Local hockey stars

Last weekend the West Gippsland Hockey Association sent an under 16s girls and boys team to the Junior Country Championships held in Greensborough, with the boys taking home a silver medal.

Despite a tough run on the scoreboard, the West Gippsland girls showed incredible heart and resilience at the tournament.
While the team finished with four narrow losses and two hard-fought draws, the scorelines don't begin to cover the grit they displayed on the field.

Their defensive unit - Alish Furphy, Kyra Burke, Liv West, and Emily Coster - held the line brilliantly, acting as an absolute brick wall at times against fierce opposition, while Lily Cutler was a standout in the net, pulling off some incredible saves as goalkeeper.

In the centre of the park, Brianna Dixon and Jessica Olckers showed phenomenal vision and work ethic in the midfield to control the tempo.
Up front, the relentless attacking pressure from the strikers - Lilli Ashman, Elizabeth Maskell, Alexis Burke, and Alexis Hazell - kept the opposition on their toes all weekend.

Georgia Hazell led the goalscoring charge with two fantastic finishes, while Chantelle Calado also found the back of the net with a great strike.
The girls never gave up and gave it their absolute all, making the whole region incredibly proud of their spirit and determination.

The boys team came out hot on day one with big wins against Ballarat and Goulburn Valley before finishing the day with a draw against Hamilton.

That was enough to secure top spot in their pool and a semi final game against Central Victoria on day two. It was a nail-biter with the team down 1-0 at half time.

Jacob Mock scored twice in the second half and they hung on grimly for a 2-2 draw and a grand final berth against Geelong, who were the favourites all weekend.
Geelong attacked continuously but they repelled everything thrown at them. It truly was an arm wrestle for the ages and fitting for a grand final.

Unfortunately for West Gippsland what appeared to be a normal tackle outside the circle was deemed worthy of an upgrade to a penalty corner, in which Geelong scored with two minutes left on the clock resulting in a 1-0 loss.

The disappointment was short-lived as the boys realised what an outstanding tournament they had played and a silver medal was a fitting reward for a massive weekend of hockey.

Jacob Mock led the team's goal scoring for the tournament with six and Thomas Welsman scored three while there were singles to Zach Coster, Flynn Furphy, Joshua Mithen and Jayden Ronalds.