Rangeville wary of Red Lion’s resilience
HOCKEY: The stage is set for two of Toowoomba Hockey’s powerhouse sides to battle it out for A1 women’s glory at Clyde Park.
Rangeville is striving for its third-straight women’s title, while Red Lion is hoping to claim the A1 men’s and women’s double.
It didn’t look like Red Lion will be there midway through last week’s preliminary final against Red Lion.
Past High looked set to book its spot in the decider with a 4-1 lead deep into the contest, before three late goals to Red Lion forced a tie, which means they progressed on a higher seeding.
Rangeville coach Elke Swain was on hand with her players to watch the contest, and admits she was shocked at the comeback.
“We’re a bit surprised to be playing Red Lion,” Swain said.
“Past High had been playing very well leading into the finals. We all came out to watch the game, and Red Lion really kept us on our toes.
“They don’t give up, and they never have over the years.
“It shows us that we have to play for 70 minutes. It doesn’t matter what the score is, we can’t stop playing.
“The game can turn around very quickly, and Red Lion showed that in the space of minutes on Friday.”
Rangeville enjoyed a week off after defeating Red Lion in the qualifying final a fortnight ago.
They prevailed 4-1, however they needed two late goals in the final 10 minutes to put the result beyond doubt.
“They’re going to make us work for the win. Using our basics, not the fancy stuff is how we can win,” Swain said.
“We’ll be relying on our experienced players who have been in these types of games before. They know how to handle pressure, and can help the young ones along the way and have some fun with it.
“We’ve had a good season and dominating in the (ladder) points at the end of the season tells us that.
“We need to take our opportunities tonight. We don’t want to be getting into the circle and not scoring. Our goal all year has been to not let it out of the attacking circle, whether that is a goal or something that leads to a corner.”
Rangeville has been boosted this year by the return of Aleisha Neumann, whose strong play throughout the year has landed her a spot for the Brisbane Blaze in the Hockey One League.
In a further boost this week, Neumann was also announced as an umpire for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and she hopes to cap off her week with a title win.
“I’m a Rangeville girl, born and bred,” Neumann said.
“I haven’t been able to play with the club for the past few years being based in Townsville, so to be a lot closer to home and to chase a title with the people I’ve grown up with is great.”