Casey Hockey Club fell short at the final hurdle of the season, going down to Werribee in the Men’s Vic League (MVL2) grand final 8-7.
It was a shootout at Parkville and both sides proved why they were the two best in the competition, scoring freely from the first whistle.
Plenty of Casey supporters packed out the venue with signs of encouragement and their loudest cheering voices, but the Cannons were one goal short of premiership glory.
Coming into the clash, it was anyone’s game and both teams knew they could beat the other, with the Cannons winning by two goals back in round 6, and Werribee winning by two goals in round 15.
The Craig Moore-led Cannons probably came into the match as slight favourites after finishing on top of the ladder – losing just the one game for the season, which came against Werribee.
The Cannons’ offensive firepower was led by Tristan Chaffey who netted four goals on the day, but the team ultimately come up one goal short.
Because at the other end of the field, Werribee’s Sam Huxtable was causing problems for the Casey defenders, scoring five goals to see his team to victory.
Coming into the grand final, Huxtable had only scored seven goals this season, but that didn’t stop him from putting together one of the most brilliant individual performances.
Chaffey finished a brilliant individual season with 52 goals, an average of almost three goals per game.
Cannons’ Elliot Stephens is another player who impressed on the day scoring two goals, while David Noney netted one.
While they were unable to achieve the ultimate goal, the Cannons will not view this season as a failure, instead the heartbreaking loss will just make them hungrier for redemption.
A shoutout must go to Evan Rundell who played his 250th game with Casey in the grand final.
Rundell has been a great clubman and a valued member since he began playing in 2008 – he has also won a premiership in the past and is a defensive machine.
Casey Hockey Club also congratulates its representative players which include Aleisha Daly, Skye McDonald (Southern Metro Sharks) and Jenna McLachlan, a train-on player at the Country Championships.
The club also has eight representatives at the Masters Championships, including Samantha Dobrich, Emma Harris, Matthew Light, Bryan Young, April Pickton, Matthew Hollway, Hilary Doulton and Fiona Young.
