Grand Finals Preview

Hockey premiers to be decided
Kaniva Hockey Club will host three Wimmera Hockey Association premiership matches this Saturday 6 September 2008 at the Kaniva Recreation Reserve, and there will be plenty of great hockey action.

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2008 Junior Grand Final at 11am
Dimboola Kangaroos versus Yanac Warriors

2008 Women's Grand Final at 1pm
Horsham Highlanders versus Dimboola Women

2008 Men's Grand Final at 3pm
Yanac Tigers versus Horsham Hurricanes
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Premiership shields will be presented at the end of each match, while medallions and other awards including best and fairest awards will be presented at the presentation dinner at the Kaniva Shire Hall on Saturday evening from 6pm.
No reigning premiership teams will be contesting the grand finals this year since Leopards, Warrack Women and Hoops all bowed out last week in the preliminary finals round. The finals will see however all three runner up teams from last year contesting, and all three are looking the dominant teams this year.
Kangaroos lost to Leopards on the big day last year but have been dominant this year, winning all of their matches this year except the one they lost to Warriors, whom they will meet this weekend.
Warriors have done well to come up from third place on the ladder to make the final. Warriors are workhorses who draw their whole team into play including their younger members. This has benefited them in the past including in their determined win in the preliminary finals last week. They will need to play well all over the field to combat a very strong Dimboola outfit.
Highlanders are looking the favourites in the women’s competition at this point. They were runners up to Warrack last year and will be looking to go one better.
Highlanders have dominated the women’s competition this season winning 16 out of 17 home and away matches. They have won three out of four of their encounters with Dimboola during the season, although Dimboola Women are the only team to have come close to them, drawing with them in one match.
Highlanders are playing great hockey from one end of the field to the other and Dimboola had no answers for that in the semis with Highlanders taking a convincing win. Will nerves get the better of either team in the big final? With Warrack Women out of the final this year it leaves a more open playing field and it may come down to the better team on the day, rather than which team has more finals experience.
Highlanders do not usually win by large margins, rather working the ball well having trained their team from the ground up, passing well and playing strong consistent hockey.
Dimboola had a close win last week sneaking through the preliminary finals after a determined performance in the deciding strokes. However it does not matter which path teams take to get into the grand final, it can sometimes depend how they play on the day. Dimboola will know that and they will also have their eye on the prize now that they are so close. If Dimboola scores first this could be an even match and a great women’s final.
Tigers have been strong all season winning with some big scores but have also had some close calls and even some losses against some of the lower placed teams. Hoops gave them a bit of a scare in the semi finals but they pulled through.
Hurricanes are the slight underdogs in this match coming up from third position on the ladder and winning their way through to the final.
Tigers have beaten Hurricanes once this season but they have drawn in their last two encounters. Tigers will need to take nothing for granted this weekend and this could be a great match.
Good luck to all teams contesting. Play hard and play fair.
- Rachel Clark