By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Casey Cannons are motoring along nicely in their first season in Hockey Victoria’s Women’s Vic League 1.
After blitzing to the premiership in 2022, the Cannons have carried last year’s momentum into this season with six wins from eight matches.
It has them sitting second on the ladder, and they have two clear sources to goal in Emma Harris (six) and Mikayla McDonald (five).
That pair are among the top-seven goal scorers of the competition, while the experience and consistency of Melissa Light, Tegan Hyland and Jenna McLauchlan has led the charge.
The strong nucleus has been supported well by some depth players, who have stood up to tests when called upon when there have been absences.
Casey’s two losses were in consecutive weeks, to Yarra Valley and top-placed Mornington Peninsula, but they have since bounced back with three straight wins.
The reserves sit fourth at 4-3 with the defence miserly, but they have been able to put only 12 goals on the board this season.
The thirds, meanwhile, have also been more than competitive, with four wins, a draw and three losses.
It has them sitting more than a game clear in fourth, coming off a draw and a win ahead of a clash with sixth-placed Frankston.
The men have been building and improving as the season has gone on.
They showed glimpses of their exciting best in the first two months of the season, but it took until their seventh game to finally register their first points.
That came against Werribee, with striker Nick McPhee scoring his first two goals of the season.
He was a key part of the finals run last season and, after a dry start to the year, now has three goals across his last two weeks.
His lift in goal-scoring in the last fortnight has mirrored that of his team’s, who have eight of their 15 goals for the season in that period.
Dave Noney, Cam Ritchie and newbie Gurpreet Singh are others who have so far had strong seasons.
The reserves also have one win from eight games, scoring six goals in that period.
That came in round one over third-placed Brunswick.
The thirds sit fifth, with four wins, two draws and two losses, having conceded just 10 goals for the year.
