Cannons on target

CASEY Hockey Club’s senior male side opened its State League Three season with a thrilling 2-1 victory over RMIT on Saturday.
The Cannons, newly promoted after finishing runner-up in State League Four last season, went behind early when RMIT snuck one behind their defences.
But backline general Nick Hatch turned Casey’s fortunes around.
Recruit Shannon Dubois got on the end of a succession of passes and took on two players before netting a stunning flick from the top of the D to tie up the scores after half-time.
Neither team could orchestrate the winner until a breakaway with less than three minutes to go saw centre-forward Scott Daly put the Cannons ahead.
Coach Lawrie Edwards could not have been happier with his young charges.
“It’s the perfect start to the season,” he said.
“We went down early in the first half and the boys were a bit slow to put it together, but in the last 20 minutes we showed up and ran over the top of them.”
Casey’s Metro One East team also started well, belting Mornington 5-1.
Coach Phil Wagg led from the front with a strike, while Chris Ferreira, Jai Brown, Matt Gittus and Brendan Yates rounded out the rout.
The women’s State League Three side took the points against West Vic Hockey 1-0, thanks to Tiarna Kramer and the Metro One South squad drew two-all, to cap an impressive opening day to the season at home.
Norma McGreal and Rebekah Hodson were the goalscorers in the stalemate.
The Cannons’ under-11s defeated Southern United 3-0 at Moorabbin in the junior match of the week.
Casey made a good start with Tristan Chaffey controlling the game from centre-half and directing play through Monica Young and Luke Jones.
The Cannons went to half-time with a 2-0 lead, courtesy of Lachlan Daniell’s and Chaffey’s goals.
Orla Cook’s and Ashleigh Wade’s strong defence made it impossible for Southern to make any inroads and a second from Daniell secured the victory.