Waverley 7 defeated Essendon 3.

No it’s not a typo, last night the Men’s PA hosted Essendon for a “round 9” clash under the lights. This was due to the game being delayed – caused by a blackout at the ground before the first whistle, a few weeks back.

The importance of the game was paramount to the Panther’s season in securing a spot in the top four and to continue their form heading into the business end of the season. However, the Blue Boy’s approached it with caution as a mid-week, cold wet night game against the ninth placed team can always be a recipe for disaster.

The first half of the match saw both teams slog it out to try and break the others spirit – Yet the Panthers rose above and slashed any fears of an upset on the hallowed home turf with a three goal to nil haul in the first term. With Shelton, Dallimore and young gun James Knee all inflicting the damage on the shaky Essendon outfit.

The second half opened with yet another mauling by the Panther’s as Essendon crumbled to the immense pressure. A further four goals were registered to Waverley, including a hat-trick to Dallimore in fine form, while Essendon were able to snag one during the proceedings.

The only disappointment for the game came in the final ten minutes with Essendon being able to peg two fortunate goals back on the scoreboard, to little too late.

The Panthers have finally cracked the top four after a slow start to the season, sitting a pretty fourth. This weekend they meet top of the table Greensborough at WHC – Time to shine!

Goals – Dallimore (3), A.Shelton (2), Ritchie & Knee

Team – Greaves, Shelton, Mutimer, M.Hocking, Mackintosh, Ritchie, N.Eddy, Anthony, Dallimore, O.Preston, Knee, Annetts, Fooks & Ashton

Waverley 5 defeated Hawthorn 3

The Panther’s came into the game with their tails up, after knocking off top of the table Camberwell the week before, and continued their season revival with a successful campaign against an always problematic Hawthorn at Hawthorn on Saturday.

This was clearly illustrated with an incredible first half performance – Which has become an outstanding strength for the Men’s Pennant A side.

The hungry Panthers couldn’t put a foot wrong in the first half as everything ran like clockwork for them. Within the first 15 minutes, and after countless assertive circle penetrations, the Blues were able to draw the first blood for the day with Rod Mackintosh finding his form early in the game to slot one past the keeper, 1-0.

Mackintosh’s dominance was unrivalled through the middle of the park and ramped the Panthers up a gear. Hawthorn had no response to the barrage and finally the floodgates broke.

For the next 15 minutes it was the Andrew Shelton Show with two goals and an assist. His first was off a penalty corner where he unleashed a rocket over the keepers stick into the bottom left corner to register a 2-0 lead.

The assist came next with another rocket, again to the left, being limply gloved by the keeper a foot out from the post. This was all the chance the Blue’s needed with Nick Dallimore pouncing on the loose ball and finding the net for 3-0.

Shelton’s second came from yet another penalty corner – This time he toyed with the keeper as he fired the ball down past the keepers legs into the bottom right corner, 4-0.

The half time couldn’t have come quicker for Hawthorn with 4-0 at the break.

However, a mixture of complacency, lack of discipline and a resurgence from the Hawks saw the game turned on its head.

Waverley were reduced to 10 men twice in the second half which saw Hawthorn pile on three opportunistic goals to bring the scores back to 4-3.

The struggle was back on as the Blue Boy’s searched for an answer. It came through Stu Ritchie who received a ball on the spot to give him a one-on-one opportunity with the Keeper. He proceeded to dribble past and slot the goal to seal the game at 5-3.

Another scalp from the top four as MPA strive to break back in.

Goals – A.Shelton (2), Mackintosh, Ritchie & Dallimore

Team – Greaves, Shelton, Mutimer, M.Hocking, Mackintosh, Ritchie, N.Eddy, Anthony, Dallimore, O.Preston, Knee, Annetts & Ashton

Waverley moved clear to the top of the table with a good 2-0 nil over Hawthorn on a very windy Saturday.

The conditions were not ideal and thankfully the Panthers played into the wind in the first half.

The big difference between the two teams on the weekend was the form of Victorian representative players taking the field. Emily Paton and Leah Merrett from Waverley were dominating the middle of the pitch closing down Hawthorn’s Australian player, Kary Chau.

Hawthorn won the first penalty corner for the match, they looked for a deflection but Eastman and Paton had the goal covered and saw the ball over the backline. After a few scares, Waverley were soon creating chances down the other end of the pitch.

Waverley’s first goal came from a penalty corner variation, Alex Watson finding herself in space in the circle to casually slip the ball passed the Hawthorn goal keeper.

Hawthorn continued to apply pressure and were looking for balls through to their very quick moving strikers, however Lucy Young and Lauren Law playing as flank halves were superbly snuffing out any threat.

Renee Trost was having a cracking game for the Panthers, even though she was being tagged her skill and pace showed why she is one of the top players in the competition. Trost moved the ball forward to find Kirsten Thompson in the circle. Thompson’s patience with the ball was rewarded with a penalty corner. This time the ball was passed to Paton on the left who scored Waverley’s second goal for the game.

The second half started with Hawthorn’s midfeld working harder to maintain possession of the ball, however they still could not find the elusive final pass and Waverley’s deep defence was never really tested.

Waverley continued to create more chances to score and looked dangerous on several occasions, however they could not add to their tally for the day.

Hawthorn’s best chance to score came when Eastman was harshly shown a yellow card and Waverley were reduced to 10 players, however the Panthers stood strong and showed why they are real contenders in 2010.

Fake ‘n bake best on ground: Emily Paton

With a tight State League 1 Competition seeing 3 points separate the top 7 teams, Waverley ventured out to Hawthorn hockey club hoping to snatch a win and catapult them back into the top 4.  Without the guidance of coach Zac Hawes, as well as players Lewis Matthews and Stephen Jarvis due to Victorian U21 representation, the Panthers took to the pitch confident that they could get the job done despite these disruptions.

The game was free flowing from the start with both teams able to move the ball swiftly through their mid-fields into attack. Both teams however, were met by rock solid defences, allowing limited circle penetration.  Although earning 3 penalty corners in the first half the Panthers were unable to convert these golden opportunities, seeing the scores locked at 0-0 at half time.

Although failing to score, Waverley was playing a positive style of hockey just letting themselves down with bad decision making at the wrong times.  Regrouping at the break and a small adjustment to the structure the team took the pitch confident that they could add some scoreboard pressure and take the game away from Hawthorn.

The second half was a similar story to the first, both sides freely flowing through their respective mid-fields only to be met by a solid opposition defence.  Two bad decisions in deep defence cost the Panthers 2 goals and with 10 minutes remaining in the match, they found themselves hitting panic stations.  Desperate to hopefully scrape through with a draw, Waverley upped the anti.  Good defensive pressure provided fast counter attack opportunities and numerous penalty corner scoring opportunities.  Aaron Swindells pegged one back with a fantastic diving effort seeing the ball lofted over the keeper into the back of net.  With 7 minutes to go on the clock the Panthers weren’t done.

Mounting attack after attack and whilst the Hawthorn defence stood strong, Waverley was provided with numerous chances to snag a draw.  As the case has been all season, Waverley was unable to put away penalty corners as reward for their efforts.  Hawthorn ran out winners 2-1, a disappointing result for the Panthers, missing a crucial opportunity to stay in touch with the competition leaders.

The U21 Mens National Championship is on at the State Netball Hockey Centre over the next couple of weeks.  Waverely is well represented with Lewis Matthews and Stephen Jarvis out on the pitch under the guidance of State League 1 Coach Zac Hawes.

With the school holidays in full flight, why not make the most of the opportunity to get along and watch future Kookaburras in action.  This Saturday night is a huge game against Queensland and we’re looking for a big crowd to get to the match and cheer the Big V home.

A plea from the coach, Zac Hawes:

Following an outstanding win over Greensborough H.C. the previous week, a match up against a Baw Baw H.C. team that had improved throughout the season, was potentially a dangerous assignment for the Waverley H.C Under 17 Shield team.

Perhaps in recognition of this, innovative coach Stephen James drew on the talents of former Australian player and current State League 1 Captain Travis Brooks to address the team prior to the game. Travis’ engaging style helped to focus the players on the importance of self-belief and the need to adhere to team processes regardless of the reputation of the opposition or the state of the game.

Once again, the team placed enormous pressure on the ball from the outset, forcing the opposition into turning over possession and then using its speed and quality passing to create opportunities on goal – culminating in a 9 – 0 win. The players responsible for putting the finishing touches on this hard work included James Knee, Jonathan Wentworth, David Jensen, Riley Maddock (3) and James Munro (3). With James showing Riley that power is not everything when it comes to scoring.

As with the previous match, this outcome was, without doubt, the result of a sensational team performance in which each and every player made a significant contribution:

• Todd Cope was a rock down back continually making good defensive position and laying excellent tackles
• Playing at centre half, Zac Davis used the ball creatively to set up many quality plays
• David Howson’s speed and hard running caused havoc up forward
• Elliot Kitchingham’s consistent tackling and team orientated play made him a player upon whom his team mates were able to rely
• Pat Rawlins’ determination and skills forced a number of key turnovers – at least one of which directly resulted in a goal
• Stuart Rayner’s controlled aggression enabled him to dominate the right side of the field
• Andre Shea – on debut in goal with the Shield team – performed admirably pulling off a number of excellent saves. Well done Andre.
• Nick Spencer’s speed and constructive talk contributed significantly to the team’s focus
• Having suffered from illness all week, Nick Steffens’ work ethic throughout the night was not only a gutsy effort, but a source of inspiration to his team.

Friday night was a fantastic turn out to hear the story of one of the greats of hockey in Australia.

An enjoyable night that saw an insight into the life of Ric and a sharing of his knowledge and opinions from hockey through to politics. An insight that you rarely get into elite sport in Australia. Thanks to Ric for coming and being a wonderful guest speaker. Not only did he answer share his words with the audience, but stuck around to answer questions and entertain the guests with photos and conversations post event.  A great ambassador for the game.

Lastly thanks to those from the club that supported tonight but also a special thank you to members from other clubs that came along and enjoyed the night, a memorable experience for all that were there.

Photos of the night are available here courtesy of Brian Maddock:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=173124&id=519068343&ref=nf

Thanks for your support

Waverley Social Committee

Waverley 2 defeated Camberwell 1

MPA hosted old rivals Camberwell at home in an always epic struggle between the two powerhouse clubs.

An incredible first 15 minutes saw three goals, a yellow card and an exciting brand of free-flowing hockey.

The Panthers were itching to play after two weeks off and came out firing to the crowds delight. Waverley exploded from the stocks with a goal in their very first attacking play and within the first minute of the game.

A play-on from the half-line by a surging Nick Dallimore caught Camberwell off guard giving Luke Anthony the time slam home a rebounded ball from the left, 1-0 to Waverley.

Camberwell quickly responded with a rapid breakaway down the left wing giving them the ability to find a foot in the circle to be awarded a penalty corner. Camberwell, in similar fashion, were able to convert a rebounding ball to level the scores at 1-1.

The high tempo and skillful match between the two continued with Waverley again gaining the upper hand. A cutting switch from MackIntosh gave Lachlan Fooks space to work and did not disappoint – Fooks beat two men and proceeded to fire a backstick shot to young gun James Knee who deflected the ball into the netting, 2-1.

For the remainder of the first half the teams continued to mount pressure and aggression which saw both sides reduced to 10 men, however the score remained at 2-1 at the break.

The second half provided some excellent hockey at high speed yet both defences stonewalled any attempy at goal for the full 35 minutes. The end result being determined by the damage caused by the young guns in the first 15 minutes of the match. Final score 2-1 win to Waverley.

This win helps cement the home ground advantage of Waverley as a fortress as well as gaining valuable points as the team strives for the top four, with a game in hand.

Goals – Anthony & Knee

Team – R.Eddy, Shelton, Mutimer, Glasscock, Mackintosh, Ritchie, N.Eddy, Fooks, Anthony, Dallimore, O.Preston, Knee, Annetts & Ashton