Club.  With 8 teams participating in the Geelong Hockey Association finals series, it was fantastic to see 4 teams make it through to the Grand Final. And it was even better to see the Grand Final day finish with 2 Premierships and 2 Runners Up. This added to the Premier and Runner Up finishes in the Under 10 competition, which does not play finals.

Under 12 Mixed

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 0-1

Congratulations to Under 12 Newtown Strikers on a very successful season and making it to the grand final. Having beaten Geelong Jaguars in the semi-final two weeks earlier,  Strikers met the Jaguars again in the Grand Final for another nail-biting close game. The whole team rose to the occasion and played a great game.

Thanks to Ruby and Ved from U12 Spirit, as well as Eva and Chelsea from U10 Strikers for being part of the grand final team. Ruby did especially well, stepping in to the goal keeper role with James away. The coaching from James at training was helpful, with Ruby confidently saving a number of goals. Another stand out was Audrey’s skilful trapping of many well directed and powerful passes from Will.

Jaguars scored a goal in the first half, and in the second half Strikers thought they had levelled the score for a moment when Will hit the ball like a rocket from a short corner, but the goal was disallowed as it was too high.

An excellent finish to the year for the team.

Under 14 Mixed

Newtown Rebels vs Torquay 0-1

This was a terrific achievement for Newtown Rebels who, midway through the season, looked an unlikely prospect to make the finals. Hampered by lack of players on many occasions, the team was well supported by players from the other Newtown U14 teams and when it came down to the wire were able to get the results which saw them come from 4th position on the ladder to win the Semi-Final and Preliminary Final and earn the right to play in the Grand Final.

Great teamwork combined with good ball control skills and effective passing was a highlight of the finals games. Congratulations to the team and all the players on the massive effort and commitment which earned the reward, finishing as Runners Up for the 2022 season.

Under 17 Mixed

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 3-2

Strikers met Kardinia in the U17 grand final, with a head-to-head record during the season of 1 all. Kardinia, as anticipated, came out strong gaining a short corner only 2 minutes after the whistle. Strikers struggled initially to find a way forward until 4 minutes in when Charlotte generated a short corner. It was defended well by Kardinia. Our defenders, anchored by Basyl, kept the Kardinia strikers at bay. Mid-way through the half the deadlock was broken when Charlotte found Harry B in position, and he made no mistake to take the score to 1-nil. Kardinia came straight back at us and produced some great hockey that penetrated our defence and opened up our D for their first real shot on goal. The shot was a certain goal but was casually flicked aside by Mai. Charlotte continued her great work and generated another short with 10 minutes left in the half. Our midfielders lifted and Peri and Scarlett did a great job drawing their Kardinia players wide. This opened up centre forward and with 7 minutes left Harry B got possession at the top of the D, dribbled to the left and unleashed a Toma (below shoulder height of course) to land our second goal. 2-0. Charlotte managed another short corner with 30 seconds left but scores went to half time unchanged.

Coach Niko was extremely proud at half time with both the effort and the manner with which we played the first half. The second half started in a similar fashion to the first. Kardinia drew a short corner less than a minute in. Basyl continued to be the backbone of our defence, but all defend well. Kardinia persisted and broke through with their first goal mid-way through the half. 2-1. Strikers regrouped and short corners came our way through nice work by both Charlotte and Harry W. We failed to score from either and the momentum shifted back to Kardinia. They managed a short corner with a little over 6 minutes left and then another with 1 minute remaining that resulted in a goal that sent us to extra time at 2-all.

The initiative on the opening whistle was again taken by Kardinia when they managed a short corner only 30 seconds in. Mai, with a brilliant save, kept us in the match. With 3 ½ minutes left on the clock Charlotte managed yet another short corner; her sixth. This one proved to be her most valuable when Harry B took the shot after we were awarded a penalty stroke. He made no mistake and was in the air before the ball hit the net. Final score 3-2.

Congratulations to Strikers on a great win. It was a great team effort and well earned by all. A few things worthy of a mention: Well done to Harry B on topping the goal scoring with 62 for the season; Great courage shown by Amber coming back on in extra time after copping a front on tackle in the second half; and Tilly who undertook a thankless job on the day, tagging Kardinia’s top scorer who scored goals in every game he had played for the season … except the grand final.

Finally, a big thanks to Niko who brought such energy and emotion to the game. I’m sure some of this rubbed off on the team to get us over the line.

Division 2 Men

Newtown falcons vs Torquay Tornadoes 7-6

The Grand final saw Falcons clash with Torquay Tornados. The teams had met 3 times during the season with one win each and a draw. Play began with intensity, both teams trying to gain the ascendancy early, with 3 short corners in the first 5 minutes. Possession was shared very evenly but Torquay started to display more aggression up forward and that swung the momentum their way. Mitch was giving us a good target early deep in offense, but we struggled with structure in mid pitch to give us the momentum to penetrate the
Torquay defence. Torquay’s aggression up forward was rewarded around the half-way mark with a short corner. We scrambled to clear the first, then a second, but a deflection on the third gave Torquay a 1 nil lead. Loose passing and trapping gave Torquay some easy possessions, but we started to sharpen this up toward the end of the quarter; a short with 6 minutes left giving us a confidence boost.

Quarter 2 was a stalemate. Falcons kept the pressure on early with 2 short corners in quick succession. Dom was busy in centre pitch and Basyl, Harry W and AJ combined in some desperate presses forward looking to find holes in the Torquay defence. Pete struck a beautiful ball that was just wide of the mark from a short corner with 7 minutes left. Harry W earned another short corner but again, we failed to convert. We ended the half 1-nil down but holding ground and threatening to score.

Torquay jumped us from the shadows immediately after the 3 rd quarter whistle. The sound of the ball cracking against the backboard with less than a minute passed saw them take their lead to 2-nil. Almost immediately, they followed up with a third from a loose striker at the top of the D. The score went to 3-nil. Shoulders dropped and Falcons body language had Newtown supporters worried that they were ready to capitulate. Those fears were allayed when Carl gained possession mid pitch and calmly weaved around numerous Torquay defenders. ‘Silky’ was the term put forward by a keen young observer in the crowd. He threaded the ball to Harry W who drew a short corner. The corner resulted in a stroke for Falcons and Basyl drilled it to get us on the board at 1-3. This seemed to ignite something in the Falcons, visibly lifting energy levels and for the rest of the quarter there seemed to be 3 Basyl’s on the pitch.

The 4 th quarter saw Falcons refocus on the basics, defending well and passing cleanly. Carl, with great support from Basyl and Liam started to make his presence felt transitioning from defence to offence forcing one short, then a second. A third short saw Carl send one home to take the score to 2-3. Our defenders started pressing higher with confidence as Torquay found it harder to find a way through mid-pitch. This nearly came unstuck when Torquay made a fast break that saw Jarret and Carl scrambling to assist a lone Martin facing a running Torquay striker. Only minutes after this scare, a pass from Carl found a perfectly positioned Mitch in the D who made no mistake to send us to 3-all and extra time.

Extra time began nervously by Falcons and Torquay managed a short corner only 2 ½ minutes in. A sharp shot that threatened to end the match was rejected by Martin and resulted in a collective sigh of relief from the Newtown supporters. Torquay heightened tensions again when they won a another short with 30 seconds left. No score, 3-all.

The second half of extra time saw a change in momentum from Torquay to Falcons that mirrored the course of the match in normal time. 2 Newtown short corners, 2 good shots both deflected by the Torquay goalie. Falcons then, led by Basyl and Carl, threw everything at Torquay resulting in a barrage of short corners in the closing minutes. Sigh after sigh from Newtown supporters ended with the whistle; scores still deadlocked at 3-all.

A tense penalty shoot-out featured 2 great saves by Martin who didn’t overcommit and was calm (at least it appeared that way). Our goals included Mitch doing a 180-degree spin to beat Torquay’s keeper. Carl (after having to be arm-twisted to take one of the shots) had his first shot rejected by the Torquay goalie, then scooped the next attempt neatly overhead to keep our nose in front. The final hurdle to cement the win was left to Basyl, and he wrongfooted the keeper to win the shoot-out and the premiership.

Congratulations to both teams on what was a great grand final, thrilling to watch and played in great spirit. For Falcons, although some players featured more than others, the whole team came together to stage what was an amazing comeback from 3-nil down. Well done.

Congratulations to Basyl on winning Player of the Grand Final. Congratulations to Carl on his joint winning of the D2 men’s Best  and Fairest for 2022. Of note also, was that for the grand final match Falcons had the youngest player on the pitch by some measure in Liam, and the oldest player by an undisclosed measure in Ian.

Thank you to everyone who played during the season and contributed to this premiership. Thank you to everyone (umpires, team managers, facility managers, etc) who worked behind the scenes to enable us to play each week. Thanks also for the support from the sidelines.

It will be great to catchup at presentation night and reminisce about our come from behind victory. The legend of the Falcons comeback from 3-0 down to win the 2022 Premiership will surely grow over the years.”

Celebrating a Successful Junior Hockey Season

Celebrating a Successful Junior Hockey Season

We have come to the end of another junior hockey season and there is plenty to celebrate for the teams in our older junior competitions.

With 1 Premiership and 2 Runners Up finishes for our U12, U14 and U17 teams, the 2022 season has provided the most onfield success since 2016. Congratulations to all the players and all the teams on the commitment and effort they have put in throughout the season. Thanks also to the coaches, managers and umpires for their time and enthusiasm which allowed this junior hockey season to finish on such a high note.

Many thanks to the parents for their support of the teams and the club. In this post-COVID recovery period, it’s especially pleasing to see how much both parents and players have enjoyed the opportunity to play hockey.

Congratulations to the Premiers and Runners Up:

  • Geelong Hockey Association U17 Premiers – Newtown Strikers
  • Geelong Hockey Association U14 Runners Up – Newtown Rebels
  • Geelong Hockey Association U12 Runners Up – Newtown Strikers

Games Milestones and Awards

Congratulations to members who received Bronze Merit Awards:    Jo Murphy, Jen Shand, Lesley White

Well done to the following members who reached games milestones during the season.

 25 Games

  • Lucy Anderson, Audrey Cleeland, Liam Cooper, Serena Cunningham, Anessa Cunningham, Kayla Murphy, Peri Saunders, Ved Shetty, Charlie White

50 Games

  • Baxter Alves, Maia Burch, Harrison Calder, Leo De Leiros, Matilda Gordon, Zac Wingert, Jacob Young

75 Games

  • Charlotte Baker, Bella Bradbury, Will Burch, Surry Burch, Scarlett Knight, Amber Quick, Mitchell Quick, Pollyanna Smith

100 Games

  • Isabel Baker, Nate Harding, Basyl Jalil, Mai Lorenzen, Grace Milne, Ruby Moon

150 Games

  • Harry Bradbury

State and Regional Team Awards

Well done to the 16 members who participated in Regional, State and National teams and programs during the year.

  • Charlotte Armstead – Hockey Victoria U18 Academy
  • Charlotte Baker – Hockey Victoria Goalkeeper K development program
  • Bella Bradbury – School Sport Victoria 12 & Under, Western Wildcats U13, Hockey Victoria U13 Academy
  • Harry Bradbury – Hockey Victoria U18 Academy, Hockey Victoria U18 Development team, Western Wildcats, National Indoor Emerging Talent Squad U18
  • Will Burch – Hockey Victoria Under 13 Development Team Train On, Hockey Victoria U13 Academy
  • Anya Dreyer – Western Wildcats U15
  • Phillip Dreyer – Western Wildcats U18
  • Matilda Gordon – School Sport Victoria 12 & Under, Western Wildcats U13, Hockey Victoria U13 Development Team, Hockey Victoria U13 Academy
  • Mai Lorenzen – Hockey Victoria U15 Academy, Hockey Victoria U15 Development team, School Sport Victoria 16 & Under, Western Wildcats U15
  • Grace Milne – Western Wildcats U18
  • Ruby Moon – Western Wildcats U15
  • Ivy Renouf – Hockey Victoria U13 Academy
  • Aimee Van Der Meer – Western Wildcats U15
  • Charlie White – Western Wildcats U13, Hockey Victoria U13 Development Team
  • Jacob Young – Western Wildcats U13, Hockey Victoria U13 Development Team
  • Madison Young – Western Wildcats U13, Hockey Victoria U13 Academy

Keith Robertson Scholarships

  • Ilia Adeli, Harry Bradbury, Phillip Dreyer, Basyl Jalil, Georgia Pritchard, Mitchell Quick, Harry Whelan

Club Awards

Congratulations to winners of the 2022 Trophy awards

  • Best First Year Player – Madden McLeod
  • Best Conducted Team – U14 Spirit
  • Umpires Achievement Award – Surry Burch
  • Colleen Neal Leadership Award – Ruby Moon and Mitchell Quick
  • U12 Strikers – Best Team Player – Charles Donovan
  • U12 Strikers – Encouragement Award – James Stewart
  • U12 Spirit – Best Team Player – Patrick Theobald, Bella Bradbury
  • U14 Strikers – Best Team Player – Surry Burch
  • U14 Strikers – Most Improved – Leo De Leiros
  • U14 Spirit – Best Team Player – Hamish Flett
  • U14 Spirit – Most Improved – Jett Loone
  • U14 Rebels – Most Consistent – Eoin Couch
  • U14 Rebels – Most Improved – Inge Larkan
  • U17 Strikers – Best Team Player – Peri Saunders
  • U17 Strikers – Most Improved – Mitchell Quick
  • U17 Spirit – Best Team Player – Luke Cannard
  • U17 Spirit – Most Improved – Liam Cooper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 Hockey Season – August 6 & 7

Only 2 rounds to go before the end of the hockey season and then into finals, and the games don’t get any easier. But the effort from our teams is superb as always.

Under 8

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia

U/8 Strikers were evenly matched against Kardinia, with some quick scores on turnover by Kardinia the only real difference.  Vicki put in a superb defensive effort in the first half, clearing many Kardinia shots on goals.  A great run down the wing by Paddy towards the end of the first half would have resulted in a magnificent goal, only he was just a touch outside the scoring area.

Paddy, Dot and Ewan combined well in attack during the second half, with great positioning by Dot and good passing between Paddy and Ewan resulting in multiple goals.  Paddy had another great run towards goal later in the second half, but again was just outside the scoring area.  Ewan and Blair were both tenacious throughout the match, with really pleasing second and third efforts, and Sophie put in some great defensive efforts, too.

Newtown Spirit/ Navigators vs Torquay

A shortage of players for both our teams and the 2 Torquay teams led to a game in which the teams combined to get the players on the field.

Spirit/ Navigators showed great endeavour and enthusiasm to get the ball and when the players began to spread out, the passing began to happen. There was some excellent tackling and good positioning to help move the ball forward.  Spirit/ Navigators defence was sound, stopping a number of Torquay attempts at goal.

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 5-0

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong Jaguars 0-1

A great game by Spirit with a more settled structure and players maintaining position well to create opportunities.  Geelong had plenty of attack but Evelyn, Mackenzie and Oskar managed to deflect many of the forward moves.  Good positioning and perseverance in the midfield by Lucas was well supported by Binuli and Chelsea, and Spirit were able to create some forward moves of our own.  Excellent positioning and ball control by Emily and Jess allowed some great cooperation with Leo and Jack on the wings. There were a number of promising attacks using the width of the field to pass the crowds in the middle, but without any result on the scoreboard.

Best team player awards to Jess, Emily and Lucas.

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 1-1

This week’s game against Geelong Jaguars was hard fought. Regular goal keeper James was away this week, but Lucy bravely stepped up to defend the goal. With some regular players away, Strikers were helped out by Ved and Poppy who had just played their U12 Spirit game minutes before. Also joining the team were Eva and Joe from the under 10 Strikers.

The first goal of the game was scored by Jaguars, with an unmarked left winger sneaking in close to goal. Harrison levelled the score with a great team goal showing the Strikers persistence in the D. With a solid defence from Ved and Charles, there was no score recorded in the second half.

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 1-3

Torquay was on the ball scoring the 1 st goal with the ball being in their most of the half. A great pass by Bella to Hamish saw him take the ball down to Newtown’s end then passed it back to Bella to go on to score Newtown’s 1 st goal. Newtown got the ball down to their end a couple of times but no luck getting it into the goal. Torquay had a couple of more players than Newtown. At half time the score was Newtown 1 to Torquay 2.

In the second half Newtown got the ball down to their goals but again had no luck in scoring any goals, while Torquay came out fighting scoring one more goal. Final score was Newtown 1 to Torquay 3. This was a great effort by all Newtown players as we only had 9 players and so no one was in the goals.

Thanks to Audrey, Harrison and Elizabeth for filling in for Spirit.

Under 14

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 2-8

Congratulations on resilience and smiles. It was a tough game on Sunday against a strong Torquay team, especially when we were a number of players down. A huge effort form Madden in goals – even a dive to save a goal.

There were some really great passages of play that started with wide clearances from Amelia and Baxter. Jett and Felix  were consistently in fabulous positions for when the ball got through. Hamish, Aimee, Ruby and Declan combined well when the opportunities were there, creating some triangles of play.

Player’s player for the day was Hamish

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Blue 6-1

A nice Saturday morning welcomed us this week for an early start on Pitch 1, very un-Stead Park like weather with no wind or rain, and even a little sunshine!

Being the first game for the day, we got in a good warm up session, having the team primed to hit the game running. Coach Kurt’s pre-game work paid off, with Strikers having good ball movement right from the get-go.

Our defence was strong, with Isabel and Kashvi ensuring there was not a lot of work for Charlotte for the bulk of the game. Surry was linking up well with Brandon and Ollie moving the ball into attack. Will and Zak provided excellent run through the middle being rewarded with 2 goals each, with Ved playing an excellent game as centre forward, stopping the Kardinia mids on multiple occasions, and some excellent intercepts from reading the play. Ivy and Matilda provided great run all game, excellent calls and positioning on the post saw Matilda score a double, and Ivy was very close on multiple occasions. Well done Strikers, keep up the great work, and let’s make the enthusiasm in our warm up sessions a focus for the weeks leading into finals.

Newtown Rebels vs Kardinia White 0-5

Under 17

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 1-11

Newtown Strikers Bye

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 0-11

Division 2 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Red 4-3

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 0-5

Unfortunately a severe shortage of players lead to us having to forfeit this game. We might all be fantastic players (??) but it’s hard to play a game with 1 keeper, 1 midfield and 1 forward!!

Looking forward to a more enjoyable game this week.

2022 Hockey Season – July 30 & 31

With 3 weeks to go before the end of the 2022 hockey season matches, and leading into the finals, there were some good results this weekend. Well done all.

We currently have 11 teams placed in the top 4 in their competitions and likely to continue on to semi-finals, or top place finishes in the case of the U10 competition.

 Under 6 Mixed

The U6 Joeys players are learning more each week about the tactics and strategies of hockey, and showing that they can control the ball well.  Some great work in stealing the ball from others makes our game of ‘Robbers’ lots of fun. Our game of ‘tennis hockey’ focused on finding the space and quick passing to get through the gaps left by the other team.  Some strong passing resulted in a number of ‘goals’.  Well done all.

Under 8 Mixed

The Under 8 teams are all showing great improvement in skills and teamwork. It’s fantastic to see the number of Under 8 players who join the Under 10 teams for training, and it’s obviously having great effect.  Passing, dribbling and tackling all create some exciting games to watch and to applaud the efforts of the players.

Under 10 Mixed

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 3-1

Newtown Spirit Bye

Under 12 Mixed

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong Jaguars 1-5

Geelong was on the ball scoring the 1 st goal with the ball being in their half most of the 1 st half. Newtown got the ball down to their end a couple of times but had no luck getting it into the goal. Geelong was too strong for us although everyone for Newtown was doing their best. At half time it was Geelong 4 to Newtown 0.

In the second half Geelong came out fighting, scoring a goal in the 1 st 2 minutes.  Jess did an excellent job to get the ball out. It was a great effort by all Newtown players,  but overall Geelong were way too strong.

Thanks to Jess, Evelyn, Maia and James for filling in for Spirit.

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 3-1

U12 Strikers played Kardinia this week with the help of Bella from U12 Spirit as well as Chelsea and Eddy from U10 Strikers. The team made a number of attacks into the D, with the movement up the wings working especially well with strong passes from Will and Bella to Audrey at right wing. Audrey scored a goal by rebounding a save by the Kardinia goalie, giving the Strikers a 1-nil lead at half time.

Eddy had an impressive game with lots of great traps, tackles and strong passes. Other stand-outs were Liz making some good moves on the left wing, Isobel playing as if she has been playing hockey for years, and Harrison making some long runs with the ball down the centre.

Kardinia scored a goal in the second half, but Will and Harrison both scored for Strikers, giving a final score of 3-1.

Under 14 Mixed

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia Blue 4-2

Great teamwork by Newtown Spirit! A couple of great saves by goalkeeper Taya kept Spirit ahead of Kardinia Blue. Great work by the backs and midfielders Madison, Baxter, Ruby, Harry and Declan to push the ball into the forward zone, with Hamish, Felix, Jett, Aimee and Ved working in a co-ordinated effort to score goals.

Thank you to Ved for filling in this week! Thank you Rach for your wonderful coaching. Well done team!!

Player’s Player awards this week to Felix and Baxter.

Newtown Rebels vs Torquay 2-0

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia White 1-1

Under 17 Mixed

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 11-0

Sunday was a Newtown Party with Strikers taking on Spirit in an all-Newtown affair. Both teams were missing players, and we started the match with 9 on the pitch. Our secret ‘break glass in case of emergency’ weapon, Ilia kitted up for his maiden match as goalie.

Strikers got off to a good start, maintaining most of the possession in the first 5 minutes with our midfield preventing Spirit from moving the ball into their offensive half. Our initial struggle to score was ended when Amber popped a goal in off the post. We followed up with 3 more in the remainder of the half to send us to a 4 – nil lead. It was excellent to see that the 4 goals were scored by 4 separate players.

From the whistle, the second half lacked energy from both teams. There was less running off the ball and more running with it. The best passage of play for the whole match occurred when Basil, from near the baseline ripped a fantastic pass to Harry B in centre pitch. Harry B then moved the ball 3 metres and fired it to a stationary Harry W waiting at the top of the D. Without trapping, in a single sweep he sent the ball straight to Amber on the post who controlled the deflection home for her second goal of the match. Final score was 11 – nil. Well done Strikers.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 1-0

Division 2 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Geelong White 2-2

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Saints Red 2-1

This was a morale boosting win over the ladder leaders in the Division 2 competition, highlighting the improvement in the team performance across the season.

Thanks to Alex and Beth for filling in from D1, we managed to get a full team despite a number of players unavailable.  The adaptability of our team continues to be a positive factor, with Kate and Charlotte able to comfortably fill roles in either midfield or attack, and both scored goals in this game.

Tash and Kirsty are a great combination in defence, rarely letting anything through to the keeper.  Great positioning, passing and ball control by Sarah and Georgie fed the ball into attack for Grace and Shan to take it further and keep the pressure on the Saints defence.

Well done team!  Looking good for the finals!