Orbost Hockey Club was back in action for round 10 of the East Gippsland Hockey Association season when it hosted Mitchell River at the Orbost Recreation Reserve.
Off the field it was a day of commemoration as the club held a minute’s silence in honour of the sad recent passing of Jocelyn Ingram, a popular figure around the club who was involved at the beginning of its formation in 1963 and became an inaugural life member.
On the field itself the full day of fixtures delivered a pair of Green and Gold wins plus a draw, with the real standout being the under 16 side’s most complete performance of the season which led to a thumping win over their local rivals.
The victory was proof that good team interplay in hockey produces good results as Orbost’s youngsters impressed throughout with both the fluidity of their passing and their willingness to fight hard for every loose ball, particularly those created in front of their opponents’ goal.
Jasper Anderson got the scoring underway with a well-drilled shot into the corner, as Orbost locked the ball into attack for an extended period that kept the Mitchell River defence on its toes.
Ava Martin doubled the lead when she was the first to react to Aster Anderson’s shot being saved, before Mitch Farley added his name to the scoresheet twice before the break, once from a corner strike and the other when he snapped up the rebound from Campbell Edlington’s initial shot.
The second half saw Orbost exert even more forward pressure as its precision and pace really began to pay dividends, but the real story of the flurry of goals it scored was how often a second or third effort was able to keep the ball alive to eventually defeat the keeper and force it into the cage.
Ava Martin completed her hat-trick from well-taken chances from clever positioning on the post, both Mia Martin and Peter Florance scored to complete fluent team moves, while Farley took his personal tally to five goals thanks to his determination to burst through potential tackles and continually pepper the goalie with shots.
Orbost were 12-1 victors, sitting third on the ladder and within striking distance of fellow premiership contenders, Sale and Swan Reach.
The other Green and Gold winning side on the day was the under 12s who jumped out to an early lead but ultimately had to fight hard to maintain their grip on victory.
Joe Millward was in fine form up front early and fired a number of shots on goal that required good saves to turn them away, while Asha Farley was always threatening with her composure and competitiveness in the opposing ‘D’.
After Geoffrey Florance had a shot saved on the post, Savannah Lindfield was able to break the deadlock for Orbost when she was well-placed to divert the rebound from another Joe Millward blast into the cage.
Moments later the same combination doubled the margin when a Joe Millward intercept and drive into a dangerous area ended with a back post tap-in from Savannah Lindfield, while just after half time Cohen Mathews went close after a strong passage of play from Malky Morrison had locked the ball into attack.
Mitchell River pulled a goal back after the main break, and as the contest wore on they began to gain in confidence going forward, creating a few nervous moments among the home players and their supporters.
An equalising goal was certainly a strong possibility, but just when their teammates needed them most, both Jaxon Murray and Belle Healey made vital defensive clearances to safety in the final minute to preserve the win, 2-1.
The drawn match was the first encounter of the day when the two under 10 sides took the field on a frosty morning and produced a real nail-biter that saw plenty of attacking chances created at both ends.
Mitchell River was on the attack early and often, but it was an inspired piece of counter-attacking play that produced the first goal from Orbost, a long clearance forward from Sadie Lindfield, a quick pass from Lara Kenny and finally a determined drive from Demi Murray which pushed the ball between the posts on the second effort.
Some brave tackling from Keira Murray and twins, Indi and Lyla Gilmour made life difficult for their opponents in front of goal, but nevertheless it was the visitors who headed into halftime with a deserved 2-1 lead.
With Coden Volk always busy around the contest, the Green and Gold front line saw more of the ball in the second half, with Joe Millward twice firing wide after getting on the end of some strong team moves.
Finally, a great piece of play from Izzy Palmer delivered the equaliser; after intercepting the ball in a dangerous area, she drove decisively towards goal, broke through a tackle attempt before coolly firing the ball home to secure the draw (2-2).
In both the under 14 and under 18 fixtures, Orbost faced the daunting challenge of taking on the ladder leaders in the respective competitions, but they were challenges each side rose to meet as best they could, regardless of the result.
Jasper Anderson got the under 14 side off to the perfect start with an early burst forward that he capped with a tight-angled shot into the goal cage, while both Joe Millward and Asha Farley went close to scoring later in the first half when they pounced on loose balls that had initially been saved.
Peter Florance’s solid tackling and Kitty Millward’s impressive work in front of the backline helped to keep many of the visitors’ forays at bay, as did an important stop from goalie Jaxon Murray’s boots, but Mitchell River were nevertheless able to grind their way to recording a goal of their own for three consecutive quarters.
Jasper Anderson was denied a second goal by a matter of seconds at the end of one quarter while a strong move involving Alex Kenny and Lily Crofts almost delivered a score for Geoffrey Florance as the Green and Gold fought in vain to claw their way back into the contest, losing 3-1 but certainly not disgraced.
The under 18s encounter saw the Green and Gold youngsters really take it up to their more fancied opponents, and twice in a very competitive first half they snatched the lead before a late goal just before the main break broke their resistance.
Ava Martin extended her fine individual day in front of goal when she was the first to reach the rebounded ball from a Joe Mathews shot and parry it into the cage.
The pace and power of both Chloe Findley and Campbell Edlington generated plenty of headaches for the away team defence.
After Mitchell River had equalised, one particular charge forward from Campbell Edlington restored Orbost’s lead, when he blasted home his second effort.
Some effective linking play from Ellie Florance saw Jasper Anderson’s dash into the ‘D’ ended with his shot sailing wide of the post.
The visitors started to assert their authority and score more regularly in the second half despite the best efforts of Jack Scott in goal (with one particular reflex save standing out), Leni Millward’s defensive determination and Dom Preston’s series of big clearances up the ground.
There was no let up in the hosts’ effort however, with only a goal post and a goal-line clearance respectively denying scores from a Joe Mathews corner and a Chloe Findley back post attempt as they strove hard for a fightback.
Mitchell River was too good on the day, winning 6-2.
The final match of the day was the women’s fixture from which Orbost was able to take plenty of heart, particularly in an intense and scoreless second half, even if all of the competition points went the way of the visitors.
With Misty Anderson applying great pressure at contests all over the field, Kerryn Volk marshalling the midfield effectively, Sarah McDonald sweeping multiple balls to safety on the backline, and goalie Alana Farley putting her big boots to good use, the Green and Gold were competitive in all phases throughout, with the possible exception of a Mitchell River ‘purple patch’ just before halftime that saw them score the majority of their goals.
With juniors Aster Anderson and Chloe Findley providing plenty of pace through the centre, the hosts’ best opportunities to score came from Marni Riordan on the post, a corner strike from Kerryn Volk, and in the final quarter a succession of opportunities from Sammi Reynolds who was continually swooping on loose balls in the opposing ‘D’.
Mitchell River was eventually victorious 4-0.
Orbost Hockey Club will be back in action on Saturday when it travels to the WORLD facility in Bairnsdale to contest a neutral site set of fixtures against their opponents from Wellington.
