What a day that was.
Sutho’s Herb Fibbins Trophy Under 11 Associations carnival on Sunday was a spectacular success – for the kids, their families and – because so many of our visitors told us so – for Sutho.
In all, 19 teams from five Associations played in perfect sunny conditions: Northern Sydney & Beaches 5 teams, Illawarra South Coast 6, Northwest Sydney 3, Sydney South 2 and Goulburn 3.
Two Illawarra South Coast teams contested the Div 1 final, while Sydney South Girls defeated Goulburn Girls in the Div 2 final.
The weather for the Herbie was perfect. Early Sunday morning was quiet, with gentle smoke from the warming barbies wafting across the pitch. But by 8 a.m it was full on – the hockey was non-stop and the kids and fans were eating everything.
Two club chefs even had a Soup Off, with competing pumpkin, spicy cauliflower and pea and ham soups. These blokes were serious – they even came with their own induction cook plates for quality control. The crowd must have loved it – there wasn’t a drop left!
As usual, the great generosity of Sutho’s people made the day the success it was. There was a huge turnout of people, young and old, to make the day run seamlessly.
It’s not really fair, but special thanks must go to Anna and Luke Domrow for managing the preparation and delivery of the day, and to Craig Turner for planning and delivering the on-field event. They put in vast efforts.
But if you wanted another highlight…
On to match reports.
Unfortunately, they are a bit thin on the ground this week. First, second and third grades had byes in men’s Sydney Premier League, while the fifth and seventh grades seem to have clocked off early for the following long weekend.
Thank you to 4th grade for making the report effort and to Tony O’Leary for the match shots. Thank you also to Matt Morris for his 5th and 6th grade pictures.
Men
Sutho 4th Grade 2 UTS 5
Pictures: Tony O’Leary
Sutho was facing off with the top of the table UTS; it was a clash with monumental implications.
The match started quickly, with goals coming left, right and centre. At the end of the first, it was 2-1 UTS’ way.
Sutho had started slowly in the first half, but in the second it was a new team that fought hard – but it was not enough to overcome UTS in a thriller.
The final score saw Sutho go down 5-2, but that did certainly did not reflect the game that was played.
Points: 3 Jack Mecham 2 Huon Bollard 1 Lachlan O’Leary.
Sutho 5th grade v UTS
No report, but we do have pictures from Matt Morris
Sutho 6th grade 2 UTS 1
We are on a roll! Backing up last week’s epic first win of the year we went to Homebush confident of reversing a big loss to UTS earlier in the year.
It wasn’t pretty. We were all over them for the first quarter but they employed their usual tactics of 15 defenders in the circle and hoping for a runaway goal against the run of play to keep them in the game. Just before halftime, it happened.
After a rousing team talk at halftime from coach Gus, we stuck to our guns and Phil Rowling picked up a scrappy goal after having a lie down in the circle.
It wasn’t until late in the game after an intercept on halfway that we turned defence into attack and Tim Crismale had a great inside-out shot on goal that may – or maybe not – was going into the roof or going wide. BUT! ‘Young Jack” wasn’t taking any chances and deflected the ball in for his first goal in Sutho Men’s hockey.
A great come from behind win to boost our confidence going forward.
Best and fairest: 3 Young Jack Trehane 2 Phil Rowling 1 Mark Brookfield. Goals to Phil Rowling and Jack Trehane.
Pictures: Matt Morris
Masters
Nice to have a Masters report again. Thanks, Brookie.
A cold Tuesday night at 9:30 pm isn’t usually conducive to fast, free-flowing hockey but that’s what we saw from the Masters team this week.
Keen to maintain a spot at the top of the table we got off to a running start and led 3-0 at the first break. Sydney Uni wasn’t going to give it away easily and it was still only 3-0 at halftime.
Sustained pressure through the second half, however, saw the lead go out to 5-0 even though there were a few notable misses on goal and it should have been a few more.
It was great to see Brad McDonald back in the saddle after a few years away from hockey with his new hip. He will be a welcome addition to the Sutho O/55 team next weekend in Taree.
The final score of 5-0 was 3 goals to Ray Mavji and 2 goals to Geoff Hayes.
Congratulations to Raj for making the NSW 50/3 side to go to the Australian Championships.
Women
Sutho Premier 1st grade 3 Cronulla RSL 0
Pictures Craig Turner
In our first home game of the season and playing RSL we came away with a well deserved 3-0 win.
It was a great team win with fantastic passing, composure and decision making.
Best and fairest: Amelia Kirby 3 Jess Cherrie 2 Jacqui Turner 1. Goals: Jess Cherrie Alex Noy Paris Barnard.
Sutho 2nd grade 1 UNSW 5
Second grade women’s met against UNSW for the second time this season under the lights at Daceyville on a freezing cold Sunday evening.
It was a strong start for us, controlling the first quarter with some well-executed switches which resulted in a convincing opening goal.
Unfortunately, UNSW returned to the field with increased determination and for the rest of the game, our defence was put under a lot of pressure.
We did have some great moments, supported by our player of the match, Theresa, constantly shutting down their advances and turning the play around.
Despite the loss, we learned some valuable lessons playing against such a strong team, and have a few things to focus on to come back even stronger after the long weekend.
B&F points: 2 Theresa Wilde, 2 Jess White, 2 Sofie Cherrie
Sutho 3rd grade Wildcats 2 UNSW Black 1
The Wildcats travelled to Daceyville for a 4.30 pm game against UNSW Black. The last time we played them it was a draw.
We only had 10 players available for the game and young Zara from 2nd grade volunteered to be our 11th player. So we went into the game with no subs.
We started off strong and were 1-0 up in the first quarter. UNSW scored in the 2nd quarter to equal at 1-1.
We fought hard and had lots of opportunities and finally, with some good team buildup, Lisa finished off to score our 2nd goal. We went into halftime at 2-1 up.
The 3rd quarter can always be a bit dangerous for the Wildcats when we start to tire, particularly when chasing the younger Uni side.
But we held strong, even when we were down to 10 players for 2 minutes when Emily decided to take a break in the naughty corner.
We went into the 4th quarter with the team committed to holding strong and maintaining our lead – and we did it!! Even after having to defend numerous corners.
It was a great Wildcats team game with everyone giving 110% effort.
SWHL
Sutho 6 Wentworthville 0
Sunday night at 6 pm at Sydney Olympic Park on Field 2 can be a difficult place to motivate players who would rather be at home in UGGs and dressing gowns.
But we shed our fluffy coats and put on the blue against Wentworthville.
The first half was a cracker. We strung passes together starting from defence transfers, up the sides and into the goals. We scored 5 team goals on the field and from short corners.
In the 3rd quarter, we dipped and started to let the opposition beat us to the ball. Gripping it up in the last quarter we finished with 6-0 on the scoreboard.
Best and fairest: 3 Jacki 2 Han 1 Amy. Goals: Iris 3, Han 1, Chloe A 1 Chloe B 1.
Metro
Pictures: Rory Staples
U17 Sutho Metro 1 Ryde Panthers 2
We knew it was going to be a tough match before we started as we were playing against the undefeated Ryde Panthers. We also had some of our team returning from injuries, but we took it in our stride.
We went out hard and continued that way throughout the whole game; we never gave up!!
The first half saw Ryde score the first goal, but we were able to equalise and keep it even until they put another goal away to make it 2-1.
We spent a good portion of the first half in their goal end but we couldn’t get any more past the goalie. Sohan’s goal was scored by a flick from Lachlan S that was going wide, but in mid-air, Sohan smashed the ball into the top of the net.
Our halftime chat with Shayne was positive, about making connections, passing and making good decisions. We were reminded to get hungry for the ball, trap, pass and support and continue with our good structure.
The second half saw us getting hungry for the ball and keeping Ryde scoreless, while they did the same for us.
As Ryde was appearing to get frustrated because of our tight game, the injuries started to happen, Lachlan S went down with a hit to the hip, Jett came off with a hit to the mouth and Tom had another hit to the head. Hope you’re all better for the next game boys.
At the end of the game, our umpire and manager Dave were asked to pass on this positive message to our team: Thanks to Sutho for playing a clean game, with no swearing.
Thanks again to Amelia for filling in for our team. You were again a great asset.
Best & Fairest: 3 Jonathon Krepp 2 Grace Matthews 1 Amelia Kirby. Goals: Sohan Mavji 1.
Wally Award (weekly team award): Grace Matthews, for curtseying with full goalie gear on, not once but twice, after saving goals.
Juniors
Sutho U17 Geckos 0 Moorebank 9
Another week facing an undefeated team and the prospect of playing being short of players. Thankfully Lucy, Skye and Dom from the U15 Thorny Devils were willing to lend a hand with all three having a sensational game.
When we first played Moorebank in round 1 we saw a ruthless attack so we knew what to expect. They came into the game with the aim of beating us by more than they did in the first round.
The first quarter saw plenty of attack by Moorebank, but they could not get the shots away with our defence holding strong. Ultimately they were able to get that goal they were seeking through some great play and take a 1-0 lead at the short break.
The second quarter saw them come out with a change of plan. Instead of attacking as they did in the first quarter, they decided to build the attack from the back and try to find new ways through our defence.
Learning from Moorebank’s style of play we started to use a defensive line to build up the attack and at times were able to get a couple of breaks through – only to quickly be blocked by the fast-moving Moorebank players.
Again the second quarter saw our defence hold, but by halftime, Moorebank was able to get another 2 goals to take a 3-nil lead at halftime. This was certainly something that Moorebank was not expecting.
The third quarter saw a repeat of the second, with our defence frustrating Moorebank. We created some opportunities to attack by slowing down a little bit and looking for players in the open but Moorebank was too strong in defence for us to get any goals back.
Once again, they were able to get a couple of goals in to go into the final quarter 5-nil up; again this is not something they were expecting.
With everyone putting their best in for the first 3 quarters, we started to fatigue in the final quarter. This saw Moorebank put more pressure on our defence, and by the full time, we were able to score four more goals and win the game 9-nil.
Even though we did not win, for the second week in a row we put our best forward and never gave up. Moorebank had to work hard for their goals this week and was not given free shots like the first round.
Even though we lost, we did not let Moorebank achieve their objective to beat us by more goals than the first round. Again a big thank you to Lucy, Skye and Dom for helping us out.
Points : 3 Joshua, 2 Zara 1 Jack.
Sutho U15B Blue Tongues 6 UNSW Killer Whales 3
It was a great way to get back into the victory circle last night with a 6-3 win over the UNSW Killer Whales.
Four of our players scored goals and the rest of the team all did their bit to set them up for success or defend our backline.
Stand out player was Byron the “everywhere man” who seemed to be in defence and attack whenever he was needed. And he also scored a great goal.
Also, a big friendly warm welcome to our new player, Imogen Engisch, who played one of her first games of hockey with us last night. She is an excellent addition to our team.
Best and fairest: 3 Byron Faber 2 Mackenzie Gunner 1 Dom Lenzo. Goals: Dom Lenzo 3 Alex Ormonde 1 Byron Faber 1 Lachlan Duhne 1.
Sutho U13A Geckos 2 Sharks 0
It was an earlier start than what we have been used to in the first part of the season, so it took us a little while to warm up and wake up.
We managed to keep Sharks scoreless, as they did to us in the first quarter. There were plenty of attempts at goal by both teams but we just couldn’t get them past the Sharks’ goalie.
The second quarter finally saw us score our first goal and we went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Our half-time talk consisted of reminding everyone to look for passes and putting our heads up to pass the ball.
The third quarter saw us score our second goal as we continued to keep the Sharks scoreless. And this was how we kept the score for the rest of the game.
Thanks to Nicolas Staples for filling in for us.
Best & Fairest: 3 Jaimie-Grace Pittello 2 Darcy Matthews 1 Luke Erikson. Goals: Leo Matthews 1 Darcy Matthews 1.
Sutho U13B Thorny Devils 5 Sutho U13A Blue Tongues 10
This weekend the Thorny Devils were back at home to play fellow Sutho Team U13A Blue Tongues in their respective bye games.
The Thorny Devils ran onto the field in the first quarter a little nervous given they were playing the A graded team. The Blue Tongues came out strongly, showing why they are the A Graded team with a number of well-timed goals.
After some positive encouragement from Coach James, the team came out in the second quarter a bit more settled and managed to get a few goals on the board to boost their spirits.
After the rest at half time the Devils, with few player switches, continued building their formations and defensive skills.
We had our very enthusiastic goalie, Cameron, who was very busy all day and managed to save some great goal attempts.
B&F: Cameron 3 Tom 2 Nic 1.
Sutho U13A Blue Tongues 10 Sutho U13B Thorny Devils 5
The morning started with a great warm-up led by Riley. With our head coach away it was up to us to toe the line! We shooed the chickens, reluctantly ran laps and then it was game time!
Our opponents were the mighty U13B Thorny devils – and the Lizard Trophy was on the line once again.
The scoreboard was quick to light up with early goals from Lauren and Amy. Sarah was strong, playing in the middle and guiding the ball forward towards our strikers.
The team was showing some great plays; nice passing and goals were the results!
It was 4 up at quarter-time and the Thorny Devils were standing firm…. making us work for it.
Our defence was strong. Mandy was protecting our goal at all costs and sending the ball back to the other end.
We changed a few things up, giving our players a chance to run from a different position to their usual, which made for some excitement, and LOTS of laughs. Cooper and Tully had some intense cousin-on-cousin challenges.
It really was a fun game! Cooper nabbed two early goals (for our team, plus the few he scored for the opposition later in the game), Kai also found the goals with a great shot, Kalahni had some epic runs up the entire length of the pitch, weaving her way through opponents with her precise ball skills.
Sam was our final line of defence, standing strong and providing valuable calls to his teammates on strategy. Halftime saw us send two of our gun players to the other team. Game on! Nothing like taking on your own teammates in a challenge for the ball.
More fun times followed, as did the goals. Isaak copped our first card for the season taking a break on the naughty chair, followed by Cooper, then Kai.
Harrison had a run as a striker and scored a great goal, his first of the season, followed by one from Izzy. The end score was 10-5, which is less important than the fun had by all!
Our team has never laughed, talked, cheered so much as we did in this game! Good times! Thanks, Thorny Devils for a great game.
Best and fairest: 3 Sarah 2 Isabel 1 Kalahni.
Sutho U13B Bearded Dragons 1 Moorebank 1
A sunny and cool morning for the game against Moorebank made for excellent playing conditions.
The Bearded Dragons started off well with some early pressure that resulted in a short corner but good defence by the opposition prevented an early lead.
Ariana made a great shot on goal but hit the post and went wide. Moorebank then had a few opportunities that eventually resulted in a goal at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter continued with a couple of chances for us, with one ultimately resulting in a nice goal for Rowan who took the ball from the Moorebank quarter line and then eased it past their goalie for the equaliser.
Much of the game during the second half was played in midfield. When play pushed up into the forward area neither side was able to fully capitalise on their opportunities. Despite this, there was a definite improvement in intensity by our team when compared to the first half although this did not convert into more goals. Final score, 1-1.
Best and fairest: 3 Abby 2 Evan 1 Ryan.
Sutho 11A Geckos 3 Cronulla RSL 1
A much improved Cronulla RSL team had high strikers positioned out wide and made a lot of attacking plays in the first half.
Some excellent reading of the play from Audrey in defence ensured any breakthroughs were stopped and the attack restarted with wide distribution. Cronulla RSL was very structured defensively, stopping many balls going through.
Some quick shooting at goal from Gemma and a well-followed short corner drill had the Geckos up 2-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the Geckos took free hits much faster which helped ensure the ball was fed through to the midfield and then forwards.
Cronulla RSL’s main attacker managed to score a goal and was proving a real danger for the defence. There were four consecutive one-on-one clean tackles on their main striker in the defensive circle made by Michael which helped minimise any open shots on goal.
In attack, when Gecko attackers looked up to make the easy pass to teammates there were more shots on goal and short corners. The sustained attacking pressure in the final quarter resulted in another quick shot from Sophie to end the game 3-1.
In summary a tough game against formidable opposition.
Best and fairest: 3 Audrey Paige 2 Michael Chapman 1 Joel Kooner.
