This little champion in our U11Bs showed true Sutho spirit last Saturday when she played not one, but two games. She was trying to score a goal for her Dad for his birthday. Despite her huge effort, it didn’t quite work out – but guess who had the proudest Dad in Sydney!
Match Reports
It was a super Saturday for hockey last weekend, with first grade just a single goal in goal difference behind Moorebank at the top of the Sydney Hockey premier league table.
Third grade is the only one of our men’s teams that is out of contention for the finals.
Our women’s teams all had the weekend off because of byes across the State because of championships.
Almost all of our junior teams were also back on the field after the long school holidays break.
Thank you again to Tony O’Leary for unpacking his giant lens and giving us close up action of every Sutho player from last weekend’s 3rd, 6th and one of the 7th grade games (they had a double header).
Sutho !st Grade 6 Sydney Uni 1
This match saw a welcome return of Kieran Govers. To boot he scored three goals off penalty corners and made his presence even more felt by leading by example around the pitch.
The team played the first half very strongly, with some excellent hockey. The team work, precision and effort was superb.
It then seemed, however, to be 2 halves of hockey with the second half not the showing consistency of their first half performance. This allowed Sydney Uni to bring the game to them and create a little pressure unnecessarily.
We will have to show greater discipline as we approach the business end of the season if we are to win a back to back series.
Jack Hayes was missing in action as he was still in Perth with Australian squad duties. He will be back for our next match v Briars at Home Bush Olympic Park at 12.30 pm next Saturday.
B & F: Matt Johnson 1, Mitch Wray 2, Kieran Govers 3. Goals: Kieran Govers 3, Matt Bennett 1, Scott Govers 1, Matt Johnson 1.
Sutho 2nd grade 2 Sydney Uni 2
A hard fought game this week with plenty of opportunities created. The team played well, with a couple of unforced errors leading to Sydney Uni scoring their goals.
Uni defended admirably by condensing their defensive 25 with all 11 players, which made it tough for our guys to find space.
With this being said, the boys showed excellent patience with the ball, which led to many goal scoring opportunities. Execution has been our problem in past weeks and is something we as a team are working extremely hard on at training.
Points: Michael Sharkey 2, Ralph Prince 2, Harry Roberts 2. Goals: Gavin Bobyk 1, Harry Roberts 1.
Sutho 3rd grade 1 Sydney Uni 2
Pictures: Tony O’Leary
Third last game of the season for the dudes.
Positivity levels were at an all time high as we marched out of the change room up onto the grass field for our first proper home game warmup of the season. Brad was understandably still a bit tender from his trip in front of goal last week, so he led the team through a slow two full laps.
Even though the team had such a good pre-game preparation, we still somehow managed to concede early. Despite having many close chances at goal, it looked like we would be entering half time at a points deficit.
This was until the the younger Neale realised it was his time to follow in his brother’s footsteps, put behind him the miles of running expected of him as a striker, and cement his claim for a midfield position.
Noticing only seconds remaining on the clock he demanded the ball. Not cracking under pressure, he resisted the urge that plagues 3rd Grade defenders, (and avoided passing it straight to the other team), and perfectly executed a JC bounce pass into the circle. Without even needing to look at the ball, Mac casually deflected it through his legs to bring the score to 1-1.
After a tough fought second half which really could have gone either way, another goal was conceded by the dudes.
Thus ended all mathematical debate on whether or not it was still technically possible for 3rd Grade to make finals from 9th position on the table.
Best and fairest: 2 points each to Mac Dunn, Riley Lloyd and Mason Neale.
4th grade
No report received
5th grade Sutho 3 Moorebank 0
Coming up against one of our rivals, there was always going to be a bit of pushing and shoving between teams. The game started well for Sutho with lots of ball possession and passing through the backs and mids.
This possession led to a few breakaways from the strikers and in one instance, the ball found Mitch Russell in the circle, looking as though he was falling over, he slotted a killer tomahawk over the sliding keeper to score the first goal.
At one stage we were over-committed and Moorebank countered quickly into space down the right sideline.
A few good team passing efforts saw some quality attacking efforts lead to two more tap ins in the first half. Half time score at 3-0 for Sutho.
The second half saw no change in the score, due to plenty of missed opportunities, but the card count did increase.
We did retain ball possession and looked threatening in attack, which in one instance found an open Dave Sokolovski on the back post. Just him, his stick and the back post, but his twinkle toes failed to help him to tap the ball in from close range. Our defence in reality weren’t threatened much, which was a very good sign.
On the card count, unsurprisingly, two of potentially four brothers on the field that day (the other was “stuck on a train”) were recipients.
The game, always to be a tough one, was played well by Sutho, coming out with a 3-0 win.
Best and fairest: Tom Hausman 3, Andrew Hoy 2, Lachlan Cartwright 1.
Sutho 6th grade 5 Gordon-North Sydney 1
Pictures: Tony O’Leary
Sutho 6ths made amends against GNS when we entertained them for the second time in two weeks on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Sylvania.
We were a frustrated team at the last outing against GNS and could only manage the one goal from a string of opportunities and were held to a draw. This was not the case at home and took an early lead in the first half.
GNS were a tricky customer in the last game and did create chances, sure enough they capitalised on some sloppy defence and equalised through a short corner, 1-1 at the break.
A stern team talk at half time inspired self-belief amongst the young Sutherland side. A sense of ‘must win’ attitude was displayed after the break and as Sutho pressed with possession and opportunities, sure enough the goals came.
The home side managed 5 goals in return to GNS’s 1, an overall exceptional team performance on the day. Special mention to the front attack of Sean Ryan, Luke Mecham, Julian Weaver and Max Heckley who took the chances and delivered.
Next up – UTS at home.
Sutho 7th grade 2 North West Strikers 3 (Their Game One for the weekend)
Pictures: Tony O’Leary
We started this game exceptionally well found and ourselves 2 goals up mid way through the first half with one from Matthew Reid and the other from Scott Calder. And we continued to play good quality and accurate hockey.
The second half we still played well, but we let their strikers consistently go down through the middle of the field and have shots on goal and with 10 minutes to go they equaled our score with a second goal. Then, from a short corner with an on-line body hit the Strikers received an after full time penalty stroke which just scraped in past David.
Good effort from everyone but we did find room for improvement for future games.
3 points to Damian Seager, 2 points to Mark Bayley and 1 point to Adam Howard. Goals from Matthew Reid and Scott Calder.
Followed up by…
Sutho 7th grade 1 Bentstix 1 on a sunny Sutho Sunday for Game Two
On Sunday we backed up from the Saturday game, this time at home and a bit sore from last night.
Again we started well as we often seem to do now, some lovely passing and good quality stick work. Midway through the first half it paid off with a goal from Darren Shaw to give us the lead 1-0.
Towards the end of the first half Bentstix scored a goal leaving David with no chance from right in front.
The second half was and to end and an entertaining game and a few sore legs from last night became evident. With no goals scored in the second half the final score remained 1–1.
3 points for Cameron Bayley, and one each for Alex Doyle, Matt Reid and for Caleb Nieuwendyk. A much better performance from the midfield players.One goal from Darren Shaw.
Women
All women’s teams had byes because of championships.
Juniors
Sutho U17 Metro 3 Ryde 3
It can be tough to pick up the rhythm of your team game after a four-week break – fortunately there was little sign of that layoff in the way we started out against Ryde. Some good midfield and striker leading was rewarded with some well controlled passing out of our defence, and we looked to have Ryde under plenty of pressure.
As can sometimes happen with a team pressing in attack, we were exposed by a turnover and against the run of play Ryde got the opening goal. They held that 1-0 lead into the half-time break.
Despite Ryde having the half-time advantage, the game was certainly still there to be won.
The 2nd half yielded 5 goals, which must have made it entertaining for the spectators. It certainly wasn’t entertaining for those in the dugout.
At 3-1 up with less than 5 minutes remaining, it was looking like Ryde had somehow managed to secure a victory. That would be quite a turn around on the 0-5 loss we had inflicted on them last time we met.
In those last 5 minutes the game was very much played in the Ryde half of the field, and we secured two goals – the equaliser with just seconds remaining on the clock.
It wasn’t a win, and there were some ugly moments and discipline lapses along the way, but still there was plenty to be pleased about as the team fought their way back from a pretty bleak position on the scoreboard.
B&F: Nic 2, Naomi 1, Blake 1, Hayden 1, Harry 1. Goals: Nic Donni 2, Harry Roberts 1
Sutho U15A Geckos 3 St George Knights 3
And we returned. After a long break it seemed like we were starting the season again, as we made the trip to Kyeemagh to play the Knights in what was expected to be a close tussle. We sat 1 point apart on the table.
With a full team of 14 and a detailed subs rotation, our challenge was to play fast and wide, and to pressure and dominate the middle, with high energy and well deserved rests. And we did.
Sutho started strongly and dominated the first 10 minutes. An early transfer from deep left had us attacking the right side of the goal, which had coach Brad beaming. Shortly after a corner resulted from another wide attack, but we couldn’t convert. We were playing to strategy, but just were not strong enough in the circle.
As happens in close games, the momentum shifted and Saints had us under pressure for 5 minutes. Eventually they won a corner and converted from a rebound off the keeper, stemming from rather disappointing organisation – no first runner, posties stuck on the line. Plenty to practice at training.
The last 15 minutes of the first half was fairly even, although Sutho probably had the better of the field position and pressure, but we couldn’t convert and went to half time 1-0 down but fairly happy with how we were playing, with a few slight corrections to make.
St George obviously corrected better, as they started much stronger, dominated in the middle, and we couldn’t find the same wide space early.
After 10 minutes they cut through the middle with a scything run from the back who past to the striker for an easy goal. Another learning point for training. Disappointing they followed shortly after with a 3rd goal, with some poor communication leading to soft ball into the circle, earning a soft corner which was softly converted. How did we get 3-0 down when we have been on top of this game?
With 15 minutes left, our first goal was a left side interchange of passing that saw Zac Coles drive the ball into the circle, where Liam jumped up and deftly deflected the ball through his legs past the keeper, to the surprise of everyone, especially Liam, who then celebrated in usual Liam style. This lifted the team.
The team ran very hard for the next 10 minutes, carving Saints up on both flanks, running the baseline, but not being able to convert. This was on the back of terrific effort from the whole team, who were all putting in massive running and gradually started to run over the top of Saints.
With two minutes left we earned a corner. A well executed layoff shot from Chloe hit the post, but was deflected into the goal during the scuffle, and so was credited to Chloe.
Like a soccer game, Sutho sprinted to get the ball out of the Saints goal and back to half way for the restart. One minute left, and with Saints wilting under the pressure, Sutho attacked again on the right, the ball got into the circle, and in a goal mouth scramble Liam calmly slotted it away as the hooter sounded in the background. 3-3.
Sutho were jubilant like they had won the grand final, and Saints despairing the one that got away.
A fantastic effort by all 14 players, many of whom had their best games of the season. The game was very fast and skilful, and while we made some crucial mistakes, and were not strong enough in the attacking circle, these are things we can work on at training. It was an entertaining game to watch, and an effort that made the Sutho coach and manager proud, and all the parents very excited.
Our strikers all played very well, with only our finishing letting us down. Luke with his hair tied back did some very neat moves, Adrian was dominant in his central striker role, providing a number of excellent passes in crucial attacking positions, and Raina was carving up the right side.
Liam was off mid-way through the first half, and said to the coach, “ Can I play mid?”. He replied, “No, you’re a striker, go out and get some goals.” So he did. In probably the best 15 minutes we have ever seen him play, he scored twice, and could easily have scored 2 more.
The midfield of Macca, Oli, Chloe and Coles all worked tirelessly against a very strong Saints midfield, and behind them our defensive unit was very good. James made a number of very good clearances in goals.
While the team gave the points to the boys, I would like to mention the effort the girls made tonight. Tahlia and Shontae were especially strong in the centre in their defensive midfield roles, and crucial in the way we played, both having season best games. Chloe worked very hard in the midfield in setting up our strikers, and Raina was dominant at right striker, with some high quality runs, including along the baseline, again showing that it is all coming together. Well done ladies.
Points: 3 Liam, 2 Adrian, 1 Oliver. Goals: Liam 2, Chloe (maybe) 1.
Under 13A Sutho Geckos 8 defeated Sharks 1
It was a distracted and relaxed start to the game by the Geckos compared to the enthusiastic start by the Sharks, resulting in the Sharks dominating possession and field position for the first 10 minutes.
Thankfully our defence held tight and the Sharks did not score. The Geckos eventually knuckled down and controlled the play after their slow start, culminating in two goals to Matt showing his skills straight up the middle, through the pack and past the keeper.
The Geckos scored three more quality goals during the first half to Noah, Fletcher and Jett. However, we also squandered further goals by poor final passes or not passing to an open team mate in the circle. These are some things for the team to work on.
With a 5-0 lead at half-time it was time to shake the team up a bit by switching the strikers and defenders for the start of the second half.
The striking potential of the defenders was immediately on display as Byron got hold of the ball dribbled in towards the circle, passed to Lily on a terrific lead, and then Lily passed it around the keeper to Tom Bryden, who slotted home a well-constructed goal. Go the defenders!
The Geckos dominated most of the second half with Matt and Byron scoring two more goals to make it 8-0.
However, we then had 2 players drop-off which opened up the game.
The Sharks managed to score a goal with about 5 minutes to go, although this wasn’t really a direct result of having less players on the field.
The Sharks goal came from two Sharks strikers standing unmarked close to the Geckos circle – and with all the Geckos players pushing up the field too eager to score a goal and forgetting about defending/marking. Our goalkeeper, Tomas, was therefore stranded when the Sharks put through a long ball to their strikers.
Notwithstanding the scoreline and late goal against the team, it was a good game for the Geckos to get back into the groove of hockey and there were long periods of the game where they controlled the ball with good passing and calling.
Best & Fairest: Noah Palmer 2 pts; Matt Rose 2 pts; Sohan Mavji 2 pts. Scorers: Matt 3, Fletcher 1, Jett 1, Byron 1, Tom Bryden 1, Noah 1.
U15B Sutho Blue Tongues 0 Bankstown 8
The 15Bs were in for a tough match against the top Bankstown team, coming back from a loss the last time they met.
Bankstown got in early, with 3 goals in the first half. The Blue Tongues mids and backs had a busy game against a very strong Bankstown team. With one reserve this week, there were no certainly no complaints at interchange time.
Luke had a great game in goals, with some quality saves.
Great teamwork from everyone.
Best and fairest: 3 points Luke, 2 Thomas, 1 Dominic.
Sutho U13B Blue Tongues 1 St George-Randwick 0
Today’s game was lose and challenging.
Our players used excellent teamwork by doing some great “one-two tap” passing, talking with each other and giving positive feedback when we deserved it. It was a lot of fun today.
Our result was 1-0 our way which means we are still up there on the leader board and on track to get to the semi-finals.
Best and fairest: 2 pts Lian Blumire, 2 Lachlan Duhne, 2 Cameron Sprod. Scorer: Chris Goodman 1.
Sutho U13B, Thorny Devils 4 Glebe Strikers 1
‘Great Start Back’ after the break, with a home game to boot, in this friendly match against Glebe. Both teams didn’t take long to warm up into a fairly evenly matched face off, which was a nice way to get our heads back into hockey after the school holidays.
Our game improved yet again, with some nice deliberate passing, extending to 2 and 3 pass combinations as we opened up in the second half, and started to capitalise on the opportunities that this kind of play presents.
When we managed to get ourselves into the strike zone, it was the quick opportunities that turned into points on the board with Mackenzie slamming a couple into the backboard, and Jack and Bailey doing the same. Taking the first fast opportunity seemed to pay off better today, not allowing the opposition to bunch up in front of the goal.
Another solid performance by Owen “The Engineer” executing his tasks on the field as requested with skill, and good to see Josh shake off his injuries from before the break for a nice performance.
Special thanks to Harley and Kai for making up the numbers on the Glebe team, and putting in 100% effort (even if it was against our own team). They both played very well in unusual circumstances, and it was interesting to see our players go head to head in some high action points of the game.
A nice win, with a scoreboard that reflected the game play on field today.
Go Sutho!!
Best and fairest: 3 pts Mackenzie Shaw, 2 Harley Belbin, 1 Kai Morris. B Mackenzie Shaw 2, Bailey Peters 1, Jack Treharne 1.
Sutho U11A Geckos 2 Glebe Black 0
It was a cracker of a day playing at home for the Geckos who had just come from a long school holiday break.
Most of the team probably hadn’t touched their hockey sticks in a few weeks prior to our training last Thursday night.
It took a while for everyone to shake the rust off and get back into game mode, and by the end of the first half, Archie scored to put us on the board.
We had a debrief and a pump-up chat at half time, and it worked!
We started to move the ball around the field like superstars, culminating in one of the best goals of the season, finished off by Josh.
There were plenty more shots towards goal, that were either saved or wide of their target, and I’m sure that a little more calibration of our hockey sticks, many more will hit their mark in future games.
A huge wrap must go to Milan who was outstanding in defence, and likely stifled a bunch of Glebe attacks. Thanks so much to Lisa Kirby who very kindly filled in for Ruth in the manager’s role. You were a great help.
Well done team!
Player’s Player points: Milan 3, Josh 2, Archie 1.
Sutho U11B Bearded Dragons 7 UNSW 0
This week was all about birthdays! The team was keen to win for Kaylee on her birthday and Eliana was keen to score a goal for her dad who was celebrating a milestone birthday.
Scoring was opened by the birthday girl, Kaylee, who went on to score herself a trio of goals. Emily then produced her first goal for the season and added another later in the match.
As usual, we continued to work on getting the ball out wide and getting our positional play better with Lachlan, Dominic and Rohan all having good games.
Bethany had a quiet day in the goals but did get one save in.
Eliana, who had a number of attempts at goal, just couldn’t quite get the ball through the posts for her dad no matter what she tried (he was still super proud of her).
Thanks go to Isabel and Charlotte from the Blue Tongues who helped us to put a full team on the field.
Best and fairest: 3 Eliana Domrow, 2 Emily Carey, 1 Dominic Lenzo. Scorers: Kaylee 3, Emily 2, Lachlan, Dominic.
Sutho U11 Blue Tongues 1 St George 1
This was a great effort from the Blue Tongues this week.
We were a bit rusty after a couple of weeks off over the school holidays but all the kids were excited to get back on the field and play some hockey.
After scoring a great goal in the first half we conceded late in the game to let St George level the game.
Special mention to Blake, our goalkeeper on the day. After not touching the ball for most of the game, he made a few amazing save to keep the scores level.
Also thank you Sutho Bearded Dragons for lending us a couple of players to make up our numbers.
Best and fairest: 3 points Blake, 2 Charlotte and 1 to Ava.
