After some dominant victories early in the State Championships, the Highlands open men’s team fell just short of claiming a spot in the decider.
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The team was in the division two competition and won all its pool matches to finish at the top of the pool.
On the way to the semis, the team defeated Tamworth two 8-0, Nwpean two 7-1 and in a second match 7-1 and also beat Newcastle two 3-2.
They faced the Nepean one side in the semi-final but lost 5-2, a result coach Ben Wright said was disappointing.
With different rules at the state championships in Moorebank this year, when teams scored a field goal they then had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper to make it a two point goal.
In the semi-final against Nepean, Wright said they failed to take their chances to convert field goals into two points.
While they were down 5-0 at one stage, they fought back to give themselves a chance at winning the match.
“To come back the way we did was pretty good. We just started off a bit slow and gave them a head start,” Wright said. “That’s just the way of hockey, If you don’t turn up you can get knocked out pretty easily.”
Wright said Max Hanrahan was the side’s leading goalscorer, with Blake Hill and Nelson Worner also chipping in with a few goals each.
Andrew Pinkerton was named player’s player while Wright said Hanrahan, Owen Chivers and Mark Bisby also played well for the team over the weekend.
“Everyone played well and there were a few new faces coming through. There’s a lot to look forward to in the future.”
