Wanting to be a Tiger inspires players of the future to step up
The Easts Gold team of young hockey go-getters is showing the next generation is rising rapidly. See what inspired them to showcase their incredible skills.
Ipswich
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Amid the excitement of playing in thrilling finals, winning isn’t everything.
Developing the next generation, enhancing family ties and good sportsmanship are just as important.
Having a team of kids beat the men is also exciting for the future.
The latest R2 preliminary final between Easts Gold and Wests had all that and much more at the Ipswich Hockey Complex.
Easts Gold advanced to Saturday’s grand final against Hancocks after coming from 1-0 down to beat Wests 3-2 on Saturday night.
However, it was the rapidly improving under-15 Tigers talent and a wonderful family connection that provided highlights in the game.
The young Easts Gold team was originally going to play in the C-Grade boys competition this season.
But when Ipswich hockey didn’t have enough teams in that division, Easts officials moved the whole side into the senior R2 ranks.
Boys suddenly had to take on men and some vastly experienced opponents at that.
The Easts Gold youngsters continued to improve throughout the season, first beating Bellbowrie 3-1 in the elimination final before advancing the latest preliminary final.
Long-serving Easts supporter Daniel Mantell was the only adult in the team, offering to work with another club stalwart in coach Kyle Sippel to mentor the players of the future.
“It’s an opportunity for me to play with these guys and what you’d think - me being 36 - that I would teach them something. But the truth is they are teaching me just as much as I’m teaching them,’’ Mantell said.
“It’s having fun every week.’’
Making Dan’s decision easier was his nephew Lachlan McDermott-Parkes wanting to play with his uncle.
Having strongly family links to Hancock Brothers, Lachlan came through the Hookin2Hockey program and started playing with Easts.
Asked why he headed in that direction, Lachlan aptly answered: “I want to be a Tiger and play with uncle Dan’’.
Mates, motivation and magic moments
In the latest game, inside left Lachlan scored the vital third goal, fittingly set up by Dan, who played a pivotal centre half role to guide the youngsters around him.
That was a special moment in the game for the 14-year-old linking with his supportive uncle.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,’’ Lachlan said of having his uncle helping him.
With the letters LMP (Lachlan McDermott-Parkes) on the back of his playing strip, Lachlan was part of a team displaying plenty of fine skills for their age.
The team also includes brothers Sam, Lachlan (twins) and captain Tom Savage, Andrew and Martin Batten and Sam and Luke Morris.
A majority of the Easts Gold juniors are preparing to represent Ipswich at the upcoming state under-15 championships.
As a positive force working with coach Sippel, Mantell said it was a massive test for the young players who stepped up to the challenge of playing regularly against men.
Improving through the final series was even more rewarding for everyone involved with Easts Gold, having just snuck into fourth spot on goal differential.
“All season, I think we’ve always had heaps of talent there but we weren’t just combining,’’ Mantell said.
“The last two weeks they have just clicked.’’
Even though his knees “play up a little bit’’, Mantell said working with under-15 kids was “awesome’’.
“Especially these kids. A lot of these are really, really good players,’’ he said.
“Kyle (Sippel) has coached them for the last few years and he does a great job so let’s keep them together and give them one more go, one more year to see what they can (before progressing up the grades).
“He’s on their level. The way he talks to the. He’s one of the boys.’’
Mantell said the added bonus for him was lining up in the same side as his nephew - something he had long savoured for many years with his brothers Chris and Adam, and their Woodford cousins Tim, Luke and Andrew.
And what about that sportsmanship?
The Wests men were also playing a vital role helping the young guns developing their hockey skills in their side.
But when Easts Gold junior Sam Morris got knocked to the ground in the second quarter, Wests adult Shane Brown quickly offered to help his rival back on his feet to continue playing.
It was such acts in the R2 development competition that will keep the teenagers keen and eager to learn even experiencing some physical contact that will make them better players in the future.
“The speed of this (R2) game is different to junior hockey,’’ Lachlan said.
“I think we are showing them something out there - the next generation is definitely good and get somewhere.’’
In the A-Grade preliminary finals on Sunday, Norths earned another shot at Hancocks beating Wests 3-2 in the men’s encounter.
The Thistles women also qualified for the grand final by surprising Wests 3-0.
The Hancocks club is celebrating an outstanding feat having teams in both A-Grade grand finals, along with J1, J2, A2 and R2.
Ipswich Hockey Association Inc
Preliminary finals
Men’s and boys September 3-5
A Grade: Norths 3 (Zac Profke 2, Riley Profke) d Wests 2 (Trent Davison, Andrew Horrocks).
Reserve Grade: At full-time, Hancocks Brothers 3 (C Banditt 2, K Douglas) drew Norths 3 (P Jordan 2, L Brown). After five minutes each way extra time and with the scored still tied, the game went into shootouts which Hancocks won 2-1.
R2 Grade: Easts Gold 3 (T Savage, L McDermott-Parkes, M Batten) d Wests 2 (D Walsh, C Ward).
A2 Grade: At full-time, Hancock Brothers 3 (P Jackwitz 2, K Tierney) drew Swifts 3 (J Murphy, Z Pascoe, J Richards). In the seventh minute of extra time, Daniel Howells scored to give Hancock Brothers the win.
J1 Grade: Hancock Brothers 9 (S Jackwitz 6, W McCormick 2, C Fox-White) d Wests 5 (H Black 3, C Simpson, S Schoenknecht).
J2 Grade: Hancock Brothers 8 (M Hogan 5, A Noga, T Laurent, A Hanly 1) d Easts Black 1 (I Welsh).
Women’s and girls results September 3-5
A Grade: Thistles 3 (Nicole Yearbury, Kaja Roberts, Marine Van der Wath) d Wests 0.
Reserve Grade: Swifts 3 (K Dixon 2, R Finn) d Hancock Brothers 2 (L Willie, C Harper).
R2 Grade: At full-time, Norths 2 (Y Leeder, B Page) drew Swifts 2 (L Shaw, L Cobbin). In the third minute of extra time, Dakota Wenzel-Stephan scored to give Norths the win.
A2 Grade: Bellbowrie 3 (L Quinn, Y Job, D Greenalsh) d Wests 0.
C Grade: Swifts 4 (S Baldwin, G Dombroski, A Wells, A Cobbin) d Thistles/Hancocks 0.
D Grade: Wests 2 (M Doyle) d Norths 0.
E Grade: Thistles 3 (E White 2, I Nissen) d Norths 2 (R Jones 2).
Grand final schedule September 10-11
Friday
A2 Grade Men: Wests v Hancock Brothers 7pm.
A2 Grade Women: Thistles v Bellbowrie 8.30pm.
Saturday
E Grade Girls: Easts v Thistles 8.30am.
J2 Grade Boys: Norths v Hancock Brothers 10am.
R2 Grade Women: Vets v Norths 10am.
D Grade Girls: Easts v Wests 11.45am.
R2 Grade Men: Hancock Brothers v Easts Gold 11.45pm.
J1 Grade Boys: Easts v Hancock Brothers 1.30pm.
Reserve Women: Norths v Swifts 1.30pm.
C Grade Girls: Northern Strikers v Swifts 3.15pm.
Reserve Men: Easts v Hancock Brothers 3.15pm.
A Grade Women: Hancock Brothers v Thistles 5pm.
A Grade Men: Hancock Brothers v Norths 6.45pm.
Men’s and boys’ fixtures September 10-11
Friday (Field, Time, Umpires, Tech Bench)
A2 Grade: Wests v Hancock Brothers, 1, 7pm, Wode, Terry/Hudson, Stuart/Eleison, Mark, Hardie, Paul/Batten, Kathy/Chandler, Rae.
Saturday: J2 Grade – Norths v Hancock Brothers, 2, 10am, Hudson, Stuart/Mole, Paige/Alchin, Pauline, Gotting, Caitlin/Follett, Mark.
R2 Grade: Hancock Brothers v Easts Gold, 1, 11.45am, Michel, Hayden/Herron, Jonathan/Brown, Shane, Hardie, Paul/Chandler, Rae/Gotting, Caitlin.
J1 Grade: Easts v Hancock Brothers, 2, 1.30pm, Hudson, Stuart/Arthur, Richard/Stenzel, Rhys, Hardie, Paul/Smith, Sandy.
Reserve Grade: Easts v Hancock Brothers, 1, 3.15pm, Kinnane, Brent/McManus, Ben/Herron, Jonathan, Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Bernie/Smith, Sandy.
A Grade: Hancock Brothers v Norths, 1, 6.45pm, Arthur, Richard/Eleison, Mark/McManus, Ben, Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Bernie/Gotting, Caitlin.
Women and girls’ fixtures September 10-11
Friday (Field, Time, Umpires, Tech Bench)
A2 Grade: Thistles v Bellbowrie, 1, 8.30pm, Petersen, Hannah/Gotting, Bernie/McPeake, Kiana-Lynne, Hardie, Paul/Chandler, Rae/Batten, Kathy.
Saturday: E Grade – Easts v Thistles, 1, 8.30am, McPeake, Kiana-Lynne/Petersen, Hannah/Meloury, Aliesha, Doyle, Tracey/Chandler, Rae.
R2 Grade: Vets v Norths, 1, 10am, Petersen, Hannah/Gotting, Bernie/Roberts, Kaja, Hardie, Paul/Chandler, Rae.
D Grade: Easts v Wests, 2, 11.45am, Meloury, Aliesha/Alchin, Pauline/Mole, Paige, Gotting, Bernie/Follett, Mark.
Reserve Grade: Norths v Swifts, 1, 1.30pm, Dobbs, Georgie/Eleison, Abby/McPeake, Kiana-Lynne, Gotting, Bernie/Haley, Leanne/Gotting, Caitlin.
C Grade: Northern Strikers v Swifts, 2, 3.15pm, McPeake, Kiana-Lynne/Roberts, Kaja/Nipperess-Sims, Christina, Walker, Jan/Haley, Leanne.
A Grade: Hancocks Brothers v Thistles, 1, 5.30pm, Nipperess-Sims, Christina/Walker, Nat/McManus, Ben, Gotting, Caitlin/Hardie, Paul/Walker, Jan.
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