Cairns Hockey: Borger steps up as Saints defeat Souths in grand final
There is a new Cairns Hockey champion in town. Saints Hockey Club has claimed its first A-grade men’s premiership in five years, defeating perennial rivals Souths 2-1 in a gripping grand final.
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There is a new Cairns Hockey champion in town.
Saints Hockey Club has claimed its first A-grade men’s premiership in five years, defeating perennial rivals Souths 2-1 in a gripping grand final on Saturday night.
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Saints were first to score when Simon Borger found the back of the box from a set play off a short corner in the 10th minute.
Both sides missed opportunities late in the half, with Saints keeper Damian Agius stopping a shot by Souths’ Ashton Schenk to see his side take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Mitch Birt extended Saints lead five minutes into the second half when he converted a short corner with a powerful strike in heavy traffic.Souths tried hard to mount an attack and a late comeback but found it hard to get out of their own half as Saints held the dominant field position and the momentum for much of the game.
The back-to-back premiers battled gamely until the final hooter and managed to get on the board through former Kookaburra Dean Butler on the last play of the game, but it was all in vain as Saints claimed a 2-1 victory and the Dan Carroll Shield.
Aden Conlan, Daniel Pittendreigh, Birt and Borger were among Saints’ best, while Joel Darbyshire, Glen Geraghty and skipper Liam Whipp were strong for Souths.
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Saints co-captain Cameron Anderson said he was feeling “bloody amazing” after the drought-breaking win.
“It’s been a pretty tough season with the hiccups at the start but coming away with the chocolates at the end feels pretty good,” said Anderson, who shares the captaincy duties with Ryan Coffey.
“It was good to hold them to 2-0 for most of the second half, we just had to ground it out until the end.”
Borger, who played for Hockey Club Melbourne in Hockey One before returning to Cairns this season, said he was “ecstatic” to get his side on the board early.
“I haven’t been playing my best over the season but I knew I couldn’t leave anything out there so I needed to step up and show my A game,” he said.
“It was a cat’s whisker away but I’m just stoked it went in.”
He said the team put in a performance they could be proud of.
“Everyone was super keen to get on the paddock and have a run around but, more importantly, to do it for each other,” he said.
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“That was the most important thing — we do it for each other out there.”
While it wasn’t the result they wanted, Souths coach Carl Whipp said every his players could hold their heads high.
“They gave everything they had for 60 minutes tonight, especially the young brigade,” he said.
“Connor Gordon, Tom Fincham — they’re the older of that next brigade and they both had blinders.
“Hayden Lane, Liam Dennis, Conor Puri — they were all awesome tonight.
“We had a couple guys go down injured so all those young fellas played big minutes and they all stepped up. They were incredible for us tonight.”
Originally published as Cairns Hockey: Borger steps up as Saints defeat Souths in grand final