Hockey
5 September, 2025
Expectations high in do-or-die hockey
The first round of the Wimmera hockey finals last weekend set a very high standard for quality play, but the bar will be raised further on Saturday as two teams in each division do battle to claim remaining places in the grand finals.
The Yanac Tigers (open), Dimboola Roos (women), and Yanac Warriors (under 16) have already booked their places in their respective grand finals, and their opponents will be decided on Davis Park in Nhill on Saturday.
With the unpredictability of finals throwing up several unexpected results in the semi-finals last weekend, despite their records to date this season, no team will go into the preliminary finals confident of victory.
Open – Warrack Hoops v Horsham Hurricanes:
After a polished display last weekend to defeat the Kaniva Cobras, the Hurricanes will take on the Warrack Hoops (who were not disgraced in their sudden-death shootout loss to the Tigers) in a match that should be one of the most intense of the season.
A near-full-strength Hurricanes put on a clinical display on the turf at Dimboola several weeks ago to defeat a Hoops’ team missing several key players, contrasting with two narrow Hoops’ victories earlier in the season on grass pitches, which suggests two very evenly matched teams.
If both can put their best lineup onto the field this game could go either way, with the winner decided by whichever team can exploit a rare lapse in their opponents' defence before full time, or it will be the team that can hold their nerve the longest during a shootout that progresses to meet the Tigers in the grand final.
Women – Yanac v Kaniva:
After suffering their first loss for the season in the semi-final last Saturday, the Yanac Women will be determined to get their season back on track when they take on Kaniva, the reigning premiers, who will be equally determined to keep their premiership defence alive.
An undefeated regular season demonstrates that Yanac has been more consistent and deserve to go into this game as the favourites when compared to Kaniva, who showed erratic form with six wins and three draws from their fifteen regular-season matches, but with the pressure of such a high-stakes match, this is another game where either result would not be an upset.
Under 16 – Nhill Leopards v Warrack Revengers:
The gap between the top two and the rest of the field in the under 16 competition has been significant this season, and the third-placed Warrack Revengers will have to play at their very best if they are to topple the Nhill Leopards, who narrowly lost their semi-final last week in a shootout.
Despite history being against the Warrack team, having not defeated the Leopards yet this season, their defence was solid against the Raiders last weekend – and it was just one scrambly goal that determined the winner – so they will have the belief that they could do it again.
On the other hand, the Leopards spent much of the second half of the season on top of the ladder and will not want all that hard work to go for nothing.
While both teams have their standout players, the Leopards have a few more, and by the final whistle they should prove to be the stronger team.
