Hockey One Round 6: Melbourne Host the Pride in a Top-of-the-Table Double-Header
Round 6 is the one the Hockey One season has been building towards. First against second, in both competitions, in Melbourne, on Friday night.
HC Melbourne host NSW Pride at the State Netball and Hockey Centre. The women play at 12:30pm PKT, the men at 2:15pm PKT. In the men’s league it’s first against second: Melbourne are perfect, five wins from five, 33 goals scored, and already through to the semifinals. NSW are second on 11 points. In the women’s league it’s second against third: Melbourne on 12 points, NSW on nine.
The men’s game is the big one. Nathan Ephraums has 13 goals for the season, and nobody else is close. Melbourne beat the Tassie Tigers 5-1 last Friday, with Ephraums scoring twice. NSW drew 3-3 with Canberra Chill on Saturday and won the shootout 3-1, which is how they sit second. A Melbourne win here, and the race for first is over with a round to spare. A Pride win, and suddenly the last round matters a lot more.
Saturday takes the league to Hobart and Perth. The Tassie Tigers host the Melbourne Cobras in Hobart, men at 7:00am PKT, women at 8:45am PKT. Tassie’s men are on nine points, tied with Perth in fourth and fifth, and they need a win to stay in the finals race. The Cobras’ men are on three points and running out of road. Then Perth Thundersticks host Adelaide Fire at home, men at 12:30pm PKT, women at 2:15pm PKT. Perth’s women are already through, five from five, and Adelaide are already out in both competitions. The pressure is all on the sides chasing the last finals places, not the ones who’ve already booked theirs.
Sunday rounds it off in Brisbane, where the Blaze host Canberra Chill, women at 9:00am PKT, men at 10:45am PKT. Canberra’s men are third on ten points, and a win keeps them right in the hunt for a home semifinal. Brisbane’s men are on three points and need something close to a miracle.
Two rounds left after this one. Perth’s women and Melbourne’s men are through. Adelaide are gone in both. Everything else is still live, and Friday night in Melbourne is where it starts to get decided.
For our money, the men’s game is the one to watch. Melbourne have been the best side in the country all season, and the Pride are the only team left who can catch them. If NSW win in Melbourne, the last round becomes a shootout. If they don’t, the finals picture is nearly set with a week to spare.
