A dramatic opening round has ignited season five of the Liberty Hockey One League, here’s how your team fared with everything you need to know after round one.
ADELAIDE FIRE
Adelaide Fire men fell to a narrow loss 3-4 first up against HC Melbourne in a match hampered by three green cards and a yellow to Trent Symss as they struggled to keep up with Melbourne’s swift ball pace. The side that finished 5th in the competition last year recovered well from a 3-1 deficit thanks to a brilliant field goal and a late penalty stroke from striker Landon Morley to save a brutal scoreline first up. Adelaide will be sweating on the MRI results from player-coach Jethro Eustice after he picked up a knee injury in the opening minutes of his season. Adelaide face a swift turnaround with a trip to the capital to take on Canberra in round two on Friday.
Despite a double loss for Adelaide at MATE Stadium, the home crowd were treated to an exciting finish in the women’s match that followed, as Adelaide women went down to Melbourne in a nail-biting shootout. It was always set to be a tough encounter as a stacked Adelaide side led by Hockeyroo Hattie Shand and complimented by international signings Margot van Geffen and Julia Van der Heuval from the Netherlands came up against one of the world’s best, Charlotte Stapenhorst from Germany. Stapenhorst took full control for Melbourne as Adelaide held them to a one-all draw.
“Hockey club Melbourne had a lot more of the possession for the first three quarters so we sunk back and defended deeper than we planned but our defence did a great job,” Adelaide coach Mark Victory said.
They were denied in the shootout by former Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch who saved all but the first attempt to hand Adelaide a narrow loss first up.
HC MELBOURNE
Hockey Club Melbourne has debuted two impressive new names with newcomer Kade Leigh scoring a double and Will Carruthers stepping up to play a solid role on defence as Melbourne led the scoring comfortably, and early, over Adelaide. Dominating at times in periods of play that was rewarded for quick ball and confident attacking hockey, Melbourne put on a confident performance that will set them up nicely for the rest of the season. Much to the delight of coach Andrew Smith who will be forced to line up without two key players, Liam Henderson and Nye Roberts as they join the Australian squad for the Johor Cup from next week. A bye in round two, combined with HC Melbourne’s evident depth and injury-free opening round will set them up well for their next match against the Perth Thundersticks at home in Melbourne on Saturday, October 26.
HC Melbourne will be happy after a clean opening round saw both the men’s and women’s teams win away from home first up. Former Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch starred in her first match, saving a field conversion after Sherilyn Cass’s field goal in the 58th minute to take the match to a shootout in the dying stages, where she almost maintained a clean sheet. Netherland’s powerhouse Margot van Geffen for Adelaide remained the only player to get past Rachael’s wall of defence in the shootout. German superstar signing Charlotte Stapenhorst lived up to the hype as she dominated during the match and her shootout goal sealed the deal for Melbourne who will be happy to claim a narrow win first up. A bye comes at a welcome time for the side who face the Perth Thundersticks at home in round three, two weeks after they defeated Canberra 10-3.
ADELAIDE FIRE MEN: 3 (Mitchell Dell 26’, Landon Morley 54’ & 57’)
HC MELBOURNE MEN: 4 (Nye Roberts 5’, Kade Leigh 13’, Brad Marais 45’, Kade Leigh 55’)
OCT 11, MATE Stadium, Adelaide
ADELAIDE FIRE WOMEN: 1 (1) (Sherilyn Cass 58’)
HC MELBOURNE WOMEN: 1 (3) (Evie Stansby 49’)
OCT 11, MATE Stadium, Adelaide
TASSIE TIGERS
Just three months after missing out on selection for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Kookaburra Jack Welch has returned to competition and put on a statement performance for the next incoming Kookaburras coach to take notice of with one of the quickest hat-tricks Hockey One has ever seen. Single-handedly turning around Tassie’s opening match, Welch’s hat-trick across two minutes in the final quarter helped the Tigers finish with a dramatic 4-3 win. Kookaburras brothers Josh and Hayden Beltz were key on defence, holding Tassie in the game over the opening quarters as NSW Pride ran away to an early 2-1 lead. Tassie coach Ben Read will also be impressed by debutants Oliver Pritchard and Oliver Stebbings as he looks forward to welcoming back 5-time Olympian Eddie Ockenden in round two in Perth against the Thundersticks. They sit equal top of the standings as they race to secure a finals spot in Hobart at the end of November.
The Tassie Tigers women almost made it a double victory for the crowd in Hobart as they put on a solid performance against the NSW Pride. Co-coach Susan Brooks credited a strong focus on conditioning in pre-season and a culture shift for the opening performance that saw them draw and come close to their first win. Tassie failed to record a single point in 2023 and finished at the bottom of the ladder. With the Road to Hobart finals series on the line this season, the Tigers have put in plenty of work, combined with the recruitment of Great Britain’s Holly Hunt and Fiona Crackles and Dutch import Gitte Michels who scored the opening goal on Saturday night. They face a tough match in round two against competition favourites the Perth Thundersticks, who will be buoyed by their 7-goal win over Canberra.
NSW PRIDE
Despite going down to the Tassie Tigers 3-4 away from home in a dramatic match that saw Tassie Kookaburra Jack Welch become their undoing with a rapid hat-trick, the new NSW coaching duo of Roel van Maastrigt and Kieran Govers will be pleased with their start to the competition. Having navigated a swift start with the Pride after the departure of coach Brent Livermore, the opening round performance will be considered a success on the field as the Pride led the scoring right up until the final quarter. Having only had eight sessions to work together in the lead-up to the match, van Maastrigt said he’s proud of how the boys performed, declaring it’s the best club in the country and he’s looking forward to getting the program on track. A passionate Newcastle home crowd will be welcome in round two, as the Pride face defending champions the Brisbane Blaze who are coming off a bye in round one.
It was a winning start for the NSW Pride women who won in dramatic fashion in a shootout in Hobart. Lead by Hockeyroos star Mariah Williams, the NSW Pride lead the scoring 2-0 thanks to Amalia Patterson but a late charge by Tassie in the third quarter sent the match to a shootout where all of the pressure landed on Hockeyroos reserve goalkeeper Zoe Newman to save the opening win. She did, saving a penalty shootout attempt by Tassie Hockeyroo captain Maddison Brooks. NSW Hockeyroo Greta Hayes shootout goal ultimately handed the Pride the opening win as Zoe Newman went on to save the final take by Tassie’s Phillida Bridley. In round two it’ll be the battle of the Hockeyroos as the Pride come up against title holders Brisbane Blaze who are also stacked full of Olympians and international signings.
TASSIE TIGERS MEN: 4 (Ehren Hazell 18’, Jack Welch 46’, 47’ & 47’)
NSW PRIDE MEN: 3 (Ryan Woolnough 7’, Michael Taylor 24’ & Nicholas McEwen 51’)
OCT 12, The Tasmanian Hockey Centre
TASSIE TIGERS WOMEN: 3 (2) (Gitte Michels 34’, Sarah McCambridge 38’ & 38’)
NSW PRIDE WOMEN: 3 (3) (Amalia Patterson 20’, 20’, Emma Scriven 27’)
OCT 12, The Tasmanian Hockey Centre
CANBERRA CHILL
Rounding out the weekend in the capital, the men’s result of 4-3 continued and in the way of the Chill at home. Opening the scoring inside the first three minutes, Canberra took an early lead with a hat-trick going to Aiden Dooley in the first quarter. It was a case of de ja vu for Dooley, who took two penalty strokes just one minute apart from back-to-back penalty corners that hit the defender on the post. Despite protest from the Thundersticks defence, Canberra raced away with an early three-goal lead against a stacked Thundersticks outfit and Dooley emerged as a huge goal scoring threat for season five.
“It was a hard game out there. We played well in the first quarter, created a lot of opportunities and we executed,” Dooley said post-match.
“I had a good club season leading into Hockey One. I’m feeling good.”
The Chill held off a second-half fightback from Perth as they held on to claim a big win first up. Canberra are stacked with talent this season, boasting Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter and Spanish import Xavi Gispert who is one of the biggest signings of any club this season.
It wasn’t a comforting start for the Canberra Chill women, who went down to tournament favourited the Perth Thundersticks 3-10 in their opening clash. Perth raced away to an 8-0 lead before Canberra could get on the board, with Georgina West’s field goal and subsequent conversion coming as a major relief for the home side. Naomi Evans stroke in the dying minutes came as little consolation for a side that will be looking to pick themselves up against Adelaide Fire at home in round two.
PERTH THUNDERSTICKS
The Perth Thundersticks men’s narrow loss to Canberra first-up will be disheartening for a stacked outfit coached by Stephen Davies. The Thundersticks had late opportunities to snatch a 4-4 draw after co-captain and Kookaburras striker Tom Wickham closed the gap to just one with a penalty stroke in the final quarter. Perth desperately tried to send the match to a shootout in the final few minutes but Canberra held on to take the win. Perth will be happy to stay at home for round two when they take on the Tassie Tigers.
It was a different affair for Perth Thundersticks women who dominated and staked their claim as the tournament favourites in the opening round of season five as they raced away to an eight-goal lead in the first three quarters. Lexie Pickering stands on top as the Liberty Hockey One League’s leading goal scorer after scoring four goals thanks to the League’s field goal conversion opportunity. Liné Malan bagged a hat-trick in the second half while Hockeyroos defender Karri Somerville and Jessie Reid also got on the board. The Thundersticks charged to the top of the standings in their commanding, statement win as the only women’s side to claim an outright win in the opening round.
CANBERRA CHILL MEN: 4 (Aiden Dooley 3’, 8’ & 9’, James Jewel 12’)
PERTH THUNDERSTICKS MEN: 3 (Tom Harvie 33, Brodee Foster 35’, Tom Wickham 49’)
OCT 13, National Hockey Centre, Canberra
CANBERRA CHILL WOMEN: 3 (Georgina West 45’, 45’, Naomi Evans 58’)
PERTH THUNDERSTICKS WOMEN: 10 (Lexie Pickering 6’, 6’, 42’, 42’ Jessie Reid 10’, 10’, Karri Somerville 21’, Liné Malan 43’, 57’ & 57’)
OCT 13, National Hockey Centre, Canberra
Hockey One
