Hockey
14 May, 2025
Round to remember in hockey
Another big round of hockey was played out on the turf pitch at Dimboola over the weekend, featuring two very close matches in the open division, as well as a couple of teams making significant statements in the women’s and under 16 competitions.
Open
The clash between the Warrack Hoops and Yanac Tigers lived up to the quality we've come to expect from these two teams, with a fast-paced and skillful display.
After four very even quarters of hockey, three of which were scoreless and one that yielded one goal each, the game finished in a one-all draw.
During the first half of the game neither team gained a clear advantage either on the scoreboard or on the pitch, with the defenders at each end of the ground able to repell everything thrown at them despite some intense attacking pressure.
The first score came in the third quarter when Brad Alexander found the goal with a well-timed hit on a penalty corner, which increased the tempo of the game as the Hoops tried to equalise, which they did off Ben Williamson’s stick just before three-quarter-time.
This set up an intense last period of play in which neither team dominated, and the result remained a draw, keeping these two teams at the top of the ladder equal on points but with the Tigers ahead due to a superior goal difference.
Not to be outdone, the Kaniva Cobras and Nhill Rangers put on an equally entertaining display in the following match, which for much of the time looked set to yield the same result.
Both teams scored a goal in the first quarter, with Thomas Krelle putting Nhill ahead playing against his old club, but Lachlan Schultz matched this two minutes before quarter-time.
For the next two and a half quarters the game was in the balance, with Kaniva earning the upper hand on the field, but this did not mean much as they were unable to convert this to the scoreboard.
However, with just over three and a half minutes remaining on the clock they earned a penalty stroke, which was converted to a goal by Lachlan Mills, and in the remaining time the Rangers were unable to match it and the Cobras earned their first win of the season.
This combination of results saw the Cobras move into third place on the ladder, and courtesy of the two points received for the bye, the Horsham Hurricanes return to the top four, just ahead of the Nhill Rangers by goal difference.
Women
The Dimboola Roos continued to build on their positive start to the season with a victory over the Horsham Jets on Friday evening.
The Jets were put under pressure right from the beginning, with the Roos finding the back of the net two minutes into the game and then adding two more goals in the second quarter to establish a three-goal lead by half-time.
While the Jets’ defence held the Roos for most of the rest of the game, their attackers were denied any score, and one more to the Roos in the last quarter set the margin at four goals.
Jennie Hauselberger scored two of these, and Pamela Pretorius and Vicki Elliot scored the others.
The closest match of the round in the women’s competition was another entertaining match-up, which saw the reigning premiers, the Kaniva Women, earn their first win of 2025 by a single goal over the Nhill Thunderbirds.
Although the Thunderbirds appeared to hold the upper hand across the game as they led the penalty corner count, with four to one, it was Nyree Hutchins of Kaniva who scored the only goal of the game just after half-time.
For the remainder of the game, while both teams shared the play, neither could add to the scoreboard.
While the Warracknabeal team has welcomed back some old players and recruited some new ones this season, they were no match for Yanac, who also remain undefeated after three rounds.
Six players shared the scoring, with Alexis Farmers and Caitlyn Alexander each scoring three goals, Mikayla Mackley scoring twice, and Erin Alexander, Susan Hedt and Ellen Wheaton scoring one goal each, contributing to the 11-goal margin.
Yanac and the Roos share the top of the ladder with three wins each, with the former’s better goal difference putting them ahead, with the Thunderbirds, Kaniva and the Jets filling the following three places with one win each, with Warracknabeal still looking for their first points.
Under 16
In the under 16s, the Yanac Warriors and Nhill Leopards remain undefeated after wins over the Warrack Revengers and Kaniva Raiders, respectively.
The Dimboola Kangaroos are just behind them on the ladder, having finished ahead of the Horsham Bombers in their match on Friday.
The Revengers round out the top four, followed by the Raiders and Bombers, who are still seeking their first win of the season.
There is a full competition bye this coming weekend as the Wimmera Hockey Association sends teams to the junior country championships in Melbourne on Saturday and Sunday to compete in the under 16 girls' and under 14 boys' divisions.
Several other Wimmera players will line up with Sunraysia Association teams in divisions where the Wimmera did not have enough players to enter teams.
The local competition will resume on May 24 with round three at Davis Park in Nhill.
RESULTS
Wimmera Hockey Association – round three
Open: Warrack Hoops 1 (goal B Williamson; best R Bennett, H Wagenknecht, B Williamson) drew with Yanac Tigers 1 (goal B Alexander; best T Alexander, S Alexander, R Croot); Kaniva Cobras 2 (goals L Mills, L Schultz; best L Mills, A Wallis, J Bedford) d Nhill Rangers 1 (goal T Krelle; best J Reichelt, B Tischler, T Krelle); bye Horsham Hurricanes
Women: Dimboola Roos 4 (goals J Hauselberger 2, P Pretorius, V Elliott; best B McMaster, J Hauselberger, A Rintoule) d Horsham Jets 0 (best L Shilling, H Mackereth, S O’Connor); Yanac Women 11 (goals A Farmers 3, C Alexander 3, M Mackley 2, E Alexander, E Wheaton, S Hedt; best M Mackley, E Alexander, S Hedt) d Warrack Women 0 (best E Bull, J Boyd, L Arnold-Wardle); Kaniva Women 1 (goals N Hutchins; best N Hutchins, I Williams, J Wallis) d Nhill Thunderbirds 0 (best C Rowe, C Shurdington, K Clark)
Under 16: Dimboola Kangaroos 5 (goals J Ward 2, A Corbett, R Wallace, L Hauselberger; best V Ward, A Corbett, J Ward) d Horsham Bombers 0 (best J Schwarz, J Mackereth, M Taylor-Carmen); Yanac Warriors 9 (goals H Zanker 3, S Pedie 2, I Hedt 2, A Cramer, S Farmers; best S Pedie, H Zanker, I Hedt, L Dickinson) d Warrack Revengers 1 (goal N Eilola; best N Eilola, E Williamson, A Pretorius, M Peters); Nhill Leopards 2 (goals D Bee, B Clark; best O Bone, D Bee, B Clark) d Kaniva Raiders 0 (best F Dodson, J Beattie, L Williams)
Development program: Dimboola Kookaburras 4 (goals L Hauselberger 2, L Elliott, R Wallace) v Horsham Black Hawks 1 (goal A Neumann); Warrack Avengers 0 v Yanac Lowan Stars 4 (goals E Alexander, M Zanker, M Campbell, A Cramer); Nhill Bandits 2 (goals M Chequer, N Krelle) v Kaniva Rampagers 2 (goals C Bedford 2)
