Orbost Hockey Club was back in action last Saturday in round four of the East Gippsland Hockey Association (EGHA) season, hosting Swan Reach at the Orbost Recreation Reserve.
Once again it was the Green and Gold’s youngest brigades of players who shone, with the under 10s,12s and 14s sides continuing their strong starts to the campaign by recording impressive victories.
The under 10s team began the day’s proceedings and with Alistair Songailo getting involved in the action early, plus Evie Crofts and Zoe Griebenow fighting hard for every loose ball, it was the hosts who had most of the attacking momentum in the first half.
A break forward from Izzy Palmer saw her shot sail wide of the post and after Grace Reddy helped to keep the ball locked in a dangerous area, Frida Songailo was able to feed the ball to Lara Kenny who fired it home for the opening goal.
With Sadie Lindfield standing strong in defence, several Swan Reach breaks in the second half were turned away, with Joe Millward and Neave Songailo applying plenty of pressure at the opposite end of the ground, another Green and Gold goal appeared likely.
After a pair of misses from Lara Kenny, the clinching score finally came when Demi Murray made a daring run forward that deservedly ended with the ball in the back of the goal cage, Orbost winners 2-0.
Next into the fray were the under 12s, with the local youngsters securing their second consecutive home win.
Asha Farley was seemingly everywhere up front for Orbost in the early stages and after being unlucky not to open the scoring herself, she was able to set up a brace of goals for her teammates, firstly Joe Millward followed by Belle Healey.
With the hosts playing with ever increasing confidence, a further pair of goals were scored either side of half time when Savannah Lindfield expertly converted a well-worked team move, before Geoffrey Florance powered through the defence to fire home into the bottom corner.
The final two scores came from the brotherly combination of Cohen and Darius Mathews, both of whom displayed plenty of attacking flair and persistence throughout, Cohen unleashing a big hit for his team’s fifth goal, before Darius finished off proceedings with a clinical finish after a Geoffrey Florance run had drawn the visitors’ goalie out of position, the Green and Gold outstanding winners 6-0.
The Green and Gold’s under 14s side continued their unbeaten season start when they grounded out a tough victory that required them to dig deep as a team to find their way through a determined Swan Reach defence.
Both sides generated multiple scoring opportunities in the first half with
three Jasper Anderson strikes being saved at one end of the ground, while a combination of goalie Jacob Rutherford’s big boots and a vital Cohen Mathews clearance kept a clean sheet for Orbost at the other.
It took a sweet reverse stick strike from Jasper Anderson to break the deadlock, followed by a pair of important Joe Millward defensive interventions to maintain the hosts’ lead at the main break.
With Malky Morrison and Geoffrey Florance generating plenty of attack from midfield, Lily Crofts was denied on the post before a pair of rampaging runs and unstoppable shots from Jasper Anderson broke the contest wide open in Orbost’s favour.
A triple save from Rutherford ensured there was no way back for the visitors, and when Keira Irvine and Joe Millward combined for the latter to fire home, the strong team win and the full complement of competition points were secured 4-0.
The under 16s and 18s fixtures saw Orbost enter as the underdogs but put in a pair of brave performances that saw it take the lead in both matches before ultimately being overtaken by its more experienced opponents in the warm conditions.
With Campbell Edlington providing plenty of pace and power up front and Peter Florance battling to keep the ball locked into attack, the under 16s hosts were able to score two of the contest’s three opening goals from a pair of emphatic strikes on goal from Jasper Anderson and Mitch Farley.
Some tenacious tackling from Leni Millward and Sarah Gladstone kept Swan Reach out during an extended period, while a determined charge forward from Aster Anderson created an opportunity for her brother Jasper to score the Green and Gold’s third goal.
Swan Reach winning 4-3, but the home side far from disgraced.
The under 18s encounter saw Orbost start the brightest, with Campbell Edlington, Aster Anderson and Ava Martin going close to finding the back of the cage in an end-to-end first half.
Leni Millward’s clearance work, Mia Martin’s interventions at the back and a series of strong saves from goalie Sarah Gladstone all helped to keep Swan Reach at bay, while Joe Mathews and Dom Preston were tireless in their efforts to turn midfield into attack.
It was Jasper Anderson who scored both of the Green and Gold goals either side of half time, powering home a pair of big shots after his teammates had found him with precise crosses.
While some more magic between the pipes by Gladstone backed up by key defensive dispossessions by Jack Scott and Mitch Farley respectively kept the scoreline locked at 2-2 as the time ticked away. Unfortunately for Orbost its valiant effort ran out of steam in the final stages as the visitors scored a brace of late goals, putting a dampener on an encouraging effort.
Orbost and Swan Reach matches in the women’s fixtures are always tightly-contested games and the final contest of the day proved to be no different on this occasion.
Bree Kenny was in fine form in the hosts’ goal, turning away a number of dangerous chances with her pads, while Sarah McDonald and Lisa Murray were highly effective with their clearance work.
Both Misty Anderson and Kerryn Volk worked non-stop to end attacks and then propel the ball forward, with Connie Greenwood, Aster Anderson and Leni Millward providing plenty of run and attacking intent.
The Green and Gold’s best opportunities came when a bold run down the wing by Chloe Findley created a chance for Zoe Martin in front, followed by an accurate Jaime Haas pass putting Casey Findley through for a shot that was saved, so ultimately it was
Swan Reach’s pair of strikes that decided the proceedings, as they were victorious 2-0.
The EGHA season will be taking a league-wide break next week in order to allow many of its players to participate in the Junior Country Championships in Melbourne.
Orbost Hockey Club will be back in action on Saturday, May 24 when it makes its first trip of the season to the WORLD facility in Bairnsdale to take on Mitchell River, the club formerly known as Nagle.
