Positives present in grand final rematch
HOCKEY: Newtown mightn’t have taken the spoils, but they remain confident in their A1 men’s COVID Cup hopes.
In a rematch of last year’s A1 grand final, the top two sides again played out an enthralling contest at Clyde Park.
A scoreless first half set the tone for an intense finish, with Newtown drawing first blood four minutes after the break through James Lush.
Corey Guse and Tom Burge then capitalised on short corners to put Red Lion up with a quarter to play, before Michael Boyd capped the 3-1 scoreline in the dying stages.
It’s a performance that keeps the faith for Newtown coach David Jago, who remain in second spot.
“Red Lion is a quality team and we enjoy the challenge of playing them, and I think they enjoy it too,” Jago said.
“It’s always been a good game for many years.
“It was a very competitive first half. We were able to get the first goal in the third quarter, and had a couple of other opportunities.
“Their three goals came from penalty corners, which shows our midfield wasn’t giving them too many open field scoring chances, which is a positive.
“We’re sitting in a solid second spot at the moment, and I think on our day, we can give them a bit of a shake.”
Jago said they will look to solidify their finals spot and try to perfect their game over the coming weeks.
“There’s a couple of games left and we’ll be looking to do our best in all of them,” he said.
“This season has been a good opportunity to show some younger guys what A1 hockey is like, with some experienced guys to guide them.
“We know that there’s a few things we need to do better, and we’ll try and work on those things incrementally over the next few weeks.”
Newtown remains two wins clear of Past High in third.
Norths picked up its first win of the season, with two goals from Liam Matherson guiding them to a 4-1 defeat of Rangeville.
In the women’s COVID Cup, Newtown was able to edge past Red Lion, with Samantha Richards’ 10th minute strike enough to secure the 1-0 victory.
Rangeville remained unbeaten through six games, accounting for Norths 3-1.
Brooke Thompson scored for Rangeville, and Katie Wollstein finished the match with a double, with Ella White the lone scorer for Norths.
LADDERS
A1 MEN: Red Lion (6-0), Newtown (4-2), Past High (2-3), Norths (1-1-3), Rangeville (0-1-5)
A1 WOMEN: Rangeville (6-0), Past High (4-1), Newtown (2-4), Red Lion (1-1-4), Norths (0-1-4)