Jeremy Hayward and Brooke Peris lead Stingers’ Hockey One charge
Territory Stingers looking forward to what the future holds following successful Festival of Hockey.
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The second round of The Festival of Hockey saw the Territory Stingers play out two far more competitive matches in what was a huge step for pro hockey in the NT.
Despite the men suffering a 5-2 loss, and the women going down 5-0, both sides walked off the pitch with beaming smiles, relishing the opportunity to play against elite opponents.
Jeremy Hayward and Zach Rakkas got on the score sheet for the boys in blue, who took an early lead.
They were unlucky not to score more; the Blaze’s goalie making some great saves.
The final scoreline flattered the Blaze who capitalised on a controversial Hockey One rule, Field Goal Conversions.
This rule is enacted when a player scores from the field of play or from a penalty stroke. The athlete that scored is given the chance of an extra goal via a one-on-one shootout against the opposing goalkeeper.
“With the field goal, they’re (Hockey One) trying to push hockey in that direction. So while the score reads 5-2, that’s not an accurate reflection of the game,” Jeremy Hayward said.
“They’ve (Blaze) had some serious preparation and I think that the two games we played, we were very competitive and definitely showed that we can compete in the top tier of the sport.
“We all came here to prove a point and enjoy ourselves. I think we did have fun but definitely would’ve been topped off with a win.”
In the women’s game, the Stingers fought to the end, gritting out a very impressive 5-0 loss, a huge improvement from their 10-1 thrashing two days prior.
One of the Territory’s rising talent’s Macenzee Dixon said she loved the experience and was grateful to play alongside one of her heroes.
“It was amazing to get the opportunity to play at this (elite) level,” Dixon said.
“Playing with Brooke (Peris) was like a dream come true.
“She was presenting me with my state jersey as a kid and now I’m playing with her.
“I was definitely a bit star struck but it was such a brilliant experience.
“Even though we didn’t get the win I think the experience was great.”
The 16-year-old Australian futures player said she hopes this wasn’t the only time she got to pull on the Stingers jersey, hopeful she can represent her home town on the big stage.
“I would love to be able to stay in the Territory and get to represent here,” she said.
“I want to give back and help inspire other kids but if we don’t have a team, I’ll have to move away like Brooke did.”
Friday’s Recap
Despite an opening game defeat nothing could wipe the smile off Olympian Brooke Peris’ face after she got her chance to play a full game of hockey in the Territory for the first time in six years.
Peris, alongside fellow Olympian Jeremy Hayward, were among the returning stars for the Festival of Hockey matches against the Brisbane Blaze, in an effort to get the Territory back into Hockey One.
The women fought hard, but lack of exposure to the top level was evident as they lost 10-1, with Blaze’s Jade Smith scoring three goals from the encounter.
But the Stingers’ heart never faltered as the players, fresh off a long domestic campaign, fought on to the end and did get their reward in the final term through Izzy Gill.
“It was so exciting to be back home playing with NT players in an NT team which will hopefully revamp NT hockey,” she said.
“I was over the moon and enjoyed every minute, take away the scoreboard I still enjoyed playing with Territorians and having a go, that’s what it’s about.
“This is what happens when you’ve been out of the competition for five or six years, you lose that type of intensity, but the girls gave me 100 per cent and that’s all I could ask for.
“It’s emotional, I’ve been out of the loop here for about six years, I didn’t have a NT team, so I had to play with other states and it never felt the same, I always felt like an outsider.
“To be back just feels like home, as it should do because this is where it all started and I hope other Territorians get the same opportunity I did and hopefully they too can play in the national team.”
Peris said playing with Elle Richardson again was particularly emotional with the two playing together at under-13s level, while she missed playing with Elizabeth Duguid.
The 30-year-old also revealed she was looking at retiring from the professional game after the 2024 Olympics, which made this NT trip even more special.
“I get emotional about my NT team, and with Elle I went on my first ever trip with her and now I’m probably going on my last trip with her,” Peris said.
“I’m probably going to retire at the end of next year after the Olympics and that just makes this even more special and something I will never take for granted.
“After this we go straight into pre-season, it’ll be about the next nine months preparing for the Olympics, but this has been the best reset for that campaign.”
Meanwhile, Hayward was the sole goal scorer in the Stingers 3-1 defeat in the men’s match against the Blaze.
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‘Will bring us together’: Stingers to unite Top End’s hockey community
Darwin’s hockey fraternity is counting down the hours until they get to see their beloved Stingers back in action.
The SRA Territory Stingers will be put to the test this Friday and Sunday when they take on the red hot Brisbane Blaze at the Festival of Hockey.
With admittance into the Hockey One – Australia’s premier field hockey competition – the goal, local stars and international talent are eager to prove that the NT is ready.
“We want a (Hockey One) team for the next season,” 21-year-old Zach Rakkas said.
Rakkas has already played in the Hockey One, part of Adelaide Fire’s men’s side the past couple of seasons.
The Darwinite is optimistic about the opportunities having a professional side will bring.
“You can’t really get selected for any (professional) sides if you stick in the comp up here as there aren’t as many eyeballs on it and the level of competition fluctuates year to year,” he said.
“I ended up going down to Perth so I could get some experience against elite level international players, in their Premier League competition.
“As it’s (Perth) bigger, there are greater opportunities for players to be noticed.”
The aspiring Kookaburra explained that the overarching goal is to stop the bleeding of talent to other parts of the country, and that with proper avenues in place, this will be possible.
“If the young players have an opportunity to play at this (Hockey One) high level, it should help stop the talent leaving and going to bigger towns such as Perth and Brisbane,” Rakkas said.
“It will also help get more exposure to the players up here.
“And I hope that the Stingers will bring us together as a hockey community so we can help each other and get the best out of one another.”
Both the Stingers men and women will face-off against the Blaze; sides that have been together for a while.
“We have some big names that are a part of both (side’s),” he said.
“I believe they, along with the local talent, will make us very competitive and we will play some great hockey.”
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