Replay: Cairns Hockey grand finals, Day 2, on the Cairns Post
It’s grand final time at Cairns Hockey after a wild 2020. The Cairns Post streamed five deciders LIVE on Saturday. Relive every minute of the action here. WATCH NOW >>
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Grand final fever has hit Cairns Hockey after a wild 2020 season, and we will be there to help celebrate the historic weekend.
After Friday night’s incredibly tight battles, we streamed five deciders from Day 2 of CHA’s grand finals.
David McNeil provided commentary for the U18A Women’s and Men’s A-grade deciders.
McNeil was regional coaching director at CHA for a decade and has begun working with the Aspire to be Deadly program.
Scoll down for the full schedule, and replays of all of Saturday’s games.
REPLAY: RELIVE NIGHT 1 OF CAIRNS HOCKEY’S EPIC GRAND FINALS
Men’s A-grade: Souths v Saints
Saints have broken through for their first Cairns Hockey men’s A-grade premiership since 2015 with a 2-1 win against Souths.
A Simon Borger goal gave Saints the advantage in the men’s A-grade grand final.
Borger, who played for Hockey Club Melbourne in Hockey One, returned to Cairns after the coronavirus shutdown of sport.
While his experience helped Saints to the grand final, his first-half effort put side in command.
Saints doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half after Mitch Birt converted in heavy traffic.
Souths tried to up the tempo in the second half but couldn’t generate any clear shots at goal.
Former Kookaburra Dean Butler scored with the last touch of the game to get Souths on the board.
Full time: Saints 2 Souths 1.
Result: Saints win men’s A-grade premiership.
U18A Women: Brothers v Saints
They needed a shootout to finish the job but Brothers have turned a dominant grand final performance into a premiership.
Brothers held the ascendency halfway through the under-18A women’s grand final courtesy of a Piper Bentley goal 20 minutes into the contest.
A Liv McArthuer goal nine minutes after the break squared things up at the Cairns Hockey complex.
McArthur pounced on the ball, firing into bottom left corner of the box to lock the scores at 1-1.
Saints dominated possession, applying plenty of pressure, but they couldn’t find the matchwinner.
Neither side could break the deadlock, in regular time or golden goal extra time.
The grand final features a sister v sister contest, as Ashleigh, 15, plays for Brothers against Zara, 14, who is lining up for Saints.
Full time: Brothers 1 Saints 1.
Shootout: Saints miss, Brothers goal, Saints miss, Brothers miss, Saints miss, Brothers goal, Saints miss. Brothers 2-0.
Result: Brothers win U18A Women’s premiership.
B Grade Men: Brothers v Stingers
Brothers have edged out Stingers in a B grade men’s grand final that went down to the wire, with the winning goal coming in the last minute of golden goal extra time.
Brothers had the best of the early chances and almost found the lead in the fourth minute through an Ethan Webb strike, but Stingers keeper Sam Laskowski was up to the task.
Webb, however, would find the back of the box just minutes later, with youngster Calob Marou providing the assist, to give the Fury the early upper hand.
Stingers’ Luke Howard hit back in the 11th minute to level the scores at 1-1.
Brothers would take a 2-1 lead into the break after Antony Taylor finished off the lead-up work of teammate Mark Wearmouth in the 25th minute.
Stingers’ Gurmeet Singh didn’t miss the opportunity to level the scores for the second time of the night with a sneaky flick in front of goal after half time.
Laskowski again stood tall in the 45th minute, denying Nathan Winkel in a one-on-one situation on goal to keep his side in the contest.
Both sides fought hard in search of a late go-ahead goal but could not be separated after 60 minutes, with scores locked at 2-2 at full time.
With one minute remaining in golden goal extra time, Brothers’ veteran Alan Atkinson converted a short corner to claim a thrilling victory.
Full time: Brothers 3 Stingers 2.
Result: Brotherswin Men’s B Grade premiership.
B Grade Women: Saints v Stingers
Saints has dominated Stingers in the B grade women’s grand final from siren to siren to claim the premiership.
Saints opened the scoring about 20 minutes into the contest, a deflection from a penalty corner finding the bottom right corner of the box.
They continued to build pressure in the second half, earning several penalty corners before finally converting one on the 40-minute mark double their lead.
Stingers tried to build attacking runs but could never seem to break the rock-solid Saints defensive unit.
Saints put the result beyond doubt in the 50th minute.
Full time: Saints 3 Stingers 0.
Result: Saints win Women’s B Grade premiership.
C Grade Men’s: Saints v Brothers
Saints have triumphed in a nailbiter in the first Cairns Hockey grand final shown live on the Cairns Post on Saturday.
A shootout was required after a seesawing decider.
Brothers held a 1-0 lead at the break before Saints fought back for a 2-1 advantage midway through the second half.
Just as it seemed Saints had the title locked up Brothers struck back, a smart piece of play levelling the scores with just four minutes to play.
The 2-2 deadlock was unbroken as the final siren sounded, and neither side could break through during golden goal extra time, sending the first decider to a shootout.
Full time: Saints 2 Brothers 2.
Shootout: Saints goal, Brothers miss, Saints goal, Brothers miss, Saints goal, Brothers goal, Saints miss, Brothers miss. Saints 3-1.
Result: Saints win Men’s C grade premiership.
ORIGINAL: Just a few short months ago it appeared unlikely there would be a hockey season, but the organisation was able to develop and get a compressed campaign off the ground.
Now, after the most unique season in hockey history, the first senior grand finals will be held with the A-grade women’s clash between Souths and Saints to headline the Friday night lineup.
It also marks a historic occasion for the Cairns Post, who will make its first foray into the world of live-streaming community sport by showing seven Cairns Hockey grand finals live on our website.
We will show five grand finals today on our super Saturday of hockey action, finishing with the A-grade men’s clash between Saints and Souths.
CAIRNS HOCKEY GRAND FINAL COVERAGE
> Young Saints star driven to turn sacrifice into two premierships
> 20 rising stars to watch in the under-18s grand finals
> Seivers sisters go head-to-head in U18s decider
> Coffey primed to lead side to drought-breaking title triumph
> Saints eager to erase 2018 grand final heartache
> Brothers’ long-term gains after success in juniors
It’s a new service we’re proud to be involved with, particularly with some of our readers unable to move as freely in the community as they want to.
And our hockey partners are loving it too.
Cairns Hockey general manager of operations Kym McPhee-Smith, said they’re simply relieved to have a season up and running.
“We are so lucky to have got our season up and running, and here we are at the finals. It has been a very tough time and I truly feel for our Victorian hockey friends,” she said.
She praised the Cairns Post for its livestream initiative.
“Being able to livestream our games will be awesome for anyone who is not able to make it down to CHA in person,” she said.
She expected friends and family of players to watch from around the country, and even offshore.
Readers will need a Cairns Post subscription to view the games.
Any sports wanting to discuss their livestream potential should email: Bryce.johns@news.com.au
SATURDAY
2pm: C Grade Men Grand Final
Saints v Brothers
3.30pm: B Grade Women Grand Final
Saints v Stingers
5pm: B Grade Men Grand Final
Trinity Stingers v Brothers
6.30pm: U18A Women Grand Final
Brothers v Saints
8pm: A Grade Men Grand Final
Saints v Souths
Originally published as Replay: Cairns Hockey grand finals, Day 2, on the Cairns Post