Hockey One Saturday: Pride v Thundersticks, Blaze v Fire, Then the First Melbourne Derby
Friday night opened Round 3 in Hobart, with the Tassie Tigers and Canberra Chill meeting as the league’s two unbeaten men’s sides. Saturday keeps the round moving with two more double-headers, and Sunday serves up the fixture everyone circled: the first Melbourne derby.
NSW Pride host the Perth Thundersticks at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday, men at 1:00 pm AEDT and women at 2:45 pm. The Thundersticks’ women sit top of the ladder, so the Pride have the toughest assignment of the weekend. Then Brisbane Blaze v Adelaide Fire at the Queensland State Hockey Centre, 4:00 pm AEST for the men and 5:45 pm for the women. That’s winless against winless in the men’s competition. Somebody’s season gets going, somebody’s doesn’t.
Sunday is the big one. Melbourne Cobras v HC Melbourne at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, women at 3:30 pm and men at 5:15 pm AEDT. The first derby between the league’s two Melbourne franchises, and HC Melbourne’s men are sitting third. The Cobras won’t want to lose that one in their own city.
The state of play
After Round 2, the men’s ladder has the Tigers and the Chill equal first, both 2-0 with 13 scored and 3 conceded. HC Melbourne are third, then NSW Pride, Melbourne Cobras, Brisbane Blaze, Perth Thundersticks and Adelaide Fire. In the women’s, the Thundersticks lead, followed by the Cobras, the Chill, the Pride, the Tigers, HC Melbourne, the Blaze and the Fire.
Two names to watch. Blake Govers takes the field as the league’s outright all-time men’s top scorer on 44, and Joel Rintala is back for his first game of the season, one behind him on 43. A scoring race inside a derby weekend is exactly what this league wants.
All matches stream free on 7plus in Australia.
Related: Hockey One Round 3 in Hobart, Hockey One Round 3 team lists, Highlights.
