By Jonty Ralphsmith
Casey’s men’s hockey season has come to a close with coach Steve Noney labelling it a season of growth.
The Cannons went 1-17 through the season and will be relegated to the Men’s Vic League 2 competition.
The minus-47 goal differential reflected a club which was competitive in patches, but consistently let down by mental lapses.
“We were only playing half a game of hockey for a lot of the season,” Noney conceded.
“We were having to repel a lot physically which mentally fatigued us and we were better towards the end of the season; the lapses were less but they were still there.
“In previous years, we were playing 70 minutes of solid hockey in our best games and we need to work back towards that and capitalise when (the opposition) is struggling.”
Good flashes of play early in the season provided the blueprint for how Casey wanted to move the ball, and a lower standard will provide the opportunity to improve mechanics and fundamentals of the game.
The ability to link up and distribute improved as the season went on, which allowed players’ strengths to come to the fore, despite having only one win to show for it.
Through the 18 games, the Cannons scored just 26 goals, with half of those coming from the field and half from set plays, an area the club needs to improve in.
Skipper Matthew Light was a strong exponent of the drag flick when given the opportunity to capitalise on short corners throughout the season, but too often they didn’t generate opportunities from that source.
Nick McPhee was one who showed plenty of promise as an attacking winger/centre forward last season, but he’s spent more time in the midfield this season which has put responsibility on others.
“We’ve got to develop a better understanding of winning short corners and having the fundamental skills to complement Matt,” Noney said.
“We have to develop a battery of short corners with the skillset we’ve got.”
The club blooded eight debutants throughout the season, including 14-year-old Lachlan Light, underlining the long term benefits the club will get from being exposed to such a high standard.
Goal keeper Alan McDonald also started for the first time in Casey’s 3-0 loss on Saturday to Monash University, with Adam Wadley injured.
McDonald has previously played minutes off the bench.
Light, Cam Ritchie and young but experienced reliable midfielder Dave Noney each played crucial leadership roles so the club could see tangible improvement.
As well as increased synergy, teenagers Harry Coster and Will Stephens improved early in their hockey career, Jamie and Adam Shilliday nuanced their defensive game and recruit Gurpreet Singh played his best games in the last three weeks of the season.
Noney also praised Charlie Coster’s role in defending short corners.
Meanwhile, the women had a 1-1 draw with Monash University, with Michaela Bullock breaking through for the goal.
It was a taste of finals style intensity a week early, with both teams coming out strongly and wanting to get a mental edge ahead of their elimination final this week.
Casey has earned hosting rights, with the match to be played Sunday 3 September, 3pm.
Men
Results: Brunswick 1 v North West 3, Eastern Christian Hockey Organisation 4 v Werribee 5, Monash University 3 v Casey 0, Old Xaverians 6 v Yarra Valley 2, PEGS 1 v Melbourne Sikhs 2
Final 2023 Ladder: Melbourne Sikhs 45, PEGS 37, Old Xaverians 35, North West 35, Brunswick 30, Monash University 29, Werribee 20, Eastern Christian Hockey Organisation11, Yarra Valley 11, Casey 3.
Women
Results: Brunswick 4 v North West 1, West Vic 4 v Yarra Valley 3, Knox 1 v Werribee 1, Monash University 1 v Casey 1, PEGS 0 v Mornington Peninsula 0
Final 2023 Ladder: Mornington Peninsula 43, Yarra Valley 41, Casey 39, Monash University 33, WestVic 22, Brunswick 21, Knox 20, Werribee 12, PEGS 12, North West 10
Fixture:
Qualifying Final: Mornington Peninsula v Yarra Valley
Elimination Final: Casey v Monash University
