MEN – PNC 4
DALEFIELD 8
Farriers Dalefield hit the lead in the first minute and never looked back in holding off PNC in the final round-robin game in the Intercity Championship in Palmerston North on Saturday.
Assistant coach Benedict van Woerkom said the team could not have got a better start scoring with their first possession.
“They hit off, they played it down, and we pressed out and won the ball, and we ran down and scored,” van Woerkom said.
“The ball popped out at the edge of the circle, and Hamish Finlayson on the volley just gave it a good old crack.”
Finlayson converted the shootout for a 2-0 lead.
Barnaby Anderson and Rowan Yeo added further goals, but both missed their conversions before PNC scored and converted against the run of play.
A Dane Lett drag flick from a penalty corner [PC], a Marcus Ambrose field goal [unconverted] and a Graeme Murrell penalty stroke which was converted, wrapped up Dalefield’s scoring.
Although satisfied with the result, van Woerkom believes there is still a lot to work on.
“It’s a consistency thing for us. We play well in patches, and then we do some silly things or switch off for a couple of moments and let the opposition back into the game a little bit,” he said.
“Our combinations are coming along quite nicely, but the organisation and our defence is our key focus because a lot of opposition goals are coming from our mistakes when we turn over the ball in bad places, and they counterattack.”
Dalefield play old foes Hutt United in Saturday’s semifinal, which is likely to be played in Wellington.
WOMEN – PNC 3
DALEFIELD 5
Farriers Dalefield locked in an Intercity semifinal, likely to be against Northern United, with a hard-fought win over a physical PNC in Palmerston North on Saturday.
Dalefield took control in the first quarter with goals to Rosie Rooderkirk and Felicity Reidy, who both converted their shootouts for a 4-0 lead.
PNC narrowed the lead to two with a field goal and conversion in the second quarter.
Emma Smith scored Dalefield’s third field goal in the third period but couldn’t add the extra point before PNC scored from a PC to wrap up the scoring.
Coach Mike O’Connor said it was a pretty torrid game against a physical PNC, who are the leading team in the Manawatu competition.
“After the first quarter, we were 4-0 up and feeling pretty good, but I think we took the foot off the pedal a little bit, and they came back with a goal, and we scored again, but after that it was pretty even game, and backwards and forwards, but we managed to keep our composure.”
Smith was player of the day, while Michael O’Connor, Katherine Reisima, Katie McAnulty and Reese Robertson had strong games and did a lot of work.
The game was also a momentous one for Brigitte Mossman, who brought up her century of games, and her last of the season, because she is pregnant.
