Orbost Hockey Club hit the road last Saturday for round 13 of the East Gippsland Hockey Association, contesting a neutral venue set of fixtures at the WORLD precinct in Bairnsdale against the Wellington Hockey Club.
Over the course of a sunny winter’s day, the Green and Gold’s under 14 side had to dig deep to emerge victorious, securing the minor premiership with two rounds of the home-and-away season remaining.
The under 14 side was tested by a Wellington outfit that matched them for attacking intent, particularly in a first half that saw Orbost goalie Jacob Rutherford divert a number of goal-bound shots to safety.
The pairing of Alex Kenny and Kitty Millward regularly intercepted and rebounded balls across the backline and midfield. It was from one such counterattack that Jasper Anderson opened the scoring, firing home the only goal before the main break with a clever flick into the top corner.
Determined defending by Savannah Lindfield and Cohen Mathews kept Wellington at bay early in the third quarter, with Orbost reaping the rewards when Teddy Kuyper made a strong burst down the wing before cross-finding Joe Millward, who unleashed an emphatic blast into the back of the cage.
After the Murray siblings, Jaxon and Demi, combined for a couple of close chances thanks to heavy pressure in the “D”, Anderson broke the game open with a quickfire double — first via a dynamic half-field run and finish, followed closely by a clean strike from a short corner.
Wellington kept pressing and made the final 4-2 scoreline respectable with a pair of late consolation goals, but the four competition points that cemented top spot were all Orbost’s.
Orbost’s other victory came in the women’s clash, with the ladies keeping their finals aspirations alive by grinding out a 2-0 win in a warm nine-a-side fixture.
The speed of Aster Anderson and Chloe Findley proved crucial, particularly in a first half where they generated key chances for Jaime Haas, Kerryn Volk, Lisa Murray and Alana Farley.
Eventually, a big run into goal by Aster Anderson saw her force the ball past the keeper to open the scoring before half time.
The lead was doubled shortly after the restart when a strong team attack initiated by Misty Anderson found Marni Riordan in space to calmly pick her spot in the back of the cage.
Despite further chances falling to Murray and Haas, Wellington hung on in the contest and had opportunities to claw their way back. However, an important clearance from goalie Sarah Gladstone and a pair of charged-down corner shots from a brave Phoebe Findley in defence during the closing minutes preserved the 2-0 win for Orbost.
Orbost’s under 10 youngsters showed plenty of fight and defensive determination in the opening game of the day, despite going down 3-0.
Toby Gilmour and Jude Perry made excellent stops on their own goal-line early in the contest, while Zoe Griebenow and Coden Volk impressed with their tackling efforts across the backline.
The trio of Evie Crofts, Lyla Gilmour and Jett Findley spent plenty of time driving the ball through midfield and down the wings to provide solid supply for Matilda Kuyper and Grace Reddy up front. A shot that passed just wide of the post from Kuyper and a well-saved strike from Reddy represented the Green and Gold’s best scoring opportunities.
After falling behind in the opening minute, Orbost’s under 12 side put in a sterling performance against a pacy Wellington outfit. Goalie Darius Mathews made a number of deft saves with his boots, while Belle Healey twice intervened on the last line of defence to prevent certain goals.
Industrious tackling from Sophie Findley, Jaxon Murray and Harper Morgan helped restrict Wellington to just one further goal, while Asha Farley and Teddy Kuyper displayed plenty of pace to generate attacks in the opposite direction.
The Green and Gold had chances to reduce the final 2-0 deficit, but despite clean striking in the “D” from Joe Millward, Savannah Lindfield and Lara Kenny, their best efforts were saved.
Orbost’s under 16 side also showed plenty of endeavour in a close encounter until a flurry of final-quarter goals from short corners broke their resolve in a 7-0 loss.
Until that point, goalie Jack Scott performed creditably under heavy pressure with a number of bold blocks, as did backline pair Mia Martin and Leni Millward inside their own “D”. Forward Owen Fisher was unlucky not to find the back of the cage on several occasions, while Jasper Anderson saw two shots saved and two fly over the crossbar and Campbell Edlington struck the side cage following an impressive midfield charge.
Orbost Hockey Club returns home to the Orbost Recreation Reserve this Saturday when they host Mitchell River in the season’s penultimate round.
