Orbost Hockey Club embarked on its East Gippsland Hockey Association 2026 finals series journey last Saturday when its under 14s and under 12s sides travelled to Bairnsdale to contest the opening semi finals round.
Although the under 12s fought hard in their elimination final, they unfortunately came up short to end their encouraging season, while the Green and Gold under 14s extended their campaign when they delivered an inspired defensive performance to secure a grand final berth in a fortnight’s time.
The under 14s faced a tough challenge against Sale, a team they had previously played three close fixtures against in 2026, including Orbost’s only loss of the season.
A cagey start from both sides eventually developed into a purple patch of attacking opportunities as Teddy Kuyper saw his shot well-saved, Demi Murray’s flick passed just wide of the goal, and Jasper Anderson had one strike cleared off the line and a
further pair turned away by the keeper’s pads.
With Savannah Lindfield keeping a tight rein on Sale’s forwards when they charged upfield, and Kitty Millward delivering crunch tackles on the backline when her team needed most needed them, the Green and Gold were holding firm in defence.
Along with Alex Kenny winning plenty of ball in midfield, they were now finally able to seize the initiative in the shadow of half time.
After receiving a pass from Lily Crofts, Anderson made a sharp run into the top of the ‘D’ from where he rocketed a shot into the bottom corner of the cage, a successful strike that he repeated from almost exactly the same position just minutes later after
intercepting a Sale pass and powering forward with authority.
When Joe Millward blocked a goal-bound shot at his own post with the last attack of the half, Orbost’s two-goal lead at the main break was confirmed, but in the third quarter it was their opponent’s turn to go into full attack mode as they laid siege to the Green and Gold goal via an extended series of short corners.
In what though was their strongest defensive performance of the season so far, Orbost held firm, led by their goalie Jacob Rutherford setting the tone with a sharp save to deny a one-on-one opportunity, followed by a series of big kicks to safety under heavy pressure.
The calm clearance work of Cohen Mathews also came to the fore at this important stage, as did the tenacity and bravery of Lara Kenny and Asha Farley when standing their ground in their own ‘D’ against hard-charging opponents.
After absorbing everything that Sale could throw at them, it was a Joe Millward and Murray led counterattack that proved to be the game’s decisive moment, setting up as it did the opportunity for Anderson to dribble his way through the defensive traffic
to calmly slot the ball home.
Three goals to the good, Orbost was in no mood to give its opponents a lifeline, and when Rutherford spectacularly slapped down a pair of late shots, their winning margin was confirmed, and with it the all-important qualifying final triumph and a berth in the grand final.
Final score: Orbost 3 d Sale 0.
Orbost’s under 12s side certainly gave their all in their battle against Maffra, but unfortunately they paid the price for a sluggish start to the contest, one which enabled their opponents to jump out to an early two goal lead.
From that point on though the Green and Gold steadied the ship with some defensive determination on show from Savannah Lindfield and Belle Healey at the back, together with some increasingly tenacious tackling in midfield from Asha Farley and Izzy Palmer.
With Maffra’s forward forays now becoming less frequent, Orbost was able to emerge from its halftime huddle with an attacking mission as its sought to keep its season alive.
Early in the second term a fluent passing move between Lara Kenny and Demi Murray created an opportunity for Teddy Kuyper that ended with his shot into the side of the cage, before the same player had another chance denied by the goalie after a long pass from Joe Millward had put him through.
Millward’s powerful drives into dangerous areas caused plenty of consternation in the Maffra backline, leading to a further pair of scoring opportunities that saw both Kenny and Farley fire just wide of the target.
With the clock ticking down, Orbost was fast running out of opportunities, and despite further incursions into the ‘D’ by both Kuyper and Millward, their best efforts to find their way past the defence unfortunately came to nothing.
Final score: Orbost 0 lt Maffra 2.
Orbost Hockey Club’s final fixture of the season will take place on Saturday, September 12 when its under 14s will contest the grand final against the winner of next week’s preliminary final (either Sale or Mitchell River).
