Hockey
19 August, 2025
Penultimate round shakes up hockey season
The second-last round of the Wimmera Hockey Association’s regular season threw up several intriguing results on Saturday that have kept the make-up of the finals up in the air in all three divisions with just one round remaining.
Open
Both open matches ended in one-all draws, with the Nhill Rangers earning their first points other than from byes for the season when they drew with the Horsham Hurricanes, and the Warrack Hoops maintained their grip on second place with a draw with the Kaniva Cobras.
In a very fast-paced game between two evenly match teams, it was the Hoops who took the early lead with a scrambly field goal to Cameron Bardell, and while the play saw-sawed from end to end as the game progressed, both defences were up to everything the opposing strikers presented.
The tempo of the game went up a notch when, midway through the third quarter, a field goal to Jonathon Dyer levelled the scores.
Some very intense hockey followed, but neither team was able to take the advantage on the scoreboard, and the game ended in a tie.
This result keeps the Cobras’ slim chance of overtaking the Hoops for the double chance in the finals alive into the last round, when the Hoops have the bye and can only watch on as Kaniva take on the Hurricanes, where a big win would see them advance to second place.
It was an identical result in the other open match.
The Nhill Rangers scored first, with Rodney Reichelt converting a penalty corner in the first quarter, and despite Horsham dominating field play with fifteen penalty corners to Nhill’s five, the Rangers’ defence steadfastly protected their lead until early in the last quarter when Fraser Cullen eluded them to put the Hurricanes on the scoreboard.
In the remaining minutes of play, both teams mounted strong attacking moves, but no further scores were registered before the final whistle.
This was the Rangers’ best result for the season, and while the Hurricanes are resigned to finishing fourth on the ladder, this improved performance on grass will build their confidence as they prepare for the semi-finals.
Women
All three women’s games this week produced big results, with the Jets keeping their chances of progressing to the finals alive after a narrow victory over the Thunderbirds, Yanac strengthening their claim as favourites for the 2025 title with a solid performance against their nearest rival, and Warrack Women scoring a confidence-boosting draw with a top-three team, Kaniva Women.
With the Nhill Thunderbirds needing a win to confirm a place in the finals and the Jets needing maximum points to remain in the race for the semi-finals, an entertaining encounter was anticipated, and the teams delivered.
Throughout four hard-fought quarters of hockey, neither team could gain an advantage either on their field or the scoreboard until a penalty corner was earned by the Jets just before the final whistle blew to end the game.
The penalty was played out, and it was the experience of Horsham’s Lorna Schilling that broke the deadlock to score her team the win and the chance to play for a place in the finals next week.
The ’Birds still finished the round in the top four but must either win next week to ensure they stay there or rely on the Jets’ losing their last round game.
Yanac and the Dimboola Roos played out an exciting preview of the semi-final they will play in two weeks’ time, and although Yanac finished with a comfortable three goals to one win, they were not as dominant as this may suggest.
All three of their goals, two by Caitlyn Alexander and one to Susan Hedt, came in the first quarter, but for the remaining three quarters the play was very even, with Naomi Kuhnell clawing back one goal for the Roos’ in the second quarter, but they were unable to reduce the margin any more throughout the second half of the game.
This result did not affect either team’s place on the ladder, as they have been destined to play each other in the semi-finals after occupying the top two spots on the ladder for most of the season.
The last match saw Warrack Women and Kaniva Women play out a scoreless draw in another very even and keenly contested match.
Kaniva dominated many of the statistics, such as earning nine penalty corners to none, but they were denied converting this onto the scoreboard by a determined Warrack defence, and at the other end of the field, the Kaniva defenders held firm in the face of several strong Warrack attacking moves.
After enduring a tough couple of seasons, Warrack has recorded a win and a draw in their last three outings showing some potential that 2026 may be a more successful season, and while Kaniva was already set to play finals, their patchy form over the second half of the season will be a worry for their coaches as the semi-finals approach.
Under 16
The top two on the under 16 ladder both had comfortable wins, with the Nhill Leopards registering a four-goal victory over the plucky Horsham Bombers and the Yanac Warriors comfortably defeating the Dimboola Kangaroos, while the Kaniva Raiders confirmed their place in the finals with a narrow victory over the Warrack Revengers.
This combination of results sets up a big last round in this division, with the Revengers and Kangaroos to play off on Friday evening in a virtual elimination final where the winner will progress to the finals and the loser’s season will come to an end.
The clash between the Leopards and Warriors, the top two teams, will decide which one finishes on top with the minor premiership as they go into the game equal on points.
RESULTS
Open: Nhill Rangers 1 (goal R Reichelt; best J Reichelt, T Krelle, C Schultz) drew with Horsham Hurricanes 1 (goal F Cullen; best T Leffler, A Mullane, F Cullen); Warrack Hoops 1 (goal C Bardell; best H Johns, S Schultz, T Jorgensen) drew with Kaniva Cobras 1 (goal J Dyer; best L Mills, J Clark, J Bedford); bye Yanac Tigers
Pts GD
Yanac Tigers 46 29
Warrack Hoops 32 1
Kaniva Cobras 30 -7
Horsham Hurricanes 24 5
Nhill Rangers 8 -28
Women: Horsham Jets 1 (goals L Schilling; best C McFarlane, L Schilling, A Heal) defeated Nhill Thunderbirds 0 (best K Clark, C Rowe, L Clark); Warrack Women 0 (best S Williamson, H Bentley, E Williamson) drew with Kaniva Women 0 (best N Hutchins, J Braisby, L Stimson); Yanac Women 3 (goals C Alexander 2, S Hedt; best E Alexander, M Mackley, H Zanker, C Alexander) defeated Dimboola Roos 1 (goal N Kuhnell; best T Clark, B McMaster, A Rintoule, E Baldock)
Pts GD
Yanac Women 56 79
Dimboola Roos 42 36
Kaniva Women 30 7
Nhill Thunderbirds 18 16
Horsham Jets 16 -34
Warrack Women 6 -104
Under 16: Nhill Leopards 4 (goals B Clark 2, O Bone, B Cannell; best O Bone, T Bee, D Bee) defeated Horsham Bombers 0 (best H Di Pietro, J Mackereth, O Knoop); Kaniva Raiders 3 (goals J White 2, F Dodson; best R Williams, J White, D Stimson) defeated Warrack Revengers 2 (goals N Eilola, S Williamson; best E Williamson, C Bentley, S Williamson); Yanac Warriors 7 (goals H Zanker 3, S Pedie, S Farmers, I Hedt, L Dickinson; best S Pedie, A Zanker, H Zanker, S Hedt) defeated Dimboola Kangaroos 0 (best R Williams, A Pretorius, R Hadzig, L Hauselberger)
Pts GD
Nhill Leopards 52 49
Yanac Warriors 52 37
Kaniva Raiders 22 -7
Warrack Revengers 20 -24
Dimboola Kangaroos 18 -16
Horsham Bombers 4 -39
Development program: Nhill Bandits 4 (goals Z Chequer 2, M Sardhara, D Bee) v. Horsham Black Hawks 3 (goals M Rose, H Mills, L Rose); Warrack Avengers 4 (goals M Marra 3, T Sawrey) v. Kaniva Rampagers 0 Dimboola Kookaburras 0 v. Yanac Lowan Stars 5 (goals M Dart 2, C Alexander, Z Rethus, P Dart)
