Biggest news and talking points from round 5 of the Hockey One series

A longstanding drought is set to be broken while another emerging star has put his case forward for a spot on Australia’s national team. Biggest news and talking points from round 5 of the Hockey One series here.

Tassie Tigers women's Hockey One coach Susan Brooks talks to her players. Picture: Supplied by Hockey Aus.

A longstanding drought is set to be broken while another emerging star has put his case forward for a spot on Australia’s national team.

Round 5 of the Hockey One series has ended with some having their finals hopes on life support while others continue to win against the odds.

Discover the biggest news and takings points here.

CANBERRA CHILL

Canberra Chill men’s coach Seyi Onitiri says goalscoring phenomenon Ben Staines has flown under the radar in this year’s Hockey One series and should seriously be considered by the incoming Australian Kookaburras coach.

Staines added to an already strong Hockey One campaign by scoring four goals in Canberra’s 8-7 win over the Tassie Tigers in a thriller on Saturday at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre in round 5 of the competition.

Canberra Chill men's Hockey One player Ben Staines. Picture: Supplied by Hockey Aus.

“He has been playing really well for us and flown under the radar a bit,” Onitiri said.

“He does a lot of work both defensively and in attack. He isn’t an individual player and does so much for us so it was good to see him get the reward with four goals and have an impact on the scoreboard.

Hockey Australia is yet to announce who the next national coach is following the exit of Colin Batch and Onitiri said 25-year-old Staines, an attacking midfielder who can also play striker, should be right in contention for a position in the Kookaburras team.

“He made his national team debut last year and is someone who would be pushing for a Kookaburras spot,” Onitiri said.

Canberra were 4-1 down at halftime but scored two and five goals in the third and fourth quarters respectively to produce a huge comeback win.

Canberra Chill men's Hockey One player Ben Staines. Picture: Supplied by Hockey Aus.

The victory was only sealed in the final moments. With 36 seconds left the Chill were trailing 7-6 when Aiden Dooley scored and then converted in one of the most thrilling ends to any game this season.

“He converted calmly which was good to see because it is something he has been working on and hasn’t been something that has come comfortably to him in the past,” Onitiri said.

The Chill remain undefeated after four games and remain in the box seat at the top of the table with two rounds remaining.

The state’s women’s team remains in a fight to make finals after a 3-2 loss to Tassie.

Canberra are fifth on the ladder with one win and three losses, three points behind NSW Pride.

Canberra Chill men's Hockey One coach Seyi Onitiri. Picture: Supplied by Hockey Aus.

NSW PRIDE

NSW Pride coach Roel Van Maasteugt will warn his players of the damage of ill-discipline as they fight to break into the finals in a season that is currently on life support.

The Pride lost 3-1 to the Perth Thundersticks on Friday at the Macarthur Regional Hockey Complex, slumping to a 1-3 win-loss record and needing two wins and results to go their way in the final two rounds.

NSW have shown promise throughout the 2024 Hockey One season but the Pride have put themselves under pressure with a stack of cards handed out each game.

The two yellow and one green cards given to NSW players Daine Richards, Luke Noblett, and Ky Willott against Perth meant the side played what would have been nearly an entire 15 minute quarter with a man down.

Across the season NSW have been given six yellow and five green cards, resulting in 40 minutes of play with a man on the sidelines.

“We are getting too many cards,” Van Maasteugt said.

“We talked about it in the pre-game meeting about not giving the umpires an opportunity to give us a card and we still did it.

“There will be another sit down and a reminder but it’s nothing new. It’s hard to stay in games when you are a player down.”

The job doesn’t get any easier for Van Maasteugt who will come up against Adelaide, a team he coached in 2023 and who current NSW co-coach Kieran Govers played for, this Saturday in South Australia.

NSW Pride men's Hockey One player Dylan Martin. Picture: HKM MEDIA

NSW’s women’s team still has its destiny in its own hands after a 3-1 loss to Perth, bravely fighting on in recent weeks while trying to fill the void left by striker Alice Arnott.

Arnott, an Australian representative for the Hockeyroos at the Paris Olympics, has missed the last two games due to a stress fracture in her shin and a calf problem that will keep her sidelined for the rest of the season.

Grace Stewart and Arnott usually rotate in the forward role when they are available.

“(Losing Arnott) has been a massive loss,” NSW women’s coach Scott Barker said while declaring how proud he was of his side’s performance as the Pride created numerous opportunities and put Perth under enormous pressure.

“Emma (Scriven) is playing a lot of striker now but it has put our rotations out a bit. We try to manage Grace and her load because she has to fly in and out of Perth each week but she has had to play a lot more minutes.”

TASSIE TIGERS

One of Australia’s longest standing sporting droughts is on the cusp of ending with the Tassie Tigers women’s team all but cementing their place in the Hockey One series finals.

Tassie beat Canberra 3-2 at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre on Saturday in round 5 of the series to secure a third straight win and retain its second-place position on the ladder.

The Tigers have a bye this coming week before playing Hockey Club Melbourne in the final round.

“I’m pretty happy that we have got three wins in a row and we haven’t made the top four for finals in a very long time,” Tigers women’s coach Susan Brooks said after coming off a 2032 season where the club didn’t record any points.

Tassie Tigers women's Hockey One coach Susan Brooks talks to her players. Picture: Supplied by Hockey Aus.

“It probably goes back 60 or 70 years across the different iterations of the national league.

“It’s fantastic. Everyone really did give 100 per cent (against Canberra). They put their bodies on the line.”

Ruby Harris scored a double to put Tassie in the box seat for the finals.

“She played really well and has put in some great performances this season,” Brooks said.

“She has a bright future and is already in the national development squad.”

Tassie’s men’s team is third on the ladder following a 8-7 loss to Canberra where the Chill scored with just 36 seconds left to win the game.

BRISBANE BLAZE

A Brisbane Blaze women’s team bolstered by the successful return of Steph Kershaw will look to gain a psychological edge of Perth when the two powerhouses clash in what shapes as a Hockey One grand final preview.

The Blaze hold third on the ladder following a 4-1 win over Hockey Club Melbourne on Sunday at the Queensland State Hockey Centre and have a game in hand over the second-placed Tassie Tigers.

It has set up a round 6 thriller this week with Brisbane set to play the undefeated Perth Thundersticks in Western Australia in what will likely be the only time they meet before a potential grand final showdown.

“Psychologically it would be good to get the win,” Blaze women’s coach Nikki Taylor said of the impending clash.

“It will be a cracker of a game I imagine and it will be a bit of cat and mouse.”

Kershaw’s return against Melbourne couldn’t have been more timely given what is to come for Brisbane.

It was the Olympian’s first game this season after spending the early stages conducting practical work while studying teaching before spending some time out with a knee injury.

The midfielder showed all the class that has made her one of the Hockeyroos best, stunning Melbourne with her pace, attracting multiple defenders before either beating them or setting up a player in space while also scoring a goal herself.

“Having Steph back was great for us. She eliminates the defence, runs great angles and sets our strikers up with her speed on the ball,” Taylor said.

“I thought it was a tough game for us, physically and mentally given Melbourne put everything into it because they essentially had to win to keep their season on the line.

“I thought we had some of our best patches of hockey that we have played this season.

“Our ball movement was good and we had to dig deep in defence too with some crucial tackles that stopped Melbourne having one-on-one chances against the keeper.”

The Blaze men’s team drew 4-4 with Hockey Club Melbourne before winning 2-1 in the shootout thanks to goals to Corey Weyer and Jayden Atkinson.