Queensland made a clean sweep of the 2013 Australian Hockey League, taking out the Grand Final matches of both the Men’s and Women’s competitions in a thrilling conclusion to the premier tournament at the weekend.
The AHL is the premier hockey competition in Australia, being a national championships contested by teams representing each of the country’s eight states and territories. Each state team contains the finest players in the region, many of which are established members of Australia’s sensational Kookaburras team. It is widely regarded as one of the strongest and most competitive field hockey leagues in the world.
In the Women’s Grand Final - which was played in Hobart, Tasmania - the Queensland Scorchers went up against Western Australia in a nail-biting match, with both sides playing a tight game of end-to-end hockey.
With neither side able to put a point on the scoreboard, the match went to a penalty shoot out, which saw Queensland’s Jodie Schultz and Ashlea Fey score the crucial and only points of the match to lead Queensland to a 2-0 victory.
Congratulations must go to the Scorchers’ goal keeper, Audrey Smith, who played an exceptional game for her team.
In the Men’s Grand Final, the Queensland Blades took on the Victoria Vikings, with Queensland overwhelming the Vikings to take the spoils at the tournament in Melbourne, Victoria.
Five-time World Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer stepped up to score the first goal of the match for Queensland, however the Victorians quickly leveled with a point of their own.
Queensland’s Liam De Young and Jason Wilson each also put a point on the board for the Blades, and with no further goals from Victoria, the ever-impressive Blades won the match and the overall tournament with the final score of 3-1.
2013 marks the second consecutive year that the talented Queensland Blades have been awarded the Australian Hockey League Championship Cup.
Full details about an amazing Australia Hockey League season can be found on the Hockey Australia website by clicking here.
Source: Hockey Queensland website
