By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Casey Cannons Hockey Club has two senior teams through to the grand final following a successful preliminary final weekend.
The Cannons firsts and thirds men’s side qualified for the big dance, following 4-3 and 6-4 wins respectively.
The men’s firsts, competing in the Vic League 2 competition, defeated minor premiers Craigieburn, and are set to face Yarra, which it had a 2-2 draw with in its most recent meeting following a 2-0 loss early in 2024.
Casey raced out to a 4-1 lead in the preliminary final, before Craigieburn pegged it back late, with the Canons one man short in the last quarter but able to hold on for a significant victory.
Josh Watson scored a double, while Satpal Singh and Tristan Chaffey also found the back of the net.
“The boys worked well for each other, controlled the ball and linked up well,” coach Steve Noney said.
“We were hungry for the ball in the circle early which was a big part of the result.
“We’re building something special with the culture we’ve developed and there is a really good feel around the club.”
The match was also club stalwart Matthew Light’s 300th game and his experience shone through on the big stage.
Meanwhile, the thirds were led by doubles to Matt Guastella and teenager Ilham Amin Nur Iszehar Bin in the big win in the wet.
Youngsters Alfie Ray and Jessie Jelavic were also brilliant as goal-keeper and at right half respectively
The Cannons led 6-1 at three-quarter-time before Southern United restored some respectability on the scoreboard.
“We came out blazing in the first half and we couldn’t have played any better in the first three quarters,”
“We really put it to them and were well on top and in the last quarter, we brought finals pressure, stood tough and held them off.
“It was a good all-round team effort.”
Casey is set to take on local rivals Cardinia for the men’s Metro 2 South premiership, with the Cannons the only team to defeat the Storm in 2024 after losing to them early in the season.
It will be an enticing spectacle, with many of the Storm’s inaugural players starting their career at Casey.
Cardinia had 14 wins, three draws and a loss through the home and away season to finish on top of the table to guarantee promotion; Casey finished third with 11 wins, three draws and four losses.
Meanwhile, Casey’s under-16s and under-14s teams finished as runners-up after an excellent season of development and joy.
