Hockey One 2023: Kate Allman’s likes and dislikes from Round 3

It was a crazy weekend of Hockey One action with a new record set for total goals scored in a match and a host of games going down to penalty shootouts.

Kookaburras star Blake Govers had a great week in Hockey One.

NSW Pride men set a new record for goals scored in a Hockey One match, Brooke Peris returns to play, and three games go down to penalty shootouts.

It was a massive weekend of Hockey One action.

Kate Allman reveals her likes and dislikes for round three.

LIKES

GOVERS’ BIG IMPACT

The NSW Pride men already hold premiership trophies from Hockey One seasons one and two. This year’s addition of Kookaburras drag-flicking weapon Blake Govers makes the threepeat ominously possible.

Govers wasted no time smashing a rebound to collect a goal in the first quarter against HC Melbourne on Sunday. He duly sunk the conversion and clunked two more in the second half, firing with the familiar power of his acclaimed drag flick.

An unfortunate head collision with his Kookaburra teammate Flynn Ogilvie kept Govers off the field for the final quarter on precautionary measures but by then the damage was done. Even 30-degree heat at Sydney Olympic Park could not stymie the gold wave of counter-attacks in their 11-2 victory, a new record for the highest goal tally in Hockey One.

Govers’ ability to generate outcomes lifts energy for both NSW and Australia heading into an Olympic campaign, as chaos in the circle leads to penalty corners with far higher conversion rates than opponents.

NSW Pride have been boosted by Blake Govers. Picture: WorldSportPics/Frank Uijlenbroek

SHOOTOUT STUNNER

Hockey One’s must-win format lived up to its billed excitement on Saturday night, with a thrilling double shootout in Adelaide.

Tied matches must go to a shootout, even during the regular season. The situation hadn’t yet occurred but came up three times in round three – twice on Saturday night as the Adelaide Fire battled the Canberra Chill at home, and once more in the NSW Pride women’s match against Melbourne.

The Canberra Chill women clung on to a 2-2 score despite Adelaide peppering new goalkeeper Sarah Steinhart with five penalty corners in a row after the full-time whistle. Steinhart held the door open on debut for the Chill, while former Hockeyroos Kalindi Commerford and Naomi Evans put away confident one-on-ones in the shootout win.

Indian men’s international Rupinder Pal Singh found the scoreboard for the first time this season. He buried two drag flicks in regular time and put Canberra’s final one-on-one away in the men’s victory.

DEFEND THE ISLAND

It may be the cry of Tasmanian basketball team the JackJumpers, but goalkeepers of Hockey One’s Tassie Tigers co-opted the same message in their unwielding defence.

Player of the match Max Larkin refuted a barrage of shots from the Perth Thundersticks on Friday night. The 20-year-old blocked 10 penalty corner attempts in a row to keep the Tigers’ men in the hunt, eventually scalping a 2-1 win from the visitors.

In the women’s net, Tassie is spoilt for choice with under-21 Jillaroos keeper Evie Dalton trading places with Cami Vaughan each week for pitch time. This week, Dalton held the Perth women off to keep her team to a 4-1 loss, in a match that could easily have snowballed. Dalton is narrowly the team’s first choice, however, if Vaughan’s good form continues it feels only a matter of time before other clubs come knocking.

BROOKE’S BACK

Peris is an iconic name in Australian hockey, and the highly anticipated season debut of dual Olympian Brooke Peris was a highlight of round three.

She made immediate impact on Adelaide’s firepower – flashing the speed and silky skills that have kept her in the Hockeyroos’ midfield for the past decade. Her one-touch zinger to the top of the net, with no set-up trap, was one of the goals of the round.

After missing Hockey One plus the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2022 due to injury, Peris’ form looks sharper than ever heading into Paris.

DISLIKES

STICKY SCHEDULING

Round three’s headline clash between historically strong women’s clubs NSW Pride and HC Melbourne became a sweaty grind at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday.

Player fitness had nowhere to hide under 30-degree sunshine, with a pushback time of 1.30pm. The Pride’s usual counter-attacking style got bogged down as missed traps on penalty corners, slow passes and poor ball control dismantled their initial dominance.

With the game tied up 1-1 at the final whistle, former Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch forced NSW errors to snatch the 3-4 shootout win for HC Melbourne.

PENALTIES STING PERTH

Ten penalty corner attempts in a row couldn’t push the Perth Thundersticks men beyond a one-score game in Hobart on Friday.

The Thundersticks managed to convert a single set piece – their first – in the entire match. Yet they continued to pepper the keeper with tediously direct drag flicks.

For all their firepower, the Thundersticks are not gelling as they should in the scoring circle. Fans are desperate for bolts of creativity that saw them reach the grand final last year.

Originally published as Hockey One 2023: Kate Allman’s likes and dislikes from Round 3