Orbost Hockey Club was back in action for round 11 of the East Gippsland Hockey Association (EGHA) season when it took on Wellington at the WORLD precinct in Bairnsdale.
In sunny conditions, the Green and Gold were able to power their way to four wins from the six matches played, three of which were secured by their junior teams.
First onto the winners list was the under 10 side, who for the second time this season conceded a first half lead to Wellington
before cruising comfortably past them in the second term.
Orbost’s best opportunities in the early stages came from Evie Crofts after a period of attacking pressure, followed by Sadie Lindfield’s shot on goal being cleared after a surge forward led by Neave Songailo and Zoe Griebenow.
Despite the hard tackling of Indi Gilmour at the back, it was Wellington who opened the scoring.
The Green and Gold started to find more space and time on the ball after the interval, and when Lara Kenny unleashed an accurate cross into a dangerous area in front of goal, Izzy Palmer pounced first and equalised with a strong shot.
Moments later a fantastic end-to-end move was capped with Joe Millward finding Demi Murray in space for her to run in on goal and fire home successfully, with Joe Millward then going on to record a score of his own after dispossessing his opponent and converting cleanly.
With Dallas Redman and Coden Volk working tirelessly in the contest, the momentum was all Orbost’s at this stage, and it was fitting that Izzy Palmer was able to cap both a fine individual and team performance by scoring the fourth and final goal after some good work from Lyla Gilmour had kept the ball locked in attack.
The Green and Gold were sensational 4-1 victors.
In the under 14 match, Orbost maintained
its top two position on the league ladder when it put together an excellent team performance to dismantle Wellington by a nine-goal margin (10-1).
Jasper Anderson’s ability to ride through tackles and force the ball into the cage on his second or even third efforts brought him a personal tally of nine goals, an extraordinary performance, but this was by no means a one man show as the trio of Lily Crofts, Keira Irvine and Joe Millward impressed throughout with their attacking endeavour and gave their opponents little to no defensive breathing room.
Kitty Millward and Peter Florance worked effectively at the back, with Cohen Mathews and Geoffrey Florance contributing plenty of running and rebounding, while Alex Kenny added his name to the scoresheet when he drilled a crisp shot from a corner into the back of the cage.
With the match won, the Green and Gold experimented a little with their forward combinations in the late stages, a time during which both Asha Farley and Belle Healey went close to scoring themselves as they kept up the attacking intensity with some strong work in the ‘D’ right up until the final siren.
The Orbost under 16 team recorded their seventh win from 11 matches this season when they scored four goals in each half to make light work of their opponents (8-2).
After an early chance from Kitty Millward was saved, Jasper Anderson picked his spot and smashed the ball home to open the scoring before Mitch Farley made a dynamic run in on goal and shot sweetly to double the lead.
After one attack saw attempts from Chloe Findley and then Keira Irvine cleared off the Wellington line, a tight-angled finish from Mitch Farley made it three for Orbost, with a big run down the wing from Dom Preston almost making it four before a last-second intervention denied him.
Their opponents did manage to claw their way back into the contest with a pair of goals before halftime, but further strikes either side of the main break by Mitch Farley and Jasper Anderson respectively soon put pay to any ideas of a comeback.
With Leni Millward marshalling the backline with authority and Campbell Edlington’s pace and power keeping the ball moving forward, the Green and Gold were able to add three late goals to their tally (all from the sticks of Jasper Anderson or Mitch Farley).
The highlight was a superb spin move from Mitch Farley which opened up defence and permitted a straightforward score.
The final Orbost victor of the day (5-1) was the women’s side who produced their highest scoring output of the season.
Kerryn Volk lead the charge and applied plenty of forward pressure, the Green and Gold opportunities in front of goal came thick and fast in the first half, and it was Casey Findley who opened the scoring when she finished off one particularly tense goalmouth scramble.
An Ellie Florance burst through the centre created an opportunity for Sammi Reynolds before Marni Riordan had a chance on the far post turned away, but Jaime Haas was soon on hand to double her team’s lead when she slotted home the rebound from Aster Anderson’s saved shot.
The teenage Aster Anderson then scored herself when she completed a strong team move that heavily involved her mother Misty, while the big boots of goalie Bree Kenny kept Wellington out at the opposite end and allowed Orbost to reach halftime with a three-goal margin in their favour.
Three more goals were registered in the second term, two well-taken strikes from the well-placed Alana Farley before Wellington scored a late consolation via a corner, with the hard-running of Riordan and a clever pass through traffic by Connie Greenwood, the key contributions respectively in the final pair of Green and Gold goals.
In both the under 12 and 18 fixtures, Orbost faced opponents who boasted considerable offensive firepower, but despite going down in both matches, the Green and Gold showed plenty of pluck and
determination at both ends of the ground.
For the under 12s goalie Jaxon Murray was in fine form and turned away many dangerous shots on his goal, while some strong tackling in front of him from the duo of Sophie Scott and Savannah Lindfield plus Malky Morrison’s ability to absorb and deflect multiple Wellington
attacks were also crucial to Orbost’s efforts.
Further up the field a long pass from Ella Coles to Lara Kenny created one strong chance, while in another it was Lara Kenny’s strong run and pass that almost led to Asha Farley scoring.
Geoffrey Florance and Cohen Mathews produced some dynamic interplay in the second half, and it was from one such move that Joe Millward drove forward, worked his way past a pair of defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot to produce the Green and Gold’s best moment of the match, as they went down 4-1.
The under 18 match may have seen Orbost go down to a heavy defeat (14-4), but the final scoreline did not do justice to the efforts of Mitch Farley in goal who used virtually every part of his body and equipment to make one type of save or another, while Leni Millward plus Ava and Mia Martin worked tirelessly in front of him to turn back as many of their opponents’ attacks as possible.
The Green and Gold’s positive mindset to take on the challenges they faced was best illustrated in the manner that they scored four goals of their own, beginning with Aster Anderson converting Chloe Findley’s precise cross to the back post, followed by her brother Jasper bullying home a shot from a corner.
In the second half Joe Mathews was rewarded for his work around the contest when he made a strong run on goal that ended with a successful strike into the cage, while Campbell Edlington’s continual runs forward paid dividends when Jasper Anderson was able to get onto the end of one particular burst late in the game and cleverly work it into the goal for a deserved consolation.
Orbost will be back in action on Saturday when it travels to the WORLD
facility in Bairnsdale to take on Sale.
