The Rockingham Redbacks played Harlequins at Lark Hill on Saturday night, and although the match started in torrential rain, the home side put on a near flawless display to crush the visitors 7-0.
Despite the heavy down pour, which abated in the second half, the Redbacks were able to show off their skills with great ball control and precision passing which gave Harlies little or no scoring chances throughout the game. In a game that had many highlights the overall team performance stood out. The goals were shared by 4 players with Olly Bond scoring a hat trick and Hardev the short corner specialist bagging 2. Brett Webb scored from a penalty stroke while Shaun Ford added the final goal minutes from full time.
The game also showed the dominance that the home side has had on the competition, the win putting them 8 points clear on top, with only 3 points up for grabs in the final round next week. Rockingham now booked themselves a spot into the Grand Final due to that fact they also play a promotion relegation series in which the top 2 Willow Bridge league sides play the bottom 2 sides from AHG league instead of the normal finals series. The AHG is the Premier grade in WA, in which the Perth based Australian Kookaburras play club hockey.
This would be a huge step for the Rockingham Hockey Club who has never had this opportunity before but under the guidance of Coach Michael Nobbs, a former Australian International, they will be in good stead if they are successful in making the next level. Since the Club moved to the Larkhill Sportsplex it has grown rapidly and we have been able to attract many players to the club. The combination of the best facilities outside of the Perth Hockey Stadium and the success of the Club, the Redbacks will become a driving force in Hockey in years to come.
Neville Ford
Team Manager
Leave a Reply