On Thursday 21 June, our boys and girls hockey teams travelled to Bunbury to compete in the annual Bunbury & Districts ACC Hockey Challenge. The boys’ team faced an uphill battle all day, however, with eight of the twelve players in Years 7 and 8, while the team of fourteen girls from Years 9-12 played some fantastic hockey, which took them into the grand final.
With only three teams in each competition enabling games to run for longer, it became a real team effort. The skill level required was much higher in these conditions, but the sun shone all day and made for an enjoyable day of hockey.
The boys began the day with nothing to lose, ready to throw everything at their more experienced opponents. Squaring off first up with Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, however, the pace shocked the young side. A standout, defensive effort of courage and willpower from Year 9 Sam Carter let GMAS know the boys were ready for the contest, but in the end GMAS took the first game 0-2.
The girls faced a tough first game against Bunbury Catholic College, with the first half spent finding their feet and positioning in the newly formed team. The second half showed everyone what these girls were capable of, though: Ella Du Preez and Lucy Hill had a cracking game, and goals by Lily Omodei and Sailor Townsend saw MacKillop take the win 2-1.
A break between games made sure the girls had fresh legs for their second game against a confident team from Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School, who play together regularly. Lily Regan, Jazmin Martin and goalie Piper Williams showed outstanding skills, and although Sailor scored her second goal for the day, the girls went down 1-2 in the end.
Bunbury Catholic College locked the improving boys’ team in a real battle, as the two Year 12 students, Ross Rann and Cormac Smith, led with speed and tackling efforts. This effort flowed through the team, and our opposition knew they had a real battle on their hands. Although Bunbury Catholic College came away with the win 0-3, the score did not represent the closeness of the game.
With only one player on the bench, the boys were putting in huge efforts with little to no rest, and the fatigue was beginning to show. Bunbury Cathedral Grammar showed their strength and physicality in the last game to overpower the boys 0-4. A special mention to goalie Max Watson, who made some great saves to limit the opposition’s score.
With weary legs, the boys watched and cheered the girls in their grand final game, which was a fabulous game of hockey, displaying all players’ talents and determination. It was a real tussle in the infield against Bunbury Catholic, with some great shots on goal and skills shown by senior students Annie Creek and Sarah Court, but unfortunately, the girls were narrowly defeated 0-1.
Coaches Camilla Culnane and Mr Miles Armstrong said these students were a pleasure to take to the Hockey Challenge. Mrs Culnane added it was a tough match-up for both teams against mostly Year 12 students, and “they were a credit to the College in both their attitude and skill level.”
Mr Armstrong said “all the boys displayed great sportsmanship and exhibited enormous determination in all their games for the day”. They spoke of “loving the contests”, and look forward to “dishing out some payback” as they get older and more experienced.
You must be logged in to post a comment.