Orbost Hockey Club were back on the road for round 10 of the East Gippsland Hockey Association season when they visited the
Gippsland Regional Sporting Centre facility in Sale to take on their rivals Maffra.
Across a day of high-scoring action, the Green and Gold’s league-leading under 14 team extended their hot streak, recording their 10th consecutive win from 10 matches, fittingly finding a way through the home defence on 10 occasions on their way to
victory (10-1).
As with the majority of their contests so far this season, Orbost’s under 14s put in a complete team performance that enabled them to seize control of the game early and find the back of the cage at regular intervals.
With goalie Jacob Rutherford kicking the ball to safety with a high degree of effectiveness, defender Cohen Mathews intercepting a number of dangerous balls in his own ‘D’ and Kitty Millward swooping in to end many Maffra attacks before they could really develop, the hosts were held to just a single goal at the tail end of the first half.
Alex Kenny’s hard-running and big hitting through the centre created many opportunities for the Green and Gold going forward, allowing attacking livewires Demi Murray (who scored a sharp goal at the back post) and Teddy Kuyper to generate plenty of pressure on the hosts’ backline. It was pressure that their goal-scoring maestro Jasper Anderson was able to fully exploit, finishing with nine decisive strikes via a mixture of powerful blasts and deft finishes.
The day began with the under 10s taking to the field facing the twin challenges of missing some of their regular contributors from their lineup and wintry weather conditions which can only be described as freezing fog.
In a match that saw few scoring opportunities from both sides, but plenty of end-to-end action nevertheless, the combination of Evie Crofts and Demi Murray provided plenty of energy and enterprise through the centre of the ground. Between themselves and Frida Songailo, they were also able to provide plenty of headaches up front for Maffra.
Coden Volk was busy contesting loose balls and making tackles across the field, while Keira Murray put in a strong defensive rebounding performance at the back for her team. Unfortunately for the visitors, when the only goal of the game did finally come, it was from the stick of a home player, giving them a narrow lead that they were then able to hold onto until the final whistle, Maffra victors 1-0.
Next up were the under 12s, who battled hard in a close contest – one in which they were unfortunate to concede a goal in the very early stages that had them chasing the game from that point on.
Darius Mathews made a trio of sharp saves in the Orbost goal and was well supported at the back by the resolute defending of Asha Farley and Savannah Lindfield, while further up the field the pairing of Tilyahna Janbakhsh and Harper Morgan impressed with their tackling tenacity in the midfield.
After falling behind by two goals at the main break, the Green and Gold youngsters were able to rally somewhat in the second half, particularly with Joe Millward and Lara Kenny driving the ball forward through the centre and Neave Songailo also providing able support from the wing.
Teddy Kuyper and Jaxon Murray both showed determination and endeavour to create scoring opportunities in their opponents’ ‘D’, but regrettably on this occasion it was the Maffra backline that came out on top of the key moments, allowing them to close out the tight victory, 2-0.
Orbost’s under 16 side took part in an absolute goalfest of a game that saw the ball hit the back of the cage an amazing 19 times, the majority of which came from the sticks of a powerful Maffra outfit (15-4 win), particularly through their conversions of short corners.
Despite the relentless pressure they were under at their defensive end of the ground, the Green and Gold displayed great resilience and plenty of skill to keep fighting for attacking opportunities at the other, and were duly rewarded with four goals of their own.
After a dynamic burst forward by Campbell Edlington, Jacob Rutherford was perfectly placed in the ‘D’ to score his team’s first, with Jasper Anderson doubling his side’s tally when he fired home a penalty stroke. Kitty Millward received her deserved prize for her consistent forward pressure when she drilled the ball into the bottom corner after receiving an Edlington pass, before Anderson rounded out the scoring with a weaving run into a dangerous area before unleashing an unstoppable shot.
Orbost’s women’s team faced the daunting challenge of taking on a powerful Maffra outfit who play their home deck extremely well. But with goalie Sarah Gladstone in inspirational form throughout – particularly her second and even third efforts to deny certain goal-scoring opportunities – the visitors kept fighting in a game that was perhaps closer than the final scoreline suggests (5-0).
Lisa Murray and Kerryn Volk made telling contributions on the backline across all four quarters, with Jaime Haas and Alana Farley tackling hard, while Misty Anderson continually inspired her teammates with her strong work around the contest.
Leni Millward and Marni Riordan were always looking to create something from midfield, with Orbost’s best opportunities to score coming in the game’s latter stages via an Aster Anderson chance that was denied at the post, followed by a Volk shot from a corner that was saved on the hosts’ line.
Orbost Hockey Club will be back on the road again this week when they travel to Bairnsdale to play a series of neutral site fixtures against Sale on Saturday.
