The last day of August marked the first day of finals action for the East Gippsland Hockey Association season, with Orbost Hockey Club’s under 14s side flying the flag for the Green and Gold at the WORLD venue in Bairnsdale when they took on their rivals Swan Reach in the elimination final.
Despite putting together a strong performance against a team it managed to defeat a couple of weeks previously, Orbost’s endeavour wasn’t quite enough to see it progress to the next round of finals action, bringing the club’s playing commitments for the year to an end.
The early morning start on a windy day led to a cagey opening from both sides, but the contest exploded to life when a clever cross from Jasper Anderson sailed inches past the stick of a free Alex Kenny at the far post.
After Mia Martin showed plenty of spirit and skill to end one Swan Reach attack and propel the ball forward, a thumping shot from the hosts gave them the first quarter lead, one that Orbost goalie Campbell Edlington did ensure they could not double moments later when he made a pair of vital saves with his big boots.
After Sarah Gladstone made a fine open-field tackle, it was the Green and Gold’s turn to mount a sustained attack, one that only ended when Kitty Millward couldn’t finish off a strong corner move. The second quarter saw the visitors’ defence under pressure, but with Leni Millward hustling hard to marshal the backline and Chloe Findley dispossessing her opponent at a crucial moment inside her own ‘D’, Orbost was able to hold firm.
With the Swanny defence making it challenging to run through, attacking opportunities for the Green and Gold were somewhat limited, but a daring dash forward by Findley led to an Anderson shot from distance that finally led to an opening – Orbost’s youngest player Geoffrey Florance was the fastest to pounce on the loose ball resulting from the goalie’s save, keeping his cool to direct the ball home to tie the scores at half time.
After the main break both teams sought to seize the initiative, leading to a series of half chances being created at both ends of the ground.
Some determined work by Ava Martin and Kayley Robinson in midfield helped to create a scoring opportunity for Kitty Millward that travelled the wrong side of the post, while another important intervention from Gladstone kept a dangerous Swanny attack at bay.
The shape of the game did however change midway through the third quarter when the hosts struck twice in quick succession, once from a corner and once from a weaving run, putting Orbost in a difficult position where its season was on the line.
The Green and Gold youngsters responded in a positive fashion and after Edlington bravely came off his line to smother a Swanny corner chance, a storming run down the wing by Keira Irvine generated an Anderson shot that required a good save from the keeper to deny.
Peter Florance got a well-timed stick in the way of a blasted corner shot to keep the Orbost hopes alive, and his teammates came very close to pulling one back on their next attack when a sharp cross from Findley created a chaos ball right in front of the hosts’ cage that somehow bounced clear to safety.
With time ticking away, Anderson embarked on a powerful run through the centre which ended with his shot being deflected wide, but unfortunately any hopes of a comeback were thwarted when Swan Reach converted a late corner into its fourth and decisive goal.
Orbost may have displayed plenty of pride and passion in both this match and throughout the season, but regrettably a spot in the preliminary final eluded it on this occasion.
Final score: Swan Reach 4 d Orbost 1.
