Illawarra South Coast claim NSW Under 15 Boys Hockey Championships

The boys won their four pool games before defeating Grafton 2-0 in the semi-final to set up a final showdown with Tamworth. 

Like Illawarra, Tamworth had also progressed to the final unbeaten, using their size and skill advantage to dispatch their rivals. 

The match lived up to expectations, with the two sides unable to be separated at the end of regulation. From there the sides went to penalty strokes to determine a winner and it was the Illawarra boys who held their nerve, prevailing 4-2. 

“It was a great result for the boys,” Coach David Johnston said. “Tamworth were the top of their pool and were undefeated, and we were the top of ours, so the final was a very high quality game. 

“They scored with about 30 seconds to go in the first half, and then Sam Wright-Smith scored for us in the second. We had more chances in the second half, just couldn’t put them away. But they kept their wits about them in the penalty shootout to get the win.

“It’s very hard to win a state championships, especially against big country areas like Tamworth and Grafton, so it was a great achievement.”

While the Illawarra attack was on song for most of the weekend, Johnston said it was the team’s effort in defence that laid the foundation for the victory. 

“We played right to the end in every match we played, which was great, but the most pleasing aspect for me was our defence. We conceded one goal in the first game and one in the final. 

“Dylan Simmons, our goalie, was exceptional. To keep a clean sheet in four games is hard to do. He’s someone who reads the game very well, he has great reflexes and is able to react to balls coming in very quickly.” 

Five boys, Michael Arthur, Ethan Bambridge, Thomas Duncan, Luke Potter and Simmons, were selected in the 2019 NSW State Squad, while Scott Crissafi and Sam Wright-Smith were picked in the Athlete Acceleration Program.​