Four South Coast teens continued their incredible streak by winning a sixth successive state indoor title on Sunday in Goulburn.
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Lexie Palin, Brooke Welsh, Helena Tobbe and Ella Gibson guided Illawarra South Coast to victory at the Hockey NSW Under-18 Girls Indoor State Championships.
Palin, Welsh, Tobbe and Gibson's dominance at the tournament dates back to their under-13s days in 2014. They were then part of the victorious under-15s side in 2015 and 2016, and part of the winning under-18s outfit over the past three years.
However, the good friends came within 60 seconds of being denied a shot at their sixth title in 2019. The team was heading to Goulburn on Friday, but a bushfire near Marulan meant the Hume Highway was blocked off for several hours.
"We only had three girls and a goalkeeper there initially. If you forfeit one game, you finish last in your pool," team manager Karina Welsh said.
"It was only through some creative driving by the parents that we ended up getting our team there with one minute to spare."
Despite the less than ideal preparation, Illawarra South Coast - coached by Kyah Gray - wasted no time stamping its authority on the field. The side opened its account with a 7-1 win over Northern Sydney Beaches and an 8-0 victory against Sydney.
The good form continued on Saturday with the side sealing 8-2 and 3-0 wins over North West Sydney and Orange respectively.
They then thrashed Goulburn 6-0 in Sunday's semi-final before defeating Metro South West 2-1 in the final.
Welsh said the key to Illawarra South Coast's success was having an unselfish, team orientated attitude.
"Most of the girls have been there for the six years, but Lexie, Brooke, Helena and Ella have been the only ones to go all the way through," she said. "A number of the players have been in the state team, indoor and outdoor. They're lethal in attack and extremely solid in defence."
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