WA Over 50's - 2006 Match Reports

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WA1 vs VIC2 - Monday, October 2, 2006

WA 1 (7) def Vic #2 (0) 
Scorers: R Untersteiner, T Long, R Keswick, M Giles (2), R Lawson, W Cutler. 

The boys fronted PHS for the first game of the tournament, fully prepped by Robbie’s training sessions. 
Limping in, in dribs and drabs – most bearing the scars of a vigorous club hockey season - we all dumped our gear in Max’s tent and went out to soak up the atmosphere. 
A short briefing session in the seminar room, with Robbie running the game plans, then Ashlee took the lads for a warm up run. Somewhere between the changeroom and the bunker, Ralph managed to lose his walk out shirt… must be a fine in that! 
Third game of the day and the turf was already drier than a dead dingo’s dry bits.  
Max confided that the grounds staff dropped 18kL of water on the turf between games yet there were dry patches in front of each goal and in the middle by the end of the game. Still, we braved the heat (no softies in the Grey Ducks!) and hit the turf. 
We were in the Victorian’s D in the first minute, kept control of the ball and established the pressure early in the piece.  
We ran hard, making 3 penetrations into their D in the first 5 minutes. Our first corner came at 10 minutes, followed by another within seconds, but no conversions.  
With Cam calling the changes, we kept our attack fresh and driving constantly into the Vic defenders.  
A long corner and another penalty short kept the pressure on their defence, wearing them down constantly. 
Ralph “Undies” Untersteiner capitalised on this by smacking in a great field goal after 16 minutes – we were off the mark at last (should lose his shirt more often!). 
Four more penalty corners for us saw the Vic defence score a green card in frustration.  
Ralphie got a shot away from one, but the ump disallowed it – apparently 7 feet in the air is a bit high for a hit on goal from a short.  
We earned a long corner and constant pressure on the Vic defense saw Long Tom knock in a neat reverse stick slap after 23 minutes, putting our second score on the board.  
We then gave the Vic’s a bit of space and let them run with the ball a bit and make our defenders look good.  
About 5 minutes of that was all we could take, then we put the pressure back on.  
Two more short corners on top of 4 strong penetrations in a 7-minute passage of play saw Rudy Keswick knock in a beauty with 30 seconds to go.  
The tech bench complained that we’d broken the pattern by having Rudy score – first goal went to #14, then #13, then Rudy at #11. They let us off when we confessed to not having a player number 12…. 
Half time and 3-0 up - you’d think any coach would be ready to cruise, but Robbie knew there was more out there to give.  
A rousing half-time speech and out on the field with a target of 6-0 set by the coach. 
A few minutes to settle into the game and the pressure was again on the Vics.  
Three penalty corners and 5 penetrations by the 8-minute mark and the boys needed a rest.  
The Vic’s got the ball down to our D but we cleared it strongly and sent it up the other end.  
Another breakaway by the Vic’s and we let them have a long corner, but that was enough to upset Ches and Robbo in defence and again the ball was sent into attack.  
More pressure on the Vic defenders, driving the ball into the D and we managed yet another short corner.  
Tired of the lack of conversions, the boys got this one together for Maurie to sink one in the net and break the drought 15 minutes into the half.  
Some more strong attacking work by the Grey Ducks but the Vic’s managed to slip past and earn themselves a short corner.  
No trouble for Max and the lads to keep it out, but they had 3 minutes of hard work (about the only real chance they had to see the ball all game!)  
We sent the ball into attack again and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Maurie slipped in another goal at the 28-minute mark.  
This then spurred our boys on to some really strong play, culminating in Robbie’s “hard for 5” finish.  
The master himself kept the pressure on the Vic defence, and scored a beauty with 2 minutes to go.  
Maurie nearly gave us all heart failure as he narrowly missed a fantastic shot on goal seconds later, but Wayne “Cuts” Cutler came in to clean up the scraps and put his name on the board with a goal in the dying moments of the game. 
A good start as we learnt to compensate for the slippery surface on PHS1, and the tendency for the ball to continue bouncing longer than the cues in a karaoke bar.  
The boys settled into the hospitality tent and rewarded Victoria’s Mark Ford with Most Valued Player for the WA opposition and Maurie Giles took out the team’s Best Player award, being the first to fill the Chris Hayter Cup in memory of a very courageous young man. 
Tomorrow we’re off to the Duracraft Stadium to challenge NSW 2 team – the Swaggies.

Result: WA1 7 - VIC2 0

WA vs NSW Swaggies - Tuesday, October 3, 2006

WA1 (7) def NSW2 (Swaggies) (0) 
Scorers: M Giles, G Robinson, W Cutler (2). 

A bit cloudy and threatening as we set off for Duracraft Stadium and our second match of the tournament. The boys based north of the river had a few difficulties negotiating peak hour traffic, but most managed to make an appearance on time. Ralph surprised us all by appearing in the “lost” shirt from yesterday… down the back of the sofa, wasn’t it? Ches showed up part way through the team talk – obviously out chipping more coral for his wonder drink – although he said he went to PHS first, just to check there weren’t any stragglers out there – onya Ches! 
Nic took advantage of Duracraft being her home turf and whipped out a massage table, much to the delight of a few of the boys. Don’t let it be said that she rubbed you up the wrong way… 
Robbie set the scene in the pre-game briefing, then it was out for a run on the turf.  
Ralphie opted to be chief bench warmer after a run-in with a possum the night before (so that’s what they call them down Mandurah way…) and sat the game out, but the rest of the team flowed through the changes. 
Not much happening in the first few minutes as the boys moved the ball around and got the feel of the turf.  
A surprise attack by the Swaggies saw us give away a penalty corner at 4 minutes, but Max was a wake up and his boys quickly turned it into a 16 for us. Geoff “Robbo” Robinson let loose one of his mighty overheads to get us up in the Swaggies “D” and Maurie turned the advantage into a goal 6 minutes into the game. 
Eddie got a few work-outs for the next 5 minutes, booming some big hits out of defence, as the ball shifted between the two 25’s with no strong advantage either way. We got into their “D” a couple of times, they tried to get into ours and gave us a 16 for troubling our defence. The Grey Ducks controlled the rest of the half, as we kept moving the ball around and driving in our attack.  
Four more penalty corners and two longs, but we couldn’t buy a goal for all our efforts.  
Rudy put in some great work in attack and should’ve scored after a nasty obstruction, but the call went the other way and we let the moment go. 

Robbie hauled us in at half time and reminded us that we’re here to win. Early passes, no hero runs, and three goals this half – no negotiation. Fired up, the lads hit the field and claimed the game as our own. Some clever movement of the ball in the first few minutes saw us again attacking the “D” and earning two penalty corners and a couple of longs.  
Robbie had a great shot on goal but one of those sneaky Swaggies took away an absolute sitter, and turned the advantage against us. The team was rattled, and the Swaggies jumped our defence and earned themselves a corner against us.  
Bit of a pointless exercise, given the strength of our defensive battery – I’d certainly hate to be on the receiving end of something Max booted in my general direction! 
Robbo was obviously getting tired of the pussy footing around and followed up a great attacking run by getting into the D and sticking one in the net himself – who said fullbacks can’t score? Then the rain set in and Robbie picked the right time to hit the bench (much to Ray’s disgust– you try playing in the rain with glasses on!).  
Corner, long, corner, GOAL! Cuts managed to slap the pill in the box and we were on the way again.  
Consistent barrage of the Swaggies defence was taking its toll and the boys from the West dominated in the next 10 minutes. Ches kept doing his celebrated “Speedy Gonzales” impersonation, tearing up and down the field at 150kph.  
The rain stopped and Robbie hit the turf again (again to Ray’s disgust – but at least he could dry his glasses now) and drove on the attack. Robbie decided to tuck in a definite goal by Rudy but the ball had other ideas and shanked off to the corner, missing the net completely. We earned a corner that we should’ve nailed, but a great turnover by the midfield – Westy’s name was involved somehow – gave us another penetration into their “D” and Cuts used his dancer’s agility to again find the net. Three goals this half - mission accomplished! 
The boys took a breather and let the Swaggies run the ball for a while. They stole a penalty corner but some fancy footwork from Max – a stunning pirouette with a special hug for the goalpost (are you sure you haven’t been taking lessons from Cuts?) – and the Swaggies were again frustrated. 
Some strong play by both teams in the dying minutes saw a few penetrations each way, but only WA managed another penalty corner – no score resulted. The rain came back as we left the turf so Ashlee ran the cool down session in the changeroom much to our delight and the coach went back over the game. Chappy reckoned he saw more ball in the changeroom than he did on the field… The rain probably helped reduce the bounce on the turf and made the little white ball (not Chappy’s sort!) more controllable than we experienced throughout yesterday’s game, but we still need to use those early passes to capitalise on our strengths. 
A very unstable hospitality tent rattled in the wind but didn’t stop us giving Russell Harvey the gong as the MVP for the Swaggies and voting Ches the winner of the Chris Hayter Cup. 

Tomorrow we’re back at PHS to play the Queensland Cyclones on Field 2.

Result: WA1 7 - NSW2 (Swaggies) 0

WA1 vs QLD2 - Wednesday, October 4, 2006

WA1 (5) def Qld2 (Cyclones) (0) 
Scorers: M Giles (2), T Long, S Farrar (2) 

Another beautiful day for a game of hockey! We piled into the seminar room for our hi-tech pre-game briefing – everything decided to work this time and Robbie had the team plans flowing at the click of a mouse. Nic set up a makeshift massage table and started loosening up the boys ready for the game. Ralphie again declined to play – those possums are tough characters – and we’d nearly finished the briefing by the time Ches showed up (he did ring in his excuses to Cam, so I guess we have to forgive him this time). Then Ashlee took the boys outside for their warm up run, and we set off down the chunnel to hit PHS2. 

No complaints about the surface – the ball travelled well and the boys settled in to move it around and test the mettle of the Cyclones. Some strong aggressive play saw us drive the ball into the “D” and Maurie showed his ability to score yet again with a goal after a minute and a half of play. 

The Grey Ducks were astounded at this piece of work and let the Cyclones break away with the ball and challenge our defence, missing what looked like a good chance for them to score (much to the relief of those on the bench!).  
The shock quickly wore off as the Cyclones put the hard word on the WA defence with a couple of long corners against us. 
Our gold boys lifted the game and with some aggressive attacking moves again drove the ball into the “D” for Maurie to do his bit again with another goal 9 minutes into the game. 
WA kept the ball our own with some strong attacking work, keeping possession and driving into their defence several times before the Queenslanders conceded a corner to us.  
Some strong defence by the Cyclones kept us off the scoreboard, so we gave Maurie a break after 15 minutes and rebuilt the attack with a few more quick changes. We earned couple more penalty corners after the changeover but the scoreboard remained unchanged.  
The Cyclones fought back with some pressure on our defenders, but some careless hitting gave us three 16’s in 2 minutes and we sent the ball back into attack with a vengeance. 
A short corner for us that was oh-so-close had a few nail biting moments with 15 minutes to go in the half (we are definitely going to make a recording of Cam’s “F*$%! I hate watching hockey!” – will save him having to say it so often…).  
More attacking moves by WA saw us again penetrate the Qld “D” but Chappy was so shocked by being in front of the open goal that he missed the chance to put his name on the board. We kept the pressure up in attack and wore down the Cyclones’ defence until we again earned a short corner.  
The No: 8 was well defended by Queensland, so no-go there either. Some more pressure on their defence by our attacking battery saw us get a long corner off a Qld lifted ball, but the turnover saw them streaking down the field to visit Max. 
Max put in a strong clear and the Cylones tried hard, but we finished the half with a couple of 16’s and a 2-0 scoreline. 

Robbie called the boys in and settled a few heads – both sides had put in some strong physical play and all were cautioned not to “chat” the umpires. Heads down, focus on playing our game and we were back on the field. 
The team took the instructions to heart and started the half with an excellent attack resulting in Tom knocking one in after a minute and a half (emulating Maurie’s efforts in the first half).  
The Grey Ducks kept the ball and totally dominated the next 7 minutes, driving into their “D” for a couple of unlucky misses. Robbie lifted a great one at the net but the ball skimmed past for a very narrow miss (absolutely no fingernails left on the bench at this stage).  
Robbie teamed up with Steve for some excellent work in the “D” but again the goal proved elusive.  
Yet more strong attacking moves by Robbo and Tom saw us wear them down into giving us a penalty corner, but still no damn goal (couldn’t seem to buy one at this stage, but that didn’t stop the boys). 
Huge determination by the Grey Ducks – some very physical play by both teams and some specky leaps by both Ches and Cuts saw us turn the ball in our direction and again drive at the net. A couple of strong penetrations, a long, a couple of shorts, another penetration and wham! Steve’s name was on the board after 15 minutes. 
Four-nil up and no concessions made by either team. The frustration of the Cyclones lead again to some physical play from both sides. Some strong attacking moves by both teams saw Rudy the unlucky one to be carded for barging and have a seat on the sideline for a few minutes.  
Those 10-man training sessions now paid off as the team smoothly moved to fill the gap and hold the Queenslanders out of our defence. They tried hard and managed to get in our “D” once, but gave us a couple of 16’s for troubling us and we again drove into the attack.  
When Rudy got the all clear to return to the field, Robbie took his place and we upped the tempo again, driving into the circle and giving Steve the chance to put his name up a second time, scoring with 9 minutes to go. 
Ches had a nice close relationship with one of the Cyclones, having their own little whirlwind in the middle of the field, spinning around each other. We gave them a couple of chances to visit our defenders who could have been feeling a bit left out by now, but the boys quickly turned the ball over and sent it up into attack.  
Queensland tried again, but we capitalised on the move and turned the resulting 16 into a booming attacking run. Tom practiced his golf shot in their “D” but only managed to connect with air. He tried a few more times but the gods of Fate were against him and they refused to let him score.  
A few more heart stoppers in the WA attack, and the game was over. 

The last game of the day gave us a very relaxed atmosphere in the hospitality tent with the boys from the other side.  
Colin Neumann won the MVP award for the Cyclones and Geoff Robinson took home the Chris Hayter Cup. 
From the grounds, we went for a team dinner with partners at tournament sponsors Soprano’s in Mill Point Road – a great venue with excellent food and the best company.  
Robbie called for a toast to thank the ladies for letting the boys out to play at such ungodly hours – the support from home has been a major contributor to the success of the team.  
Ralphie was subjected to much ribbing about possums (thoroughly deserved after you’d heard a couple of his jokes!) and Westy showed the boys how much fun he could have without wearing the many hats he has donned this tournament as part of the organising group for the whole event. 
A great night was had by all and no worries about after effects as no game tomorrow. We’re having a rest for a couple of days before we’re back at PHS1 for a criminally early start to play Tasmania on Saturday.

WA vs TAS - Saturday, October 7, 2006

Surprise of all surprises, EVERYONE made the 6.30am arrival, including Ches and the seminar room was again graced with our presence for the pre-game briefing. Tassie are known to be a strong team and we had some specific pointers from Robbie about the likely moves and dangerous players Tas was sure to unleash. Ashlee again took the warm up out on the grass, then it was time to hit the turf…. Or so we thought. An extra booking by the powers that be had the Malaysian women training on the turf until 7.45am and then the sprinklers came on. Robbie stood up for the team to ensure we had a good roll of the ball before the game started, but the clock started ticking dead on 8am and we lost two minutes of game time before the first pass back. 

This was definitely a game where both teams tested each other constantly. The early minutes saw the ball transferred between the two 25’s as each team worked to get a feel for the game. WA made the first move, driving the ball into Tassies “D” after 3 minutes of real play (but 5 on the clock). Tassie defended well and sent the ball up the other end to give WA a 16 a minute later. Ches’s elbow was working overtime and Chappy lobbed a beautiful overhead close to the line that we just missed picking up in the Tassie 25.  

Again, the ball worked between the two 25’s and it was Tassies turn to trouble our defence. Excellent work by Westy cleared the ball decisively and it was back to the two-way tussle in the middle. There was a lot of aggressive play, both teams strong over the ball and not afraid to put their bodies on the line, in a back or on the ground, in the interests of the game. WA sent the ball into the Tassie “D” again but some strong work by the Apple Islanders saw a turnover and they ran the ball into our “D” a couple of times before they apologised by giving us a 16 for our trouble. 

The physical play continued in the middle, with a Taswegian player copping something to the head and took a short break to have a nasty cut over the eye cleaned up and stuck back together. He made it back to the field later, so no serious harm done. The Grey Ducks used their strength to get the ball into the Tassie “D” again and badgered their defence for a solid two minutes before Maurie knocked one in after 19 minutes (17 minutes of real play, but who’s counting?).  

Tassie took this to heart and ripped the ball towards Max and co in the circle, but made a mistake and gave us a 16. They decided that that wasn’t good enough and after a quick turnover, took a corner against us. Strong work by Max and the boys cleared the ball but the Tassie attack tried again, just skimming the circle and giving us another 16. The Grey Ducks weren’t going to let the same thing happen again. Our defence sent the ball flying up the field in a series of short, hard passes, penetrated the “D, “ and Dudley put the ball in the box to give us a 2-0 lead after 22 minutes had elapsed (that would be 20 if we were counting real time, but then, we’re not…) 

Tassie seemed to take this to heart, and upped the tempo to try and drive the ball into our defensive zone. Some strong play in the middle kept them out for the most part, and the ball travelled end to end several times before the Tassies got into our 25. A few mistakes by the Tas team saw them lose their advantage and give us three 16s in as many minutes, by which stage, we’d had enough. WA drove the ball hard and fast to the other end of the field and drove into the “D.” Robbo appeared from nowhere in the circle with the ball but some fancy defence saw them try to get the ball out. The Grey Ducks kept the ball in the Tassie 25, drove again into the circle and earned a penalty corner. When the first didn’t score, we tried a second, then a long, but a free to WA just outside the “D” was turned over by the Tas team and sent into the middle. Some strong work over the ball saw the buzzer sound with no more scores on the board. 

We missed Cam, our big fella, for the half time talk as business dragged him overseas. It was a lot quieter on the bench without his trademark “F*%#! I hate watching hockey!” every two minutes, and it took both Nic and Ashlee to run the changes with the help of the benchwarmers. Robbie called the team together and reminded them to focus on the game and rise above the physical contests that were happening on the field. Must’ve been the angle of the early morning sun making some of the infringements invisible to the whistle blowers, but the game must go on. Some more guidance from the leader, then the Grey Ducks hit the field for a real 35 minutes of good hockey. 

Again, the first couple of minutes saw both teams turn the ball over in the middle of the field. Tassie put in a run on our defence, but gave us a 16, which we used to penetrate their circle with some fast passing up the field. They objected to this and sent the ball back to Max’s end of the field, gave us a 16 which they turned over into another attack on our circle. Some outstanding work by the WA defence and the ball again legged it for the other end of the field. A drive into their “D” by the Grey Ducks was defended well by the Tassie boys and the ball went back to the middle. 

For a non-contact sport, this game certainly had some physical moments! Ches copped a green card for pushing, but both teams were out to win at any price and the testosterone was flowing faster then the beer at a footy club wind-up. WA built on the moment and began a 5 minute concentrated attack on the Tassie “D”. The forwards constantly drove the ball into the “D” to win a short corner that was successfully defended by the Tas boys. Some more pressure on the Tas keeper and crew with a constant barrage of WA attackers, saw them give us first a long, then another short corner. Some great team play saw Rudy eventually put this one in, but I think the list of assists comprised half the team! That gave us 3-0 up after 14 minutes and a decided advantage. 

Tas took this personally and if we thought the game was physical before, it reached new heights. Unfortunately Steve was the victim of this increased attack as he received first a green, then a yellow card for rough play. Again, the 10-man training sessions paid off as the team moved smoothly into place to eliminate any advantage Tassie thought they could get. Robbie pulled the team into formation but all Tas could manage was one attempt on our circle as the holding pattern did its job and kept us out of danger. 

Steve got back on the field with 11 minutes to go and the team reshuffled. An attempt by Tassie to get into our “D” was quickly squashed and the ball turned around to our advantage. The Grey Ducks worked the ball into a long corner but Tas turned it around with some slick play and bought themselves a short corner at our expense. Superlative work again by our defensive battery gave us first a 16, then drove the ball once more into attack. Another short corner to WA, but the Grey Ducks were unable to convert. We kept the pressure on them in the dying minutes, forcing several penetrations into the Tassie “D” and converting a brief turnover by them to another attacking run on their 25. We finished the game with a long corner in attack and walked off the field victorious. 

In the hospitality tent, we thanked Tassie for a strong game and gifted Steve Rattigan with the MVP award for the Tasmanians. Rudy Keswick took home the Chris Hayter Cup. 

The great news is that we have definitely topped the table in Pool A! By my calculations, this means we play NSW 1 on Monday at PHS 1 at 5pm, our WA 2 team on Tuesday on PHS 2 at 3.30pm, then have a day off before fronting up against Vic 1 on Thursday at Duracraft at 12.30pm. Conserve the energy fellas – it’s going to be a tough week ahead!

Result: WA 3 - TAS 0

Scorers: M Giles , D Evans, R Keswick.

WA1 vs NSW1 - Monday, October 9, 2006

Bugger, bugger, bugger! This was the scoreline that we really didn’t want to see… 

We were grateful for the later start in the day as the sun had a fair old bite to it, topping 27oC around lunchtime. Thankfully the good old Freo Doctor rolled in around 2.30pm and the conditions improved as the sun edged towards the horizon. Lots of early arrivals – only late one was the birthday boy Cam, whose plane arrived late from Kuala Lumpur, giving him a cross town sprint to race across the seminar room threshold with 30 minutes to spare (lucky the game before ours was running behind schedule!). Heads were still reeling from the previous night’s session – no, not that sort of session! The team had had a meeting before the WA Dinner and spent some time watching videos of some of the NSW1 games earlier in the tournament. All were exceedingly well behaved at the dinner, which was an excellent night, but perhaps the boys had been thinking too much about this one. The team was the same but it wasn’t the same game the boys had been playing last week. 

NSW1 started with the ball and got into our circle after 2 minutes. Some strong defensive work saw us claim a 16 and Eddie lobbed an overhead up the field for Tom to collect. NSW turned it over and drove again into our “D” but Max booted the ball several storeys high for a strong clear over the sideline, about ¾ of the way up the field. NSW tried again but couldn’t get into the “D” this time and conceded a 16. 

Mixing it up in the middle gave a fairly even contest for a few minutes, with NSW1 breaking into our circle. A strong clear from Eddie shifted the ball to Possum (Ralphie, if you hadn’t twigged) who drove the ball into the NSW 25. They sent it back into the middle and there was another even tussle for the ball, before NSW got into our D again. They earned themselves a long corner and drove the ball in again. Max charged the attack and the NSW attack struggled to get the ball around him (even without the body armour, he’s a fine figure of a fellow). A brilliant clearance by Eddie just in front of the net saved a dead-set goal and an NSW mistake gave us a 16 to catch our collective breaths. 

Cam was definitely back on the bench…. repeating his favourite saying several times with varying volume and intensity. The work rate of the Grey Ducks was fantastic, but a few easy moves around the middle failed to give us the edge we were looking for. We had a good attacking drive at the NSW box, which they turned around and repeated at our end of the field. We cleared with another Eddie special, and Robbo connected with one of his magic overheads that put us in the attacking 25, but those NSW defenders were a wake up and yet again sent the ball into our circle, earning a penalty corner. The Grey Ducks have the best defensive battery in the comp, so nothing was getting through here.  

Ches whipped out his own overhead (careful now, don’t get excited!) and we managed to penetrate the NSW circle and set Possum up for a beauty of a shot on goal that narrowly missed the net. The disappointment of that one getting away and a very fast passage of play from NSW saw them back up our end of the field, but they miss-hit and made a few mistakes, giving us a couple of 16s in the process. Some strong defensive moves gave Maurie a chance to run with the ball, and Cuts again showcased his dance skills with a graceful pirouette, tuck and roll that would have earned him at least 9.2 in any gymnastic competition. This gave the NSW team a chance to rest one of their hard working forwards, having earned a yellow card for helping Cuts and giving the Grey Ducks a chance to dominate against a 10 man side. Unfortunately, NSW must have learnt our own strategies for being a man down, and they managed to score from a penalty corner with 9 minutes to go and a player down. 

The missing player joined the NSW ranks and they dominated for a couple of minutes, but some argy-bargy between one of them and Ches resulted in some threatening words by the NSW player. Ches – a man of many words and quite a few actions – skillfully deflected any hot-headed reaction with a thrust of his tongue in the general direction of said player (a talent he has used on many occasions, although rarely with members of his own gender). We finished the half with a strong drive into the NSW defence, finishing with a massive overhead by Ray Dorsett – we needed about 30 seconds more when the buzzer went, giving a 1-0 score against us at half time. 

Robbie pulled the boys in and gave some strong guidance to the team. Nothing “easy” in, out or through the middle, more on-field communication and we could reclaim the game. The boys hit the field with this in mind and there was some fairly even play between the 25s, until NSW made a mistake and gave us a 16. They quickly stole the ball back, earning first a long, then a short, before driving again into our circle. Some forceful play and a rough tackle saw Max hit the dirt as NSW followed through to score their second goal 10 minutes into the half. Max spent some time recovering from the fall, much to the consternation of the bench, although he assured Nic he was fine at the time – not so sure after the game. 

The team seemed somewhat rattled after this, and allowed NSW into the “D” a couple of times before Goose pulled a massive turnover and cleared the ball. Robbo snatched us from the jaws of death and drove the ball into our attacking 25, penetrating their “D” and shaking their confidence. Chappy pulled a calf muscle and limped off the field and the game switched from 25 to 25 like some huge tennis match as the teams fought for dominance. The Grey Ducks plucked a few feathers, pulled off some great passes and drove into attack, earning 4 (or was it 5? Hard to count when NSW kept breaking out of the goal) penalty corners in a row, but no score resulted. 

Another 5 minutes of even play between the 25’s and WA again arced up the attack. An attacking force into the NSW defence got us another couple of short corners and Robbo managed to topple Al Mostyn –a slow motion tumble, with Al ending up on his neck with his feet in the air (a position that some may say was an improvement). Just time for WA to drive into the circle once more before the final siren. A disappointing game, when the fellas have played so much good hockey in the past few months. NSW1 are not beyond our reach so we’ll look forward to meeting them in the semis and giving them a game to remember. 

Despite the score, catching up with old mates in the hospitality tent was a bit of a lark for most players, as there were former Aussie teammates and long-term rivals in the mix. Dennis Cranston was the winner of the MVP award for NSW1 and Eddie Bartnik was voted by his teammates as the winner of the Chris Hayter Cup. We then embarrassed our big guy Cam by singing a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” (sung most enthusiastically, if not tunefully, by both sides – after all, Cam has been around for a while!) and presenting him with a birthday gift. He can’t wait until he turns 50 and can legally join the Grey Ducks….

Result: WA1 0 - NSW1 2

WA1 vs WA2 - Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Great weather for a visit to the stadium – even managed to fit in official team photos before the pre-game routine kicked in. Max was still feeling the effects of a rough tumble yesterday so had a pre-game rub down from Nic. Chappy’s calf injury from yesterday proved worse than we hoped and he joined the bench babes and Cam to cheer the team on from the side.  

Robbie pepped the team up with some winning moves and set the game plan in place. We gave the boys in black the pass-back, and quickly drove the ball into attack. I think the 2’s missed some of their pre-game preparations as quite a few hands were raised as if asking to go to the toilet, although I think they were trying to attract the umpire’s attention. Quite a few characters in the umpiring crew; yesterday we got “Fat” and “Skinny” – two of Robbie’s favourite strategies, and today we had the Guinness Book of Records contender for World’s Longest Beard. Unfortunately for the 2’s, neither a toilet break nor the umpires’ attention went their way and the Grey Ducks drove into their circle and we stole a penalty corner. Maurie knocked the shot in for our first goal after 2 minutes of play. 

The 2’s responded with an attempt at our circle which Ches knocked out of the way. The Grey Ducks sent the ball up the field and a great play combo between Tom, Robbie and Steve put the pressure on the 2’s defence. Another drive by Dudley into the circle and great teamwork by Tom and Maurie bought us another short corner, which the 2’s turned into a long. They got this one away but the Grey Ducks turned it over and again drove into attack. Robbo tried a couple of overheads, but couldn’t get his usual lift – not to worry as we forced our way through to the circle and the 2’s gave us another short. Not able to put this one away and the 2’s turned the ball over and decided to have a go at our defensive battery with a short at the other end. Max and the lads cleared this one and we replied with a couple of shorts in the 2’s box, but again, no score. 

The boys in yellow put plenty of pressure on the opposition defence, keeping the ball in their 25 and hammering through. Ches hit a great drive towards Steve, who couldn’t quite tuck it in. We kept the ball in the 25 and Ches hit an absolute rocket of a shot at Steve for a second try…. Mate, this is VETERANS! We have to be able to see the ball to connect with it! We kept the pressure on their defence, running through their circle and grabbing another short. Rudy missed a sitter and we decided to take a break. Letting the 2’s have a run at our defense saw us give away a short, but excellent work by Ches and Westy cleared the ball out of danger and we drove into attack again. 

We kept the pressure on, keeping the ball in the 2’s 25 and driving into their circle. Yet another corner and again Maurie capitalised on a weak point and the pill was in the box again with 12 minutes to go. This was now the signal for Cam to drag Maurie and give some other bloke a chance at getting a goal. Unfortunately the team failed to recognise this signal and we remained scoreless for the rest of the half. Not without want of trying though… we gave the 2’s a run with the ball, but their attempt to get close to the net was stymied by one of Eddie’s booming clearances. Some good play in the middle (although somewhat physical at times) with a couple of turnovers before the Grey Ducks again took the ball into the 2’s circle for another run at goal. The 2’s defence diverted a second attempt in the circle and they had the ball for a while before another turnover and a visit by the Grey Ducks to the attacking end of the field. A great linking play between Robbie and Possum saw Possum drive the ball in the general direction of the net, but no score. We gave the 2’s a bit of a runaround and let them have a run to our end of the field where they were again thwarted by an Eddie special. This sent the ball into the 2’s 25 and then their circle, but the half time buzzer stopped any further action by either team. 

Robbie called his ducklings in for the revised game plan and pointed out a few areas for key moves. We took the ball and hit the field, looking considerably fresher than our opponents. Robbo pulled one of his brilliant overheads out of the bag and we drove the ball into attack. The Grey Ducks dominated in the first 10 minutes with five strong penetrations in the circle and some strong attacking play in the 2’s 25. A massive run by Cuts kept the 2’s out of our circle and sent the ball back into attack. Heaps of pressure on the 2’s defence, which they stood manfully and even sent the ball up to Max so he could check out the colour. A few good shots by the 2’s gave Max and the lads a good look (it was white, in case anyone was interested) before both teams played the hockey equivalent of table tennis and bounced the ball between the 25s. Persistent drive by the Grey Ducks saw us in their circle with a penalty corner after 13 minutes. Although the 2’s cleared the ball, some awesome work by Westy saved the turnover and sent the ball back into the circle long enough for Steve to get his name on the board 15 minutes into the half. 

More strong presence by the Grey Ducks saw us keep possession of the ball and continue our attacking drive. Maurie scored himself a fan club, which greatly impressed the bench until he revealed that he had bribed them with our dwindling supply of jelly snakes…. Attack was definitely the name of the game as the Grey Ducks continually drove into the 2’s circle, earning a couple of long corners in the process. A great pass by Robbie to set up a sitter was ruined by the thoughtless actions of the 2’s defensive boys but we still kept the ball in the 25 and relentlessly increased the pressure. A couple more longs, a great burst of effort by the forwards (have we mentioned Maurie enough yet?) kept the ball in the attack. Goose must’ve thought he was playing cricket and sent what could only be called a wicked cover drive into the circle, but no-one could get a stick to it. The 2’s had a run on our defence but another Westy clearance set up an attacking run that couldn’t be stopped. An awesome hit by Robbie in the circle deflected off Cuts’ stick to put Wayne on the board for leaning on his stick at the right place and time. Four-nil up and 5 minutes to go…. The 2’s put on a burst of energy and drove into our defence with a last-ditch effort. Strong defence by our backs and some near misses kept them scoreless until the Grey Ducks took the ball into the 2’s 25 for the last couple of minutes. Finishing with a long corner, the Grey Ducks erased the memories of yesterday’s loss and waddled off the field with beaks proudly raised. 

Ashlee took the cool down to ensure no further injuries and there was plenty of stretching done by all. Great to catch up with mates in the hospitality tent and share a few beers despite a cock-up by the bar that delivered the wrong drinks to our tent (I swear, boys, I would NEVER order that namby pamby girly rubbish the 55’s were drinking). George Naylor won the award for the MVP (for banging into Robbie yet enabling both to stay upright) and Ray Dorsett got his teammates votes for best Grey Duck on the field today. The team trooped off to the Mt Henry Tavern to assuage the hunger pangs after such a hard worked game. A day of rest tomorrow before we lob up to Duracraft to face the Vic 1 team on Thursday. 

Result: WA1 4 - WA2 0

Goal scorers: M. Giles (2), S. Farrar, W. Cutler

WA1 vs VIC1 - Thursday, October 12, 2006

Duracraft was today’s venue and the boys trooped in to the stadium looking for a strong showing against Vic, knowing that we’d play them tomorrow in the semi finals regardless of the outcome. Nic got there early to be ready for pre-game rub downs and managed to get conscripted by our other 50’s team as well. Chappy enjoyed his stint on the bench so much yesterday that he decided to join Cam and the girls in the dugout and conserve his strength for the semi.  

The pre-game talk focussed on our abilities and strengths, with Robbie running through strategies to use to control and dominate the game. Ashlee took the warm up and it was all hands on deck as we hit the turf. 

Vic 1 had the passback and both teams shifted the ball between the 25s until Vic managed to get into our circle and score from a dodgy call for a short after 2 minutes. This seemed to upset the boys from the west and started a strong drive into attack, with the Grey Ducks really getting in the Vic faces and keeping the ball in their 25. Ches cracked a ripper of a shot into the “D” but Steve couldn’t activate the Go Go Gadget stick in time and the ball rocketed over the backline without a guiding touch. WA kept the drive happening in attack and another Ches ball flew through the circle faster than a speeding bullet, again without a deflection towards the net. Cam spent most of the first half getting peeved by constant phone calls until Robbie politely requested that he “get off the f#%$ing phone and start doing some coaching.” Some strong attacking play with a few turnarounds saw the ball shift from 25-25 with the play predominantly in our favour. A Robbo overhead got the ball into their 25 again and a few strong penetrations into their circle, but nothing resulted. 

A strong drive by the Vic’s saw them annoy our defensive team for a couple of minutes, but Max, Eddie and Robbo managed to keep them at bay with some great clearances. Max managed a great sliding tackle, after which the Vic’s seemed content to leave him alone for a while. More end to end play, with possession roughly even, before the Vic’s tried again to get into our defensive area. A dubious overhead by the Vic boys that tried to take out 3 WA heads gave us a free, but we were unable to keep the advantage. Some sterling work by Rudy saw a strong turnover and the ball was again sent into attack. We drove into their circle and earned a penalty corner, but couldn’t convert. We kept up the attacking run and maintained the pressure on the Vic boys, but it was Robbo who got peeved with the play, took a run with the ball up front and finally knocked one into the net to equalise the score with 5 minutes to go. We finished the half with some strong attacking play, earning two shorts and a long, but no further score on the board. 

Robbie reminded everyone about the game plan and the need to lift and keep our dominance of the game. We’d managed to hold 60-70% of the play to control the ball in the first half, but hadn’t capitalised on the advantages we’d created. A bit more hunger in the “D” and earlier passes and shots and we’d have the game in the bag. 

We took the ball in the second half and moved into attack. Unfortunately the Vic’s also lifted and there was quite an even contest for the first 10 minutes, with both Maurie and Possum getting some great turnovers to send the ball back into attack. Some excellent moves in the Vic 25 and circle bought us a short, which we were unlucky not to convert. We turned the ball over as the rain set in and a poor choice by the Vic defenders cost them a penalty stroke. With the wind and rain almost blowing horizontally across the field, Robbo stepped up to take the shot. He hunched against the icy daggers as the rain drove into his body, making it almost impossible to see the net. Wind gusting across the face of the goal, he was unable to get his usual lift, but the slow ball tricked the Vic keeper and we were 2-1 up after 13 minutes. 

The restart saw the Vics try to take control, but a Vic hit near the sideline saw the player lob his stick at Cuts as the rain had rendered his grip useless. This signalled another strong attacking run by the Grey Ducks and again the boys from the west were dominating. Westy and Ches were running some sort of sprint marathon in the middle and carved up the Vic attack, with Ray putting in some strong directional play and Goose keeping up the pressure. A freak turnover from by the visitors saw them get into our circle and convert a penalty corner to equalise 19 minutes into the half.  

Some more end-to-end play, with WA controlling the majority, kept the pressure on the Vic defense. We got ourselves a short, but Dud was unable to knock in the deflection off the keepers’ pads. We kept the ball in their 25 until a turnover saw Max go one-on-one with a Vic breakaway. Max used his presence to psych out the poor Vic lad who missed his one shot at glory by a couple of miles. The Grey Ducks used the 16 to start another attacking run, culminating in a short in the final two minutes, but no conversion saw us finish the game with a draw. 

Realistically, it was the game we should have won, as we certainly had the majority of play. We just need to capitalise on our strengths, use those early shots and keep the pressure up. We had plenty of advantages and definitely have the edge over the Victorians as our team is a much stronger cohesive unit. We’ve got their number now and will use this to our advantage tomorrow. 

The hospitality session afterwards was enhanced by the attendance of our second WA team who stayed to watch the fun. Gary “Chippa” O’Dea got the MVP award for the Vic boys, while Westy won the Chris Hayter Cup. Unfortunately Westy managed to put his track pants on backwards, and scored a fair bit of ribbing from all three teams present. The Duracraft kitchen turned on a good lunch for the team and the boys stayed to enjoy a carb-fest of lasagne and salad. Early start tomorrow and we’ll show those Vic boys how we really can play!

Result: WA1 2 - VIC1 2

Goal scorer: G. Robinson (2)

Semi-final - WA1 vs VIC1 - Friday, October 13, 2006

It was a very Black Friday 13th as Victoria fronted to tackle the boys from the West.  

Initially confusion reigned as the tech bench got the game start time wrong, but Robbie and Nic stood firm and only a minor delay resulted despite the Vic team’s protests. This seemed to rattle the visitors and it took quite a while for them to get down to business. 

Chappy again joined the bench with Cam and the girls, making sure that his injury would be given as much time as possible to enable him to play in the final tomorrow. The Vic’s took the passback and WA leapt straight into attack. The Grey Ducks made a quick turnover and drove persistently into the Vic circle to earn a long corner. Continuing the attack, we penetrated the circle and set Maurie up to knock in the first goal within 4 minutes. 

The Vic’s drove at our defence from the restart, but a big boot by Max was picked up by Cuts in the Vic 25 and the attack continued. Sterling efforts by Westy scooting across the paddock like old man emu on a bender really had the Vic boys foxed. Further gasps of surprise were heard from the bench when Robbie actually ran across the field – making it look very smooth and easy for a man who reportedly has no cartilage remaining in either knee… Cuts made a great defensive clearance on top of our circle and again drove the ball into attack. A brilliant hit by Maurie earned him an assist as Possum tucked one in to make it 2-0 up after 10 minutes. 

The Grey Ducks were in attack mode for sure now, and completely dominated the play. It took another 10 minutes before the Vic’s could get the ball past the half line and the play was WA all the way. Four long corners to WA in a row, a short , two more longs, another short…. Robbie used the short to set up another great pass in the circle to give Possum his second for the match after 16 minutes of play.  

Who knows what had inspired the boys, but they came out faster than a speeding bullet and kept the Vic boys on the hop. A brief turnover saw Eddie showcase his defensive skills as he cleared a Vic ball that skimmed the top of our circle. Eddie lobbed an overhead at Tom, who collected it neatly and continued the attacking drive. Keeping up the pressure on the Vic’s saw several penetrations by the Grey Ducks, a long corner that gave Cuts a great try at a deflection which narrowly missed the net. 

The team took a breather and gave the Vic’s a chance to go visit our defenders, but our defensive battery kept them from scoring. Another Max high ball up the field was unable to be controlled by Rudy, giving the Vic’s another chance. Of course, Ches and Robbo took this personally and once again, drove the ball into attack. Our attacking play put so much pressure on the Vic boys that they gave us a stroke, that Robbo was unable to convert. Dud got bowled over in the ensuing Vic panic but dusted himself off quickly with his trademark grin and went after the boys in blue. More attacking play by WA saw the ball again in the circle, giving us our third short for the half and yet another chance for Maurie to get his stick on the pill and put it away. Four- nil up with 9 minutes to go in the first half and the Vic’s looked totally demoralised. The Grey Ducks kept up the attack, Ray guiding the ball through the middle and extended sprints by Westy, Ches and Cuts contributed to the WA domination of the rest of the half. A Maurie overhead sent the ball into the Vic 25, and some smart work by Maurie and Cuts saw them pull off a highly successful double team tackle on attempted Vic breakaway, to send the ball back into attack. A strong finish with WA controlling the play in the Vic circle saw us continue the domination right through to the half time buzzer. 

Robbie and Cam refined the plan and charged the team to hold the advantage in the second half. While another goal or two wouldn’t go astray, keeping injury free and ensuring no-one suffered from the extended effort expenditure would ensure a strong game against the NSW team tomorrow. 

Taking the passback ourselves to start the second half ensured that WA kept the pressure on the visitors. Ches pulled off a specky tackle, holding his ground as a Vic player twice his height (note that was not twice his size…) tried to bulldoze his way up the field. Possum and Maurie pulled off a double team tackle again to hold out the Vic attack and again the Grey Ducks went to visit the Vic circle. More defensive mistakes saw the Vic’s give us another go at a stroke, which Robbo tucked in to give us a 5-0 scoreline after 4 minutes.  

The Vic boys seemed galvanised by the WA domination and put in four minutes of aggressive attacking play to challenge our defensive line. Robbo stopped one attacking drive and a brilliant clear by Cuts deep in the circle saw the start of another WA attacking drive, only to be foiled by the Vic boys. They turned back and managed to score a goal after 9 minutes of play, but they had no hope of catching up. 

Great attacking drive by WA saw Westy receive a yellow card for aggressive play – looked like a good strong tackle from the bench, but we didn’t have the whistle or the cards - so the boys went into the 10-man holding pattern Robbie had created for us. Strong play by the Grey Ducks only saw the Vic boys trouble our defense once while Westy had his feet up, but Ches put in some great efforts and kept them at bay. 

With Westy back on the field, the WA attack continued and some great work by our forwards gave us first a long, then (thanks to Steve) a short that saw Dud set Rudy up with a potential scoring knock, only to be cheated at the finish. Victoria tried to run some attacking moves but just couldn’t penetrate the WA wall. Ches lifted a sideline free through a couple of Vic heads, Westy pulled an awesome save and roll in the WA circle to keep the Vic boys out, and the ball had a few minutes of extended travelling between the 25s. WA decided to finish with two minutes of strong attack, earning a short and a long. The Vic boys worked their butts off to have a go at our circle, but even being awarded a short just before the final siren, and another seconds later, they were unable to make a significant impact and the Grey Ducks remained victorious. 

The hospitality session afterwards was relatively quiet, as the Vic boys didn’t have a lot to say. Some great work by all the players on the day made it hard to choose the team’s best player. In the end, it was Possum who downed the Chris Hayter Cup – scoring a couple of goals and running his paws off would have had a fair bit to do with it. On to the Grand Final tomorrow where we take on NSW1 again!

Result: WA1 5 - VIC1 1

Goal scorers: M. Giles (2), R.Untersteiner (2), G. Robinson

Grand Final - WA1 vs NSW1 - Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Grey Ducks strode confidently into Perth Hockey Stadium for our last match of the tournament. Wearing the black socks that had been so successful against Victoria yesterday (hopefully laundered in the interim) we hit the seminar room for one last time.  

Robbie’s pre game talk focussed on the objectives we had set at the beginning of the tournament. We had managed to learn more about ourselves and each other, increase our skills and have a lot of fun. Now all we have to do to finish the tournament is to make the most of our opportunities – a win would be great too! 

Ashlee took the boys out for the final warmup and it was time to hit the turf. Chappy was our secret weapon and we kept him on the bench with Cam “I f$&*ing hate watching hockey” Fairbrother and the girls. WA started with the pass back and the game was on. Strong attacking moves by the Grey Ducks established WA as a dominant force for the first half. A huge drive over the NSW baseline intimidated the boys in blue and WA took control of the game. Westy and Goose combined to continue the attacking drive until a fluke turnover by NSW gave them the ball for a few seconds. Possum was out of the trap and nipping around the NSW boys, upsetting them so much that the umpire gave him a green card – even though it wasn’t his birthday. The attack continued with the Grey Ducks driving into the NSW circle and getting a long corner. A big drive through the NSW circle saw Cuts dive for the shot and hit the deck, while the NSW scored a free for deliberately knocking the ball into Cuts’ back while he was on the ground. 

The boys in blue had a minute of play going their way, but the excellent defensive team play between Ches and Robbie cleared the ball and we were back into attack. Strong play by WA seemed to upset the umpire, who called Ches in for a little chat – exchanging phone numbers perhaps? Some NSW mistakes in the 25 gave us a couple of 16s and some questionable play by the visitors again tested our defense, with Ches clearing the ball for another attacking run into the NSW circle. 

WA kept the ball between the half and NSW 25 lines, dominating the play and really getting up the collective NSW noses. Ray got tired of this and sent the ball booming over their backline. NSW then lost one of their stronger players, DC, to an ankle injury in their 25 and the blues became even more unbalanced. Tom wove through the NSW defense but was unlucky in the circle. Westy commanded the flank and persistently wore down their wing and drove the ball repeatedly into attack with some great sprint and tackle work. Ches kept the back quarter safe with some great clearances just in front of the circle. Cuts and Dudley worked several double-team moves along the sideline to keep the ball in attack and Westy again worked those long legs around the field (wish we’d thought to put a pedometer on the boy!). Great penetrative work in the NSW circle and constant effort by Rudy and the forwards kept up the pressure, but no score resulted. 

WA kept up the domination in attack, with a Robbo special overhead getting the ball into the NSW 25. The play moved between the 25s with the Grey Ducks’ infallible defensive battery keeping the ball well away from our circle. Ches again starred in defense, leaving Max little to do from the box other than shout instructions. 

A penalty corner for the WA attack in the last 3 minutes had the bench folk biting nails. Amazing attacking drive and a display of airballing by Maurie and Steve was unlucky not to score and the half finished with no score on the board for either team. 

Cam and Robbie reviewed the play and reiterated the game plan to the team. Protect the spine, nothing easy in, through or out of the middle and keep possession of the ball. NSW took the passback and tried an overhead that was neatly collected by Ches and sent back into attack. Robbie repeated his surprise move from yesterday and was seen sprinting across the field to link with Rudy in a double team attacking move that left NSW reeling in shock as WA hit the attack yet again. A great ball by Eddie that Tom couldn’t quite get a stick on and Ches was on the deck with an ankle injury that the first aiders leapt on like a Godsend. Of course, they didn’t know the recuperative powers of Xooma ™ and the Magnapulse ™ and he was back running in no time. 

NSW grabbed the ball and started a run on our defence that saw them try us with a short corner. It was a messy shot, and great defence by Max and Robbo got the ball out of the circle. Westy and Eddie pulled the double team tackle to put the pressure on the NSW attack, with Westy clearing the second NSW short and starting another attacking drive by the Grey Ducks. 

The ball moved 25-25 with the Grey Ducks taking a short corner against NSW just on 20 minutes of play. The NSW defense put in some great aerial play unseen by either ump and they capitalised with an attacking run of their own. It took them longer to get the ball into our circle, but their resulting short was equally unsuccessful. We turned on another attacking run, to which NSW replied with one of their own and they took yet another unsuccessful short.  

Robbie proved that his run earlier in the game was not a one-off, and put on another sprint that really foxed the blue boys. Robbie again ran into the NSW 25 to pick up an overhead by Robbo, but a sneaky defender turned the ball over and sent it towards Max. Eddie and Robbo managed to clear the ball, and Ches had a go as well, to set up a fantastic attacking run, but too late as the siren went with neither team getting a score on the board. 

After a five-minute break, and a pep talk from Robbie and Cam, the lineup was chosen for the penalty stroke competition. Always a hard one, made more difficult by the talent on the team, but Robbie made the call and the boys lined up. Max drew the short straw and faced the first shot. Glen Buttsworth flicked it high, but Max kept the ball out. NSW keeper Phil Budden then faced Ray Dorsett – no chance for Phil as Ray wasn’t making any mistakes and we were one up. Max faced up again, and this time David Campbell had a go – NSW remained unsuccessful as again, Max kept it out. The NSW keeper faced Rudy – whose on-field performance must’ve terrified him – and another score was on the board for WA. Max’s turn to face Dennis Cranston, who hit the post, giving another save to our reliable keeper. Robbo then stepped up to the spot and the NSW keeper trembled. It was probably his fear that caused him to drop earlier to save the low shot, but we were still 2 up and NSW yet to score. Max again took his place and faced unlucky No: 13 for NSW – Clive Harrison.  

The flick, the save – the game was ours! Victorious, the boys slapped backs and congratulated Max, before shaking hands with the opposition and thanking them for the game. 

In the tent after the game, we thanked Ashlee for her fantastic efforts and presented her with a stick signed by the team and a tournament shirt and stubby holder, as well as a letter of thanks on our behalf from the CEO of Hockey WA. Best Player for the match, on cumulative votes from his peers, was Rudy Keswick, who got to take home The Chris Hayter Cup. The whole team put in fantastic for a highly successful tournament. Hopefully the boys will keep it together and meet up next year when the tournament travels to Queensland. Great work guys!

Result: WA1 2 - NSW1 0

Goal scorers: R. Dorsett, Rudy Keswick