The 2025 East Gippsland Hockey Association finals kicked off on Saturday, with Orbost Hockey Club represented at under 14 and 16 level at the Gippsland Regional Sporting Complex in Sale.
Although both sets of Green and Gold youngsters were able to hit the scoresheet with regularity, this was unfortunately not to be their day as they each experienced defeat, with the under 16 team going down in the most agonising fashion after a penalty shootout.
The 60 minutes of game time that preceded the sudden-death shootout were probably the most tense and exciting that Orbost’s combination have experienced all season, and every one of their players could certainly leave the field with their head held high at the end of it all.
Orbost and its opponents from Maffra shared eight goals between them in a quality match that saw sharp shots and saves aplenty, beginning with Orbost taking the lead from the very first attack of the game when Campbell Edlington pounced on a loose ball that had rebounded off the post from a Jasper Anderson shot.
Jasper Anderson added a well-taken score of his own with a clever run and a sweet finish from a tight angle, while Dom Preston was rewarded for a fine game full of hard-running when he weaved his way into the “D” and slotted the ball into the cage, picking a great moment to score his first goal of the season.
Maffra had plenty of forward firepower of their own of course and was able to keep Orbost under pressure at the back, with goalie Jack Scott’s big boots coming to his team’s rescue on multiple occasions, as did the calm clearance work of defender Mia Martin.
With the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter, the Green and Gold found themselves trailing 4-3 and had to risk everything in search of an equaliser.
In quick succession, Keira Irvine almost converted one cross on the back post, Ava Martin hit the post when she got onto the end of another, Chloe Findley fired just wide from a corner, and Aster Anderson saw her shot deflected to safety.
Just as Maffra looked to put the game away with a final goal of its own, Leni Millward made an important interception on the backline and immediately fired an accurate long pass to Mitch Farley, who capped a fine all-round performance by charging in and calmly firing the ball home to level the contest.
With this being an elimination final, the outcome of the drawn game was to go to the drama of a penalty shootout, which in hockey involves five players from each side having eight seconds each to try and beat the opposing goalie.
Despite the intense nerves, Findley was able to score from Orbost and Scott was able to smother one attempt with his boots, although ultimately it was Maffra that emerged victorious by three shots to one, as Orbost’s season came to an end in dramatic style.
Earlier in the day Orbost’s under 14 side undertook the daunting task of taking on the red-hot flag favourites Mitchell River, an opponent that had defeated them in all three matches in the home-and-away campaign, including as recently as last week.
On that occasion the two teams shared 11 goals between them, whereas on this it was 10, with Mitchell River’s ability to strike the ball cleanly from distance proving to be the real difference maker, as it was victorious 7-3.
The Green and Gold showed plenty of heart however, particularly in the second half when they scored all three of their goals as they never gave up trying to chase down their opponents’ sizeable lead.
Orbost goalie Jacob Rutherford found himself facing a first-half bombardment of shots and was valiantly able to get his body behind many of them, while Kitty Millward worked tirelessly in defence in front of him to make those crucial last-second stick interventions that blunted many an attack.
The pairing of Alex Kenny and Keira Irvine showed plenty of intensity around the contest across the ground, with Asha Farley and Joe Millward putting in the hard yards on the wing and up front to try and keep the ball locked into dangerous areas.
Jasper Anderson also took every opportunity he could to launch attacks and was rewarded with a personal hat-trick of goals, the first from a clean corner strike, the second the result of a zigzagging run, and the third coming from an intercept and charge in to drive the ball past the goalie.
With this being a qualifying final, Orbost will now utilise their double chance opportunity and seek redemption in this Saturday’s preliminary final against Swan Reach at the WORLD facility in Bairnsdale.
