Juniors on trophy trajectory

TASMANIA’S under-13 hockey sides enjoyed a perfect day at their National Championships in Hobart, winning four out of four matches contested.

The girls jumped to outright second with wins against Northern Territory and Victoria, and today will effectively play for the national title.

The girls’ unbeaten record will go on the line against ladder leader Victoria Venom at 10.30am and third-placed Western Australia at 3.45pm.

A pair of victories would secure Tasmania the state’s first title in this age group.

“We are thrilled to get through today with two wins where in the first game we had many opportunities to score and won 4-0,” coach Nic Duffy said. “The afternoon’s game was very tight, and we gave Victoria a sniff with about nine minutes played with 10 players but a great goal from Amber Sargent gave us the win.”

The host’s goals against the Territorians came from Emily Rockefeller, Belle Kruimink, Ellie McDonald and Emma O’Grady.

The boys jumped into fourth position with a pair of 2-0 victories against WA and Queensland. Both matches followed a similar script, with Oscar Pritchard nailing a second-half penalty corner in each, while Milo Gee and Max Johnstone scored the others.

The boys face fifthplaced Victoria (11.45am) and seventh-placed Queensland (2.15pm) for a top-three finish.