Livestream hockey: U13 players to watch at Victorian Country Champs

The next generation of Victoria’s regional hockey stars are showing their stuff at Essendon for the U13 championships. Here’s the updates and how to watch live

Brayden May and Michael DiFabrizio

4 min read

May 16, 2021 - 4:35PM

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Hockey at the Essendon Hockey Centre this morning. Under 13 Boys Albury Wodonga v East Gippsland. Picture by Wayne Taylor 15th May 2021

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Victoria’s finest young junior hockey players are in action this weekend at the state’s junior country championships in Melbourne.

Twelve teams (seven boys and five girls) will play in Essendon for the under-13 competition which will be played across Saturday and Sunday.

WATCH THE ACTION LIVE HERE ON SUNDAY

>> And if you miss a game, bookmark this page and check back for the replays after the tournament

Boys’ gold medal: Albury Wodonga 1 Ballarat 3

Ballarat captain Rick Barber got on the scoresheet again as Ballarat capped off a fantastic weekend to take home the gold medal.

Mitchell Stevens and Aiden Wiltsher were also on the scoresheet for Ballarat in an exciting final.

Harry Thompson scored for Albury Wodonga.

Girls’ gold medal: Glenelg 3 Albury Wodonga 0

Glenelg might not have been from the biggest region at the tournament, but they may well have had the biggest heart.

And in the final against Albury-Wodonga they were able to deliver in an exciting 3-0 win.

Grace Potter, Evie Templeton and Belle Wallis were all able to cap it off with well taken goals.

Girls third place play-off: North Central 7 East Gippsland 0

Sheena Fitzpatrick has put together a dominant display to lead North Central to a third place finish.

Fitzpatrick scored four goals as her team romped to a 7-0 win over East Gippsland.

Amali Fitzpatrick, Georgia Hogan and Ruby Ison also got on the scoresheet.

Boys: North Central 5 Sunraysia 1

A double to Forbes Kirk has led North Central to a convincing 5-1 win over Sunraysia.

Lyric Davis, Luke Boyd and Charles Barber also got on the scoresheet for the winners.

Kayd Divola scored for Sunraysia.

Girls, semi-final: Albury Wodonga 1 North Central 1

Albury Wodonga will have a chance to play for gold after its semi-final win.

Elisha Bardy got on the scoresheet for Albury-Wodonga and Madeleine Lanyon scored for North Central.

Boys: Glenelg 1 Ballarat 3

A captain’s performance from Rick Barber has helped Ballarat maintain its status as one of the team’s to beat.

Barber scored two goals alongside a strike from Gabriel Pougnault to lead his side to a crucial win.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Munro was able to get on the scoresheet for Glenelg.

Boys: Albury Wodonga 0 North Central 0

Defences have come out on top as Albury Wodonga and North Central played out an enthralling draw on Sunday morning.

Both sides had chances to win the game but the goalkeepers including North Central’s Scott Barbary were at the top of their game.

Boys: East Gippsland 0 Goulburn Valley 2

The Goulburn Valley has broken through for their first win of the tournament with a convincing 2-0 win over East Gippsland.

Aidan Hamill was the star of the show after scoring a double to lead his side to the win.

Mason Uniacke impressed in between the posts for the winners.

Girls: North Central 3 East Gippsland 0

Sheena Fitzpatrick has shown why she is going to watch going forward after a tremendous display to lead North Central to a comfortable win.

Fitzpatrick scored two goals in a fine performance in front of goal as Hannah Gould also found her way onto the scoresheet.

U13 BOYS TO WATCH

Rick Barber (Ballarat): A forward with a strong instinct for goal, Barber could cause plenty of problems for opposition defences.

Kayd Divola (Sunraysia): A player who can play at both ends, Divola is a talent on the rise out of the state’s northwest. A halfback predominantly but he can be pushed further up the field.

Mitchell Stevens (Ballarat): Stevens has the ability to limit the attacks of opposition teams on a consistent basis.

Austin Ross-Anderson (Albury-Wodonga): A talented striker who will find himself in the right positions more often than not, leading to plenty of chances for his side.

Tom Templeton (Glenelg): Described as being “very skilful” for his age by officials, Templeton looms as a must watch for years to come.

Ajay Heagney (Albury-Wodonga): Someone who will consistently push the ball forward for their side with his terrific dribbling skills.

Mason Sutton (Ballarat): A midfielder who is simply a must watch this weekend. He will bring plenty of excitement to the competition.

Daniel McKenzie (Sunraysia): A striker who will always take his chances in front of goal, McKenzie could easily walk away as the competition’s top scorer.

Phoenix Hawkins (Albury-Wodonga): Playing one of the most important positions on the pitch, the youngster loves nothing more than keeping the ball out of his own net.

Hayden Bourne (Ballarat): Alongside the previously mentioned Stevens, this young gun will be hoping to take his game to another level against quality opposition.

U13 GIRLS TO WATCH

Siabelle Anstis (Albury-Wodonga): A reliable shot stopper who will consistently get the job done for her side in the big moments.

Charlie Jarvis (Glenelg): A young member of the team but she is expected to take big steps forward against the experienced competition.

Elisa Bardy (Albury-Wodonga): Bardy is a reliable defender who can frustrate attackers for an entire game.

April Horne (Albury-Wodonga): An attacker who thrives on opportunities to score and can be a menace for defenders.

Hockey Victoria operations manager Ben Seccull said he was looking forward to an exciting weekend after the disappointment of missing out on last year’s tournament.

“This is really the only opportunity a lot of players have to compete against teams from other regions because a lot of them play locally,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing regional hockey come together again after a tough 12 months. There is plenty of excitement from right across the state.”