The Yanac club completed a dominant season with victory in all three Wimmera Hockey Association grand finals played on Warracknabeal’s Anzac Park on Saturday to extend their outstanding run to six premierships in two seasons.
Although the record books will show that after becoming the first club to win the Open, Women’s and Under 16 premierships in the same season last year, they followed it with a repeat in 2019, but they had to endure three tough grand final games to write this new chapter in the competition’s history with two games going to extra time and one to penalty stroke shootout.
Above – Members of the three victorious Yanac teams, along with Noreen Wheaton (middle left) and Dawn Gilson (middle right)), founders of the Yanac club.
By the end of the day there was no doubt that the top two teams in each division had made it to the grand finals, and they all contributed to a fitting finale to the 2019 season.
Open
For the tenth time in fourteen seasons the Yanac Tigers and Warrack Hoops clashed to decide the premiership, and this game exceeded all expectations to raise the bar even higher than some of their epic grand final encounters in the past.
For over seventy minutes of high quality hockey neither team could gain the advantage on the scoreboard, with the Hoops marginally ahead in possession and control of the ball but were unable to breach the strong Tigers’ defence, nor could Yanac elude the Hoops defenders at the other end of the field.
When the game progressed to extra time the Hoops still looked promising, and they even put the ball into the net only to have the shot judged by the umpire to be too high from the first hit at goal from a penalty corner.
Minutes later the Tigers found their legendary penalty corner form and broke the scoring deadlock which they extended to two goals before the break in extra time, with Jamie Harding and Simon Farmers the goal scorers.
In an attempt to peg back the deficit the Hoops subbed off their goal keeper and chose to continue with eleven field players to bolster their attack. but sensing victory and a place in history, the Tigers fought hard to hold onto their lead.
When they earned another penalty corner with seconds remaining on the clock the Hoops conceded that they had run out of time and the Tigers began celebrating their seventeenth Wimmera Hockey Association premiership. Whilst the Hoops hold second place on the all-time premiership list, they remain a long way behind with just five titles.
For the second consecutive season Tigers’ captain Todd Alexander received the ‘Life Members’’ Best on Ground medal, and Harding and Jasper Croot also chosen by the umpires as Yanac best players, and for the Hoops the ever-reliable Cameron Bardell, key forward Royce Bennett and Ethan Schilling were named as their best.
Women
After playing out a thrilling game in the semi finals where the Dimboola Roos earned the direct passage to the grand final with a win in sudden death penalty strokes two weeks ago, these teams could not have gone into this game any more evenly matched.
Dimboola took the early lead with a goal to the competition’s leading goal scorer, Adina King, and they held off some strong Yanac attack to preserve this lead into the half time break. Another goal to King early in the second half doubled their advantage.
It was then either the Roos relaxing slightly as they sensed victory as the game drew to a close, or the determination of the Yanac women to play their part in their club earning a second triple title that resulted in late goals to Mikayla Farmers and Carmel Beattie of Yanac to level the scores and took the game into extra time.
As is expected from these teams, the tempo of the game increased in extra time despite the fatigue of the players in the warm conditions, but neither team could score and just as in the semi final, a penalty stroke shootout was required to decide a winner.
The first striker for each team failed to score, and in the second round a successful strike by Mikayla Farmers was not matched by the Roos and Yanac took the lead.
Both Shanaye Alexander of Yanac and Dimboola’s Elizabeth Klinge found their mark in the third round of strokes which kept Yanac ahead, but Dimboola was still in the game.
Both fourth round strokes were unsuccessful, and when Yanac’s fifth striker, Natalie Harding, scored they took an unbeatable lead to win their fourth title in six seasons.
Dimboola’s Jennifer Klinge was judged by the panel of Association officials, Life Members and senior players as the best player on the ground and was awarded the ‘Jane Gregson Memorial’ medal by Joanne Lawson of the Warracknabeal club who was also a former team mate of Jane Gregson.
The anticipated match up between two of the leading players in the Association over the last decade, Erin Alexander at centre half back for Yanac, and her opposite number Elizabeth Klinge, did not disappoint and they both were named amongst their team’s best.
Harding also played well, and Farmers followed up her Best on Ground in the Under 16 final earlier in the day to also be amongst the best for the Women’s premiers.
Joining the Klinge sisters as the Roos best players was King after her contribution of two goals.
Under 16
The Kaniva Raiders faced the most daunting task of the day when they ran onto the field for the Under 16 decider as the last team with the opportunity to conquer the undefeated Yanac Warriors this season, and the result was not entirely unexpected.
Both teams started confidently, with the Raiders having nothing to lose they took the game right up to the Warriors and after 15 minutes of play both remained scoreless, but that was when the reigning premiers first found the goals.
After another three goals before half time they appeared to be in full control of the game, but one goal to the Raiders suggested that they would push the Warriors right to the end.
As the second half progressed the three options the Warriors had off the interchange bench proved to be a bonus as the playing conditions warmed up, contrasting with the cold weather experienced in recent rounds, as the younger and smaller Raiders, who only had one on the bench, began to tire.
The result was a comfortable win to the reigning premiers, but by scoring one goal the Raiders achieved something that most other teams in the competition had not been able to accomplish during the season.
A panel of esteemed Wimmera Hockey Association personalities named Mikayla Farmers as the winner of the ‘Peter Colbert’ medal as the best player on the ground, and she had the honour of being presented this award by the Association’s first Life Member, Noreen Wheaton.
The umpires nominated Jasper Croot, Caleb Zanker and Nathan Colbert as the Warriors’ best players and Max Goodwin, Skye Braisby and Charlie White as the Raiders best.
Grand Final Results
Open
Yanac Tigers 2 (Goals – Jamie Harding, Simon Farmers; Best – Todd Alexander, Jamie Harding, Jasper Croot) defeated Warrack Hoops 0 (Best – Cameron Bardell, Royce Bennett, Ethan Schilling) – (0-0 Full Time, 2-0 Extra Time)
‘Life Members’ Best on Ground Medal – Todd Alexander (Yanac Tigers)
Women
Yanac 5 (Goals – Mikayla Farmers 2, Carmel Beattie, Shanaye Alexander, Natalie Harding; Best – Erin Alexander, Natalie Harding, Mikayla Farmers) defeated Dimboola Roos 3 (Goals – A King 2, Elizabeth Klinge; Best – Jennifer Klinge, Elizabeth Klinge, Adina King) – (2-2 Full Time, 0-0 Extra Time, 3-1 Shootout)
‘Jane Gregson Memorial’ Best on Ground Medal – Jennifer Klinge (Dimboola Roos)
Under 16
Yanac Warriors 7 (Goals – Mikayla Farmers 2, Jasper Croot 2, Caleb Zanker 2, Nathan Colbert; Best – Jasper Croot, Caleb Zanker, Nathan Colbert) defeated Kaniva Raiders 1 (Goal – Nadia White; Best – Max Goodwin, Skye Braisby, Charlie White) – Game decided at full time
‘Peter Colbert’ Best on Ground Medal – Mikayla Farmers (Yanac Warriors)
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