Tag Archives: newtown hockey

About 1/3 of the way through the hockey season, and this week was a good illustration of the changeable weather conditions – warm and sunny on Saturday, rain and hail on Sunday. Congratulations to all players on their efforts whatever the weather.

Joeys

As the hockey season progresses, our young hockey stars are gaining confidence and improving skills each week. Jasmine and Amelia showed us some great dribbling skills. Good understanding of passing the ball and running to a new space by Alexander and Harrison was a feature of the game of keepings off, with Zeph making good position too.

Kookas

An excellent game this week, resulted in a 2-2 draw between Team Orange and Team Red. Lenny joined us for his first game of hockey, and showed great skills and focus on the ball. Braydn was again making good position and passing well to team mates. Ebony, Olivia and Tom worked hard, with Ebony making great runs to meet the ball in space, and push forward into attack. Baxter showed great tackling skills and gained control for his team, passing to the advantage of his team mates on many occasions.

Under 8

Newtown Raiders vs College Green

Well done to everybody on another great game. We are nearly half way through the hockey season and every week it is great see the team improve all the time. Isabelle did a fabulous job as our centre and was well supported by Lily and Hannah on the wings. Oscar and Jesse did a great job in defence, stopping several attempts at goal. Both Hannah and Chloe demonstrated great dribbling and passing skills down the line, demonstrating what they had learnt during practice that morning.

Well Done to Chloe for being awarded Subway Player of the Match, with some great focus and keeping her stick on the ground to gain possession.

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Kangaroos

Strikers took on a strong Kardinia team this week. Strikers were caught napping in the first part of the game with Kardinia scoring some early goals. Once Newtown started to play the game of passing into space and out wide, the goals began coming. Will was very strong in attack scoring a couple of times in the first half.

The second half saw most of the game played in Newtown’s forward line with Matilda dribbling hard in attack and excellent passing in from the centres. There was a brilliant piece of play with Will passing to Matilda in space, who dribbled down the wing then passed in to Isabella who scored a great goal. Awesome display of passing out to players on the wing.  Well done Team. This week Sam received the Subway Encouragement Award for his solid performance in the centre.

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay

Spirit overcame a defensive first half to shine in the second in a friendly battle against Torquay at Lloyd Reserve on Saturday. Braydn, playing arguably his best game of the season so far, tackled consistently and marked the opposition with persistence. He managed to stop Torquay play on several occasions, then fed the ball to his waiting teammates. Baxter and Avah were a wall of defence while Pollyanna directed some lovely free hits out wide and Summah was poised for action at wing. Michael did a great job time and again across the half-back line.

At half time Coach Kellie praised the team for their defensive work but urged them to spread out more. She set a distance of  “five big steps” between teammates when setting up for Spirit free hits. And she urged the youngsters to get into position swiftly. In the second half, after a position reshuffle, Spirit players threw themselves into attack, shooting several goals. Centre forward Avah and left wing Michael proved dangerous up forward while Baxter instigated several great passages of play from left half, always lifting his head and looking to select the best passing option whenever he got the ball.

Torquay showed some strong defence and managed to repel several Spirit forays towards goals. Both teams put on a great display for the spectators cheering on the sidelines.
Coach Kellie congratulated her team for a fantastic second half, where players got into position quickly, called and worked hard to win the ball. Braydn won the Subway Best Team Player Award after, in the coach’s words, “playing a blinder”. Well done Braydn.

Newtown Rebels vs Kardinia Kookaburras

Rebels had another tough match this week against the Kardinia Kookaburras, however their skills and confidence are improving with each game played. In the first half there was an early attack from the Kookaburras, however Audrey defended well and Sophie performed strongly in goal. Rebels then gained some confidence with improved passing and started to move forward. Aiden and Genevieve showed great tenacity, tackling well and never giving up when trying to get the ball. At half-time the coach stressed the importance of Rebels marking players from the opposition but then moving quickly to take a free hit and find space. In the second half Kookaburras kept up the pressure with a relentless attack. Paddy, along with Aiden in goal, defended well, while Neve and Annabelle made excellent passes when taking free hits. Overall, Rebels enjoyed a great match and most importantly kept smiling!

Sophie was awarded Subway Player of the Week for her great listening to the coach and her fantastic work in goal and defence.

Under 10

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 0-0

Spirit began the game with the coach’s reminder in mind – “trust your team mates”. This saw a fantastic first half, with everyone’s efforts “off the charts”. There was some great tackling with the stick on the ground, and perseverance winning the free hit for Spirit. There was some solid defence by Meyah and Max who was everywhere, pushing the ball out to the wings very well. Ruben at half back cut off many Strikers attacks and returned the ball to attack for Spirit, always looking for team mates to pass to. Strategies for the second half included spreading out away from team mates and passing the ball around the oppostion, rather than into the crowd. Coach Kellie encouraged players to call to team mates when going for the ball “I’ve got it!”, allowing team mates to get into position ready for a pass.

The second half was highlighted by fantastic tackling from everyone, and it was great to see Leo pushing forward with the ball and winning the free. Keeping the stick down and avoiding ‘hacking’ at the ball saw Spirit gain possession on numerous occasions and with control, were able to create many forward moves. There was some excellent “manning up” as Ryley pointed out. A tendency to pass the ball into the middle limited further attacks, so taking the time to look up and hit wide is an aim for next week.

This was a great game to watch, everyone was engaged in the game and had fun – (all kids agreed they had fun!!).  Thank you to Surry for volunteering to play for the opposition. Result: 0-0 No goals were scored, but it was a fantastic game to watch as agreed by all parents!

Subway Award: Ruben – consistent effort throughout the entire game, always looking for his team players to hit out to. Best team player: Lucy – for her awesomeness as a goalie, with fantastic kicking to stop the goals at critical moments.

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 0-0

Firstly a big thank you to Surry for playing for Strikers. What a fantastic game from everyone this week. We put into practice what we have been focusing on for the last few training sessions. Passing to the side and not giving up. We still need to remember to take 5 steps back when the opponent has a penalty and not leave a player open.

Thamindu, Alex and Amelia successfully defended the goals all game. Eliza never gave up throughout the game and covered so much territory. Brandon worked the wing and pushed the ball beautifully along the side line. Alex even had a fancy pass between a players feet and came so close to scoring. Eliza-May, Ruby and Amber worked together on the front line to keep the ball moving and Isla is really developing a roving role throughout the mid field.

Thank to Jai who is currently injured but still attended the game and encouraged the team. Subway and Best Team Player Awards for the day went to Eliza May and Alex.

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Bellarine Lightning 1-0

What an awesome game we witnessed on Saturday watching Newtown Strikers play the undefeated Bellarine Lightning team. It was an entertaining, fast paced, energetic game from the start to the finish. It was so pleasing to see how much the team has improved and gelled together since round 1. It’s obvious that the hard work they are putting in at training is paying off.  Strikers were constantly on the attack throughout the match putting much pressure on the opposition. There were no goals scored in the first half and only one scored in the second half which was all that was needed for the Strikers to win the match.

Tom was again unbeatable in defence giving great support to Jamie. He was also strongly supported by Cameron, Alice and Ruby who were relentless in their tackling and winning the ball. Archie and Adam were kept very busy in their centre roles both putting in a fantastic effort with their stick skills. Thomas, Kenna and Chloe on the wing were always in the right positions when needed and Chloe had a great shot at goal which only narrowly missed. Gil was very strong at left inner and Jack was showing some talent with his reverse stick work and dribbling. He also scored the match winning goal.

The parents watching, the coaches and myself were so proud of the whole team and the way they all played which made it difficult to choose our best on fields, but for the second week in a row, Tom was the unanimous choice with Jack and Alice also named. Keep up the great work Strikers!          

Newtown Rebels vs Geelong College 3-0

Rebels continued to show improvement this week putting on a strong display against Geelong College winning 3-0.  Brandon was outstanding completing a hat-trick of goals.  Over the past few weeks Rebels have been working on switches out of defence and through the midfield, as well as passing the ball backwards to team mates in better positions.  Right from the start you could see improvement in this part of their game.  Sam, Basyl and Luca showed great understanding of each other, producing several switches out of defence which kept Geelong College on their toes.  Lachlan provided excellent support to the defence, receiving some red hot passes which he trapped and moved quickly down field to his teammates.  Isobel and Mai were as tenacious  in offence and the midfield, and weren’t scared to pass the ball backwards to create opportunity.  Adele produced some excellent passes to Kiah and Teijai who were hardworking as always.  Imogen was dangerous around goals, getting herself in the right position time and again but just couldn’t finish off all of her good work.  Well done to Pat for going goalie this week!!!

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 2-0

Another clear day greated the team on Sunday but it certainly was cold. The team welcomed Daniel back and Eliza V helped us out once again. Spirit started off with great gusto and put an enormous amount of pressure on Torquay right from the start of the game. Some very near misses from Maggie had the supporters on their knees with excitement. Torquay had fantastic defence and their goalie did very well indeed. As the first half rounded out Edie in goals was put under a little bit of pressure by Torquay and deflected a certain goal. What a great way to celebrate her 25th game for the club!

The second half saw Spirit a little lack lustre with Torquay applying the pressure from the start. It was a little nervous but then Spirit lifted and had many many shots on goal and short corners. India had 2 close misses and Maggie was also in the best position but was denied. The two Spirit goals came from Angus following some fantastic team play to get the ball up forward. The entire team were a part of the goals and should be very proud of their efforts. Archer seemed to be everywhere and made an impression every time he touched the ball. Matilda was quick to the ball, Oli and Mitch read the play beautifully down the back, Harry brought the ball forward early well, Daniel was making an impression in the middle, Lachie was of great support to Archer and Harry and also read the play brilliantly while Eliza played with grunt and determination.  Well done everyone. Peter was very impressed with you all.

Under 14

At half-time, the coach again called for the ball to be kept out wide, and wanted more 1-touch passes as the team was holding on to the ball a little too long. Also, when running forward with the ball, our lead players were asked to hold up the ball a little to allow other players to join them up forward and assist. In the second half, Torquay used a dedicated goalkeeper but Will got the ball past to take the score to 3-nil. Torquay quickly gathered their composure and broke through our defence to bring the score to 3-1. Newtown continued their attacking pressure and through Jamie we were able to go 4-1 up. There was great defensive pressure from Bailey, Harley, Nick and Riley all match, and Claudia provided great running up the wing into the circle.

Torquay kept fighting and were unlucky not to get a goal after two lovely crosses across goal and one disallowed goal that was hit outside the circle. Newtown also had some further chances with Harry and Grace working together well on a number of occasions and Charley, Will, Ella and Jamie all having attempts defended by Torquay. Coach Carl praised the team for their good passing and for holding their positions well.

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 2-0

Goal scorers Harry and Jonah.

Under 17

 Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 4-2

We fronted up with only 9 players for the start of the game against a fairly strong Kardinia team who also had a bench. Within the first minute Kardinia scored a goal and all of the Newtown fans thought that it could get ugly quickly. However our defensive players kept their chins up and responded well, locking down the backline after that first goal and depriving Kardinia of any easy attacking play for the rest of the game. Angus and Byron did a fantastic job niggling and tackling the Kardinia forwards, some who were twice their size; and anything that got through them was easily shutdown by Corey. Jamie jumped on the field 15 minutes into the game bringing our number of players up to 10 which provided great support and an additional goal sneak that the U17 opposition teams often tend to overlook because of his size, usually to their regret.  The efforts of the improved defensive work soon flowed through to the forwards and Tom soon scored on a fast break.

After that point, we never really looked back and could have easily won by a greater margin.  Our work rate in the mid-field through Jonah, Declan and Rachael was very high often digging deep to chase down a loose ball or to drop back and defend.  Our key advantage over other teams this year has been our team spirit which generates strong will, a high work rate and confidence in each other; this then results in lots of opportunities as they make leads and look for each other.  Great work Strikers and keep it up.

Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 1-3

The game started at a frantic pace with two short corners to Newtown and one to Torquay within the first 5 minutes of the game. This set the tone for much of the first half with play from one end to the other – it was tiring to watch!!  Newtown was not marking effectively late in the first half allowing Torquay to finally score.

The start of the second half was scrappy and Torquay were able to go 2 goals up early on. Newtown eventually pierced their defence via a quick counterattack and Miles was able to draw the goal keeper off his line and pull back one goal. Torquay continued to apply pressure and scored a third goal to finish at 3:1.

A hard fought game against strong opposition but no reason we can’t be more competitive with hard work at training ready for our next meeting with Torquay in Round 10.  Thanks to Caleb for keeping goal at short notice.

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 1-2

The game started off at a fast pace with both teams showing great skills. There was plenty of switching play, calling and moving to the ball. The weather at this stage was nice and sunny and it looked like a great day for a hockey match. Falcons kept Torquay out with some great goalkeeping skills by Campbell and some solid defence by Lachie, Sean, Pat, Nick P and Leo. Mighty fine stickwork was a feature of the play for these players. Then the weather changed, the sun disappeared, down came the rain and the hail, and it made playing more difficult at times. However the two teams kept on playing with determination and great effort.

Nic M had to leave the game, but his spot was filled by Tom P, and Oliver ran on and off the bench. Players continued to run hard, just to keep warm. Falcons scored first from a passage of great field play. Great passing, with the ball switched into the dee for Zed to execute a reverse stick shot under the diving goalkeeper, and the score was 1-0. Torquay replied from a short corner, making it 1-1. Late in the game, Torquay scored from a puzzling free hit. Both the Falcons forward and defence lineups did well, with maximum effort. All in all, it was a great game of hockey on a day where the weather made it difficult for both teams to play to potential.

Thanks to Tom P and Oliver for filling in.

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 3-4

If only we could bottle the 15 minutes where we scored 3 goals at the end of the second half, then repeat that three more times. Unfortunately, if it was that easy we’d all be superstars so for now this game will be a reminder to the Strikers that we need to get back to basics, strong passing, trapping, off the ball running, all things that we’ve been taught from the junior level.

The game itself was competitive, but Geelong were the only team to score in the first half and a quarter, at which point the Strikers shifted up a gear putting three quick fire goals in the back of the net. With the scores tied and only seconds left in the game, Geelong managed to get a short corner, the final whistle blew and they scored putting them up by one goal.

This was possibly fitting considering the rest of the game, maybe we were a little complacent after playing the top teams in the division the past few weeks, thinking this game would be easier, it is clear now that there will be no easy games this season and that as a team we have to renew our drive to be a finals contender and look to next week where we’ll be taking on the second on the ladder Torquay .

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 0-7

Congratulations to the Falcons players on their courage and determination in the game on Sunday. Despite the bad weather, which included  wind, rain and hail, the team kept fighting against the odds to try very hard to score goals. Unfortunately the opposition were determined to stop us scoring goals. Saints played at a fast pace, switching the play quickly to find players in space, and using accurate passing and deflections to achieve results. Emma P stopped many attacks, playing with great focus and controlled tackles and was well supported by Bec and Kate in midfield. Half time saw the score at 0-4, but this score did not reflect the good play of Falcons in attack, with Shannon and Hailey showing great effort running to receive the ball and confront opponents. Cool, calm and controlled play by Jess set up a number of forward moves for Falcons. Thanks to Sam, Shannon and Claire who changed their plans at short notice to help us play well as a team. Every one listened to Deb’s pre game strategies and implemented them successfully. Enjoy the  bye next week, as we also have the long weekend off. See you all  rested and ready for another game on the 18^th June at 12.30

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 0-8

The recruit of the week was Deb, filling in as keeper, and showing some excellent moves.

Division 2 Men

Newtown Spirit vs Bellarine 2-2

Newtown Spirit had a good game across the board this week.  In the end we achieved a 2 all draw against Bellarine although Spirit had many more chances going into the D.  Gwyn, Beau, Adam, Callum and Daniel all played great structured and fast hockey. Gordon did a lot of shouting and is looking forward to Fitzy taking over coaching again next week. Unfortunately one of the older Bellarine players thought it was necessary to injure our young players in order to even up the match.  I hope we do not see any more of this behaviour on the hockey field this season.

Division 2 Women

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong Jaguars 1-2

An excellent game from Spirit with solid defence again by Hill and Wendy, who stuck to her player well and limited Geelong’s ability to capitalise on forward moves. With space available, Hill made some great clearing passes from defence. Some great chasing and passing from the midfield by Beth, Kellie and Andie and the fast pace and accurate passing of Georgie and Jacquie created some lovely attacks. Great running by De and Peta on the forward line to move to the ball. Great switches by Peta got the ball into our attacking zone and there were a number of opportunities before Jacquie put one in the net for Spirit. Geelong continued to press forward with some fast and skilfull players, and managed to outmanoeuvre the defence to score. With 10 players, Spirit still managed to cover opponents well.

Round 4 of the hockey season was another week with some fantastic hockey at all levels of the Club’s teams.

Kookas

There were 3 teams playing this game and while it seemed that Team Mosquitoes would win, both Team Orange and Team Red persevered and showed some excellent switching and accurate passing. Welcome to Tom, who joined his cousin Ebony, and like Ebony, showed great skills for his first game of hockey. Good efforts by Emily to cut off opposition passes with stick on the ground and focus on the ball. Braydn did a great job in both attack and defence, showing his improving skills and game concentration. Charlie worked hard as usual, making good runs and creating space to receive the ball in.

Saturday Social

A great game of Saturday Social hockey this week, with Georgia and Chris joining us for a game. Rachel and Ruby worked well together in a hard to beat mother/ daughter combination. With Sam and Zen on opposite teams, there was a bit at stake in the tackles and the honours were fairly even at the end of the game. Cassie and Charlotte had great communication and some great running to space opened up the play for some nice attacks.

Under 6 Joeys

Great work again by our U6 players, showing some good skills and ball control. Great scanning when dribbling and now moving on to accurate passing.

Under 8

Newtown Raiders vs Torquay Tornadoes

Well done to everybody on another great game. It was a tough match with 3 of our players unable to make it this week but we still did an awesome job! Thank you to Stella who joined our team, helping us to field a side! Well done to Charlie and Jesse who did a fantastic job in the centre and goal keeping. Oscar did a superb job on the wing – not only trying to bring the play into the forward line but also helping to stop several attempts at goal. He managed to play on after being struck on the hand by another player’s hockey stick!

Lily and Stella did a great job on the wing supporting our Centre and Goalkeeper. Chloe also demonstrated some good ball skills in the backline. It is great to see everybody improve individually each week.

Congratulations to Jesse for being awarded the Subway player of the match! Jesse’s concentration on the ball in the last 15min of the second half made a big difference to the whole game.

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia Kangaroos

Spirit had to dig deep defensively during a crowded encounter against the enthusiastic Kardinia Kangaroos in Under 8 action at Lloyd Reserve on Saturday. While a constant huddle of players around the ball made for a messy game, Spirit worked hard to shut down opposition assaults on goals. With Michael and Baxter standing strong in full back, the duo managed to thwart many goal attempts. On one occasion Michael calmly and cleanly stopped a hard hit just in front of the goals, clearing it from the danger zone for his team despite the pressure. Drew, at left half back, was another key defender right from the starting whistle while Avah showed her customary skill in intercepting the ball, looking for teammates and then passing it on. Juliette kept to her position out wide at right wing, giving her teammates a great option to open up the play.

At half time Coach Kellie urged her young charges to bypass the muddle in the middle by passing out wide, rather than restricting themselves to the congested central corridor. She asked Spirit to use their voices, keep their eye on the ball and only use the flat side of the stick. Kardinia Kangaroos sprang into action the minute play resumed, taking the ball swiftly into their attacking zone and that’s where it remained for much of the game.  Summah and Avah, playing as full backs, withstood strong pressure from the Roos and repelled the ball to safety time and again. Summah put in a sterling game, standing strongly in front of the opposition and never backing down. She didn’t waste time when taking free hits either, remembering to send the ball wide where it was picked up by players including Juliette.

Centre half back Pollyanna got amongst the defensive action in the circle and battled hard to clear the ball. There was also a lovely passage of play triggered by Drew, who cleanly directed the ball out left to a running Michael. Michael, with Pollyanna in support, launched himself into attack in one of the few fast breaks by Spirit in the second half while Braydn provided options at centre forward. After the game ended Coach Kellie praised her team for their strong defence and their efforts to direct play out wide. While applauding lovely play by Michael and Avah, she awarded the Subway Best Team Player award to Summah, saying it was the best game she’d ever seen the youngster play. Good work Spirit and well done Summah.

Newtown Rebels Bye

Newtown Strikers vs College White

Strikers this week fielded a full team and as a result gave up a player to support the Newtown Raiders who were a little short, huge thanks Stella. College fronted up with an army of players that resulted in a substantial bench and many player changes for them. The Strikers played a very attacking game this week with most of the game played in Newtown’s centre and forward lines. In the first half the boys (Will and Alex) attacked well with support from Eliza and Isabella in the centre. The backs however saw little of the ball. In the second half Darren alternated the positions which saw the girls have a go at attacking. Matilda and Lucy in forward did well attacking with a few shots on goal, and Matilda scoring after some great passing from the centres. This week Strikers held their positions well, some great dribbling and very strong passing into attack. Alex won the Subway Encouragement award and Assistant Coach Harry Bradbury umpired the whole game single-handedly.  Well Done Team.

Under 10 South

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong College 3-0

Half time heard Kellie saying “loving your work” with excellent linking of play. One of the linkages saw a pass from Nate to Meyah to score Spirit’s first goal. There was praise for keeping eyes on the opposition but we had to use our voices better by saying “I’ve got it” and then making sure we had an awareness of where the other players were. Kellie talked about how the opposition had some strong and long pushes and wanted us to work on that in the next half with lowering our stance as we moved into a push. Otherwise she was really happy and was enjoying watching the spirit play.

The second half saw Max make a solo dash from before the half line right into the goal area, avoiding the opposition. It was very fast with great control of the ball and a shot a goal which unfortunately saw the goal post deflect it. There was a big cheer from the crowd. Kellie praised the strong tackling. But there where times when everyone was at the ball……we needed to think about being the player who was not on the ball and being out of the tackle so we could be the one that players could pass to. Subway award went to Seb and Best Team Player award went to Meyah – 2 goals and always in the play!

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 0-16

Well done to Torquay who out played us on the day and took advantage of all opportunities. Amber was set the task of goal keeper and was under pressure right from the start of the game. She saved multiple attacks on goal through out the game. Isabel, Ruby, Jai and Isla made up the front line and made some good passes. Thamindu and Amelia assisted Amber in defensive roles. Alex and Anna rotated from the wings to present options from passing wide and Brandon was the roving player from the game. Elliott and Eliza May covered a great amount of the field throughout the game.

At half time we discussed taking our free shots quickly by looking to the umpire when the whistle is blown to see who the ball has been awarded to. Also make sure to pass ball to the wings and not to the centre. During a free pass make sure to pick an opposing playing and stand in front of them. Thamindu and Amelia both sustained ball injuries in the closing minutes of the game. Amber was awarded Best Team Player for all her work in goals and Thamindu the Subway Award for never giving up and returning to the field after being injured.

Under 12

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong College 6-1

Spirit had a fantastic game this week with some brilliant play by all the team. This week it felt like the team has clicked and have shaken out the cobwebs from the summer period. It was such a great match to watch. Maggie stepped into goals this week and for the first half I think she was a little cold due to much of the play being in our forward line. From the very beginning it seemed that spirit had their fame face on and were out to score some goals. We even had what seemed to be an extra forward this week as Angus was playing the highest full back position I have ever seen. Peter soon had him back where he belonged! Both our full backs made sure the ball hardly passed by them and very quickly had the ball back up to our forwards through the inners and wings.

Mia managed to find the goal 3 times thanks to some brilliant balls from her team mates. Angus also scored 3 goals with one coming off a brilliant short corner. Angus pushed the ball out to Oliver who then passed it back to Angus who at this stage had stepped right next to the goal post and slotted the ball in behind the goalie. Great team work despite being brothers! Maggie had a bit more work in the second half as I think we were getting a little tired and they managed to score once while maggie and Liam saved a certain couple more.

Well done to all the Spirit players. It was great to have the Whelan’s back who certainly played like they had not had a break!

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 4-3

A close and hard fought match by the Strikers to take the win against Torquay. It was great to see some of the skills being taught at training being utilised throughout the game. Tom was our rock in defence stopping the ball and flat passing out wide to his teammates. Alice started the game in left half back playing good defence. Later in the game she played right wing using the triangle format effectively with Jack and Archie. Ruby was strong in the centre keeping her stick flat when trapping the ball, always a reliable player. Goal scorers were Rory scoring 2 in the first half and Jack scoring 2 in the second half. Well done team!

Newtown Rebels vs Bellarine Thunder 2-0

Under 14

Newtown Spirit vs  Golden Plains 1-1

Newtown Spirit played Golden Plains on Saturday. Spirit being undefeated were a big target for the winless Golden Plains team, and they came out firing. Golden Plains had speed through the centre which game them many attacking opportunities, but with the return of our regular goalie, Max, and some great defending from Ella, Ely, Max, Riley, Will and Grace, Spirit kept those attacks at bay. Charley and Harry looked dangerous in attack but Golden Plains seized the ball and put a score on the board. Golden Plains followed up shortly after with a short corner but couldn’t convert. Spirit kept their nerve and with a long corner, were able to get through Golden Plains’ defenders and Jamie scored a nice goal to level scores 1-all.

The coach’s instructions at half-time were not to crowd the forwards by keeping the ball wide, to concentrate on firm, accurate hits, and to prevent Golden Plains’ fast breaks particularly through the centre. The team took this advice in and in the second half there was more use of the wings with Will, Harley, Charley and Grace moving the ball up on the left, and Riley, Nick, Bailey and Claudia running hard with the ball on the right. Golden Plains’ fast breaks continued to be disrupted by Ella, and Max defended a few certain goals to keep Golden Plains scoreless in the second half. Spirit almost had a repeat of last week with a few short corners late in the second half, but this week we couldn’t convert. It was another exciting game that ended in a 1-all draw, and while Golden Plains sits low on the ladder we wouldn’t be surprised to see them feature in the finals.

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 1-3

A great first half by Strikers to keep Torquay goaless.

Under 17

Newtown Spirit  vs Newtown Strikers 0-4

Spirit had two early opportunities on goal via short corners but weren’t able to convert, unlike Strikers who managed to score from their first short corner. Strikers’ second goal came soon after following a free hit in the Spirit half and some loose defence around the D.

Despite the half time score, the Spirit players were not despondent and held the majority of possession early in the 2^nd half, but weren’t able to penetrate the Strikers defence close to goal. Spirit were playing high to put pressure on the opposition goal, but were found exposed when a length of the field counterattack resulted in a 3^rd goal for Strikers.  Spirit appeared to lose any momentum they had built early in the half and Strikers were able to score a 4^th goal soon after. A gallant effort by all in the face of strong competition and a big thanks to Harry and Max from U14 for helping out.

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 4-0

Strikers played a fantastic game of hockey.  It was great to see them bounce back after last week’s loss to Torquay.  Corey and Callum created an impenetrable defence once again.  Ollie was also back making it very difficult for Spirit to get through to the defensive 25.  Up forward, Sam had a couple of near misses, including one hitting the post.  Erin had a dominant game up forward scoring two goals and setting Callum up for one as well.  One of Erin’s goals was scored from a well planned set play from a short corner which is becoming a recurring theme.

Thanks to the U14’s (Ella, Will and Jamie) who filled in and and not only helped our regulars to maintain fresh legs to run out the game but also made valuable contributions in their own right; you are all welcome to play with us again!

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Geelong Jaguars 8-1

Superhero Round. Nick Fury (Coach) gathered his forces to do battle with the mighty villains of planet 12347 in the far off galaxy of Geelong.

The Superheroes came to play against the Mighty Villains in a game of hockey. The game started well with Iron-Man (Lachie) using his jet propeller to switch the ball from one side to the other. He was well backed up by Captain America (Sean), spinning his stick to his mates on the forward line. Hawkeye (Pat) also sent his shot whistling to the forwards. It wasn’t long before Daredevil (Hamish) scored with a nice shot from a short corner. The Mighty Villains struck back and from open play got one past the Hulk (Campbell) to even the score at 1-1. There was plenty of one to one passing and calling, and the Falcon (Clarke) swooped on to a pass and put the ball in the goal. Score 2-1 at half time.

The second half saw many attacks by the Mighty Villains but they came to nothing, thanks to the Hulk, Iron-Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Falcon and Blade (Nick P). Lots of switching, passing and calling gave our forward line hope. Deadpool (Adham) had the crowd oohing and aahing, with his fast running and funny jokes. The forwards were well backed up by Ant-Man (Nic M) and Thor (Zed) with his mighty thunder stick. Blade scored twice from open play, and then Black Panther (Elgan) set up Deadpool for another goal from open play. Deadpool scored a hat trick with his third goal coming from a hard drive in front of the keeper and in it went. Daredevil had a second shot on the top of the circle, and ended with 2 goals for the game. Star Lord (Jimmy) got in on the act with many moves across the front of the field.

Coach Nick Fury was mighty pleased with a fantastic effort from his team.

Newtown Strikers vs Saints Black 0-5

We knew that Saints would come at us hard and they didn’t disappoint, the game was played at a fast pace with both teams mounting a number of attacking plays. Unfortunately, even though both teams were relatively evenly matched, the Saints midfield were able to overrun our defensive efforts a number of times resulting in the 5 goals scored.

Brodie made a number of great saves with support from Jimmy and our movement out of defense through Carl, Pete, Corey and Tom meant that Thomas, Jonah, Hudson, Hamish and Alex were able to force Saints back onto the defensive.  Big thanks to Ian for being our super sub and helping run the bench. Funnily enough we had a similar start to last season so games like this will be a great baseline to see how much we have improved over the course of this season.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Newtown Strikers 3-1

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Falcons 1-3

Strikers had a really positive game against Falcons on Sunday. The whole match was relatively even with both sides having good procession of the ball. Strikers had some strong runs down the wing with Elese taking it from the back half, getting past everyone and hitting a beautiful goal in the top left corner to make it one all.

Our defence was much better this week with players being manned up but unfortunately a couple of fumbles in the back defence saw Falcons score 2 more goals.  All in all we are working well as a team and getting to know how we all play and we will only improve as the season progresses.

Division 2 Men

Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 1-1

Division 2 Women

Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 2-8

Having some interchange players provided Spirit with some good running in the first half, and the first part of the game was relatively even. Golden Plains created numerous attacks, but these were well defended by Kellie, Beth, and Rachael. Good co-operation between Rachael and Erin saw the ball moved down the right side of the field to Katie and lifted our spirits with some accurate passing. A nice square pass in the circle by Kirsty saw Katie latch on to the ball with a goal the result.

The second half again saw some pleasing passages of play with Lauren, Jacinta and Deanne showing good teamwork and purposeful passing. Good marking in most cases limited Golden Plains’ successful attempts in the circle. At one stage the score was 2-4.  However, the last part of the second half saw Golden Plains become more dominant and more effective, finding space in the circle to end the game with a score of 2-8.