Mens News

Men’s and Women’s Registration Tues, Wed, Thursday at the club rooms 7pm – 9.30pm

Registration forms will be available. Please bring credit card, eftpos, cash or cheque. Students please bring student cards.

Despite HV increases fees are the same as last year.

If you are unable to pay the amount in full, please contact Graham Eddy(geddy51@gmail.com), to discuss a payment plan that works for you or see club representative who will be down during the above times.

Please note that you are not a financial member by Round 1, you will not be selected in a team.

The 2011 Junior Registration day is to be held on Saturday 5th February from 10am to 2pm at the Waverley Hockey Club ground, corner  Winbirra Pde & High Street Road Ashwood.

All current and new players in age groups from under 6 to under 17 are invited to the club to register for the coming winter season. Registering on this day is very important as it allows the club to ensure we enter the correct amount of teams and to make sure all players get a playing spot.

Players who played with Waverley in 2010 there will be a completed form for you to sign on the day.

For those who are not registering on the day or are new to the club can download a registration form from the following link

Junior Registration Form 2011

The 2011 Winter Season will commence on April 1st & 2nd. Any enquiries can be made via the website contact form.

New to Hockey?

Waverley Hockey Club is of the very firm belief that all children under the age of 11 who have not played hockey before, should participate in the Minkey progamme for preparation of an age appropriate competition junior team.

The Minkey programme is run in a safe, non-competitive arena with the emphasis on participation, skill development and having lots of fun.

The children progress through skill levels gaining awards / certificates as they progress. The program runs on a half (or smaller) sized field and consists of skill based activities and a simplified game.

As children move up the skill levels the emphasis moves to preparing them to move to an age appropriate junior team such as the Under 9 or 11 competition.

Congratulations to Waverley Club Legend Colin Batch on his announcement as coach of the Belgium Men’s Hockey Team.

Since moving to Belgium in 2008 after 2 successful Olympic campaigns as Assistant Coach of the Kookaburras, ‘Batchy’ has continued his successful coaching career.  On his arrival in Belgium he guided club KHC Dragons, into their first Euro Hockey League appearance finishing in the top 16 teams in the event, an impressive event.  He was also named the U21 Belgian coach and with continued success, has been named the Belgian Men’s Hockey Coach.

The club extends its best wishes to Colin and looks forward to seeing him guide the Belgians as they embark on Olympic qualification at the European Championships later this year.

All are welcome.

All you need to bring is two drink bottles and a towel and an enthusiasm craving success. (The 2 drink bottles and a towel required to be bought along to EVERY session is a RULE that everyone needs to abide by. My leniency with this ruling will be non-existent throughout this pre-season with anyone forgetting will be asked to complete a fitness task before and after the session.)

Pre-Season kicks off at the Waverley Hockey Club on the 24^th November 6.30pm start, please ensure that you get there up to 15-20mins prior to begin warming up.  Sessions will be held on Monday evenings, Wednesday evenings and Saturday Mornings.

Once again the Panthers annual Senior Presentation Night is fast approaching and is shaping up to be a memorable night for all.

The WHC has had yet another successful year on and off the field throughout the 2010 period – Especially with the double header wins of our elite SL1 Men and Women teams, so let’s see season 2010 out with a bang.

Seats and reserved tables are filling up fast so gather your teammates and get involved.

Where: Manningham Hotel (Bullen)
When: 29th October, 7:00pm-12:00am
Dress: After 5 (cocktail)

Payments are due in no later than Friday 22 October 2010, so please get in early and confirm your attendance by purchasing your ticket(s). Please see the attached flyer for payment details. For any queries, or to confirm table arrangements, please phone Rachel Sheppard 0439 360 922.

Click on link below to download form:

WHC 2010 Presentation Night Flyer Order Form

A few photo’s from the Grand Finals of our top teams – will be updated as we photos are uploaded

CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A LARGER VERSION

A bumper crowd of almost 2000 people turned out for the State League 1 Mens Grand Final to see
Waverley take on Hawthorn. With the 2 clubs having such a rich history of Grand Final battles in the
last decade an enthralling match was on the cards.

After an obvious nervousness start by both sides which is expected in the biggest game of the year,
both teams eventually settled and the battle began.

With neither side gaining the upper hand early, Hawthorn managed to make the most of their attack
and after finding the foot of a Waverley defender they had an opportunity to score off of a Penalty
Corner. A set of 3 great saves by keeper Tom Scott wasn’t enough to keep out Hawthorn as the third
shot broke the deadlock and Hawthorn took the lead 1-0.

Waverley didn’t panic and at the restart went back to implementing their game plan. Being in a
similar position in their previous final, the Panthers had the trust in each other that they work their
way back into the match.

With a focus pre-match on winning penalty corners from coach Zac Hawes, the forwards didn’t let
him down setting up the equalising goal from such a play. Tim Wischusen, with composure, guided
the ball past the prone keeper and into the back of the net finishing off a well earned penalty corner
by the Waverley forwards.

A series of strong attacks saw the Panthers earn another penalty corner and this time Stephen Jarvis
stepped up for the Panthers as he has done so reliably throughout the year and sent the ball zinging
low into the back of the net sending the Panthers into the half time break with a 2-1 lead.

The half time address by coach Hawes urged the team to continue executing the plan but be to be
aware of Hawthorn doing something different to try and find a way of scoring. A few subtle changes
and a rehashing of the same message sent the Panthers back out on to the pitch confident that they
could get the job done.

The second half didn’t go to plan as a wild tackle by Waverley striker Wes Moore saw him sent to the
sin bin as punishment for a sliding tackle that took out a Hawthorn defender. Down to just 10 men,
the Panthers dug deep in and increased their running game to ensure they maintained their lead and
maintained their ascendancy on the match.

After gaining all 11 players back on the pitch the Panthers began to dominate the match. Slick ball
movement and player rotations saw the Panthers control possession and play with the ball in their
attacking half.

Lewis Matthews got the crowd to their feet after following the play in from the top of the circle, he
pounced on a defensive error and from the tightest of margins snuck the ball in past a desperate
Hawthorn defender to give the Panthers a handy 3-1 lead.

A couple of costly errors saw 2 Hawthorn players received yellow cards presenting the Panthers
with the opportunity to go for the jugular and put the game beyond doubt. A retreating Hawthorn
defence set up a perimeter around Waverley’s attacking circle and whilst the Panthers did have the
majority of possession they were unable to turn it into scoring opportunities, continuously denied by
a resilient opposition.

As Hawthorn regained their full team and Waverley’s inability to convert after controlling the ball for
such an extended period, the Hawks confidence grew and they thought they were still a chance to
cause an upset. A breakaway raid by Hawthorn followed by some slick passing and a deft touch by
a striker, saw the ball elude Waverley’s defence and find its way into the back of the net. With 12
minutes on the clock we had a game on our hands.

With Waverley desperate to hold on to their narrow lead and Hawthorn striving for an equaliser,
the tempo began to soar. With the crowd in full voice the a spirited Hawthorn upped the ante
and found holes in the Waverley defence, earning themselves a series of penalty corners and
opportunity to even the score.

As the ball was pushed out to the top of the circle, Waverley’s Corey Joseph was like brick wall,
denying the Hawks any chance of getting a shot away by putting his body in the line of fire. With
Joseph denying a goal, his efforts saw the Hawthorn awarded another corner and this time it was
keeper Tom Scott’s turn to deny Hawthorn’s efforts with a superb save diving to his right.

As the minutes passed by the pressure increased. Maintaining the structure that had gotten them
into this winning position the Panthers tried to hold the ball in their attacking half. Sneaking into the
attacking corners of the pitch Tim Wischusen used his skills to milk some time of the clock. As each
second ticked by it became clear that the game became a challenge of whether Waverley could hold
on to their slender lead, or Hawthorn would score an equaliser and send the game into overtime.

With only a couple of minutes on the clock each team tried to carry out their plans and as the siren
sounded it was Waverley holding on by the smallest of margins and taking out the State League 1
Premiership for 2010.

After a long and arduous season, Waverley’s Mens and Womens State League Teams have both qualified to fight it out for the premiership.  With both sides having finished on top at the end of the home and away season, they found themselves in troubled waters this week after falling short in the semi final rounds of the final series.

The Women took to the pitch first and were faced with a determined Doncaster team, hoping to knock off the mighty Panthers.  With the Australian star Stacia Joseph returning to add strength in the midfield it was the opposition that we able to capitalise on early penetration taking the lead 1-0.  In a hotly contested first half with both sides surging into attack, the defence for both teams stood strong and the goal lead held by Doncaster saw them head in to the break holding the upper hand.

Waverley didn’t panic and came out into the 2nd half lifting their work rate and upping the ante.  Waiting to take their chance, the panthers were able to slot a goal and level the scores 1 all.  In an intense final 10 minutes, both sides pushed hard into attack and but again were unable to find the back of the net.  At full time the scores were locked at 1 all and the game went into overtime.

7.5 minutes each way was the opportunity for either side to break the deadlock. If at the end of extra time the scores were still tied, the Panthers would progress thorugh due to their superior placing on the ladder. Thankfully all their hard work and consistency during the season paid dividends and with no side able to score in extra time, this scenario was played out and ladies will now seek a rematch with Essendon who upset them in the semi.

With the girls through to the big one, the men took the pitch hoping to follow suit.  Camberwell was the opposition, a club with a rich history playing against Waverley in the finals were going to be tough to beat.  Having done our homework, the Panthers were confident that they could get the job done but now it was a matter of getting the job done and not paying lip service to preparation.

Both sides started strongly seeing the game tempo set at a cracking pace.  At the midway point in the first half, Camberwell had begun to dominate the midfield with their slick passing and ball movements catching the Panthers on the hop.  A nice diving finish by a Camberwell player caught Waverley’s defence off balance and Camberwell took the lead 1 nil.

In a similar story to the Women’s match, both sides created many chances but none were converted and as halftime came around, the Panthers found themselves trailing by a goal.

At half time, a relaxed coach Zac Hawes laid out a simple platform for us to take into the 2nd half.  Whilst not showing on the scoreboard the Panthers had their chances to be at least level, if not infront of Camberwell.  With a few tweaks here and there to the original plan, the Panthers took the pitch, with all systems set to attack.

Tightening up in Waverley’s marking through the midfield, an increase in turnovers by the opposition began to build the Panthers confidence.  In a fast counter attack down the left, Wes Moore’s desperation saw him slot the equaliser in an almost rugby try type effort, sliding with the ball in to the back of the net.

With the taste of victory in the air, the Panthers went for the jugular.  Again after a strong dispossession and quick counter attack, the Panthers finished off a well executed penalty corner to take the lead 2-1.  Moore again the ‘money’ man, expertly deflecting the ball in on his reverse.

A brilliant goal from a diving effort by striker Nick Dallimore put the game beyond doubt and with 6 minutes left on the clock the Panthers looked home.  Camberwell had other plans and after playing in a tight elimination final last week where they came from behind with a matter of minutes to go, they were confident they could peform an upset.  They didn’t disappoint their fans, slotting a goal and taking the scores to 3-2 with 2 minutes to go.

Although under intense pressure, the Panthers kept their cool and denied Camberwell’s super human effort to take the game into extra time.  As the clock hit zero, the Panthers players threw their hands into the air as a sign of relief that they were through to the grandfinal.

With both the Men and Women having lost to their grandfinal opponent in earlier finals, they now have an opportunity to seek revenge and in the process take out the premiership in Victoria’s top Hockey leagues.