SOUTHS clinched its first men’s Premier League Hockey minor premiership this decade on Saturday thanks to an 8-3 win over Orange Wanderers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Heading into the final round clash at Bob Roach Field Souths sat in first spot, but the two blues confirmed the minor prize thanks to a strong second half.
They struck six times in that period.
“It’s the first time in a long, long time the club has actually got a minor premiership in the men’s competition – no-one can actually quite remember when it was when we last did it,” Souths coach Ray Winwood-Smith said.
“So from that point of view, and that we’ve got a home semi-final, it was very good.
“It was a bit scrappy in the first half, we thought we’d try a couple of things and then settle it down in the second half.
“We changed things back to more about what we knew and how we play normally structurally. We just. I suppose, emphasised some of the key things we have been working on from a forward position, trying to create space in behind their defence.
“So we created the opportunities and from that the goals came.”
With a 2-1 lead at half-time, as Winwood-Smith indicated, he made some positional changes to try and increase that advantage.
READ ALSO: Bathurst Panthers get finals revenge
READ ALSO: Bulldogs win at fortress Ashwood
Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here
One of them was shifting Daniel Carter to centre-half, a move which paid dividends.
Carter controlled the midfield well and created space for Souths’ strikers, while he also finished the match with a hat-trick.
“He’s like the Energiser bunny he just keeps going … Dickie’s [Carter’s] maturity I guess stood out,” the coach said.
Nick McEwen and Jono Baillie also impressed as they each bagged a double and while Souths drew just one penalty corner for the contest, they managed to convert it.
Wanderers scored one of its goals from the set play as well – Logan Dolbel finding the mark – while Adam Skelton finished with a brace.
While Souths can now look ahead to a major semi-final against Lithgow Panthers, Saturday’s result ended any faint hopes Wanderers held of taking fourth spot.
Still, Winwood-Smith was impressed with what Wanderers threw at his side.
“Orange are playing extremely well at the moment and they had nothing to lose today and they played like that in the sense they pushed hard,” he said.
“We appreciated that because they tested us, that is what we wanted. If they kept that side together next year, then I think they will be a very good side.”
SOUTHS 8 (Daniel Carter 3, Nick McEwen 2, Jono Baillie 2, Jordan Bernard) defeated ORANGE WANDERERS 3 (Adam Skelton 2, Logan Dolbel)
While you’re here
You can now receive online headlines from the Western Advocate delivered straight to your inbox at 6am six days a week. To make sure you’re up-to-date with all news across the Bathurst region, sign up here.
