Moss Vale had a 3-0 win against Mittagong Hockey Club at Welby Oval on Saturday, September 22.

Mittagong players let grand final nerves get the better of them at the beginning of the game.

The nerves subsided, however the “damage was done early”, according to Mittagong women’s first grade coach Mark Stafford.

Moss Vale’s Allys Murray and Alana Smith controlled the play, and gave the side a strong start.

Moss Vale continued to dominate the game until the end.

Moss Vale captain Allys Murray said she was proud of her team’s focus throughout the game.

“We went into it with our game and didn’t worry about what they were doing. We just played our game and it paid off,” she said.

Murray said Moss Vale players Hayley Tickner, Alana Smith, Brooke Thompson and Lucy Nash played well and stood out on the field.

Moss Vale has gone from strength to strength, as the team claimed the minor premiership with only one loss this season.

Murray said the team maintained a consistent performance from the beginning of the season until the end.

“It was consistent. I’m super proud of everyone,” she said. “We were all nervous, and we wanted this so much.”

Stafford gave credit to Moss Vale for their strong performance during the grand final game.

“All credit to Moss Vale, they played better than us,” he said.

“They took their chances and created them too, where we lacked that ability to create opportunities.

“They were the best team all year.” Stafford said despite the loss, the game was a valuable learning opportunity for the young Mittagong side.

“It would’ve been nice to knock them over, but that was always going to be a big ask,” he said.

“You can’t put an old head on young shoulders. They’re a bit young and a bit inexperienced. They can only learn something from this. They’ll be better for the run next year.”