Illawarra hockey players featured prominently in the Sydney Hockey Association grand final at Homebush where Sutherland beat Moorebank Liverpool 3-2 in a close contest recently.
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Illawarra players have been playing in the Sydney competition for a number of years now, being a stronger competition and a platform for the local regional players to gain more national selection.
The Sydney hockey grand final became another local derby for rival Illawarra clubs Albion Park and University whose players were again pitted against each other.
Sutherland had Park players in former Kookaburra Kieran Govers, captain Jack Hayes, Brady Anderson, Christian Halyard and goalkeeper Nathan Ackroyd.
The Liverpool team had University players in current Kookaburra Tristan White, Heath Ogilvie, Nick Jennings, Ryan Proctor and former Students Kurt Ogilvie and Simon Beaton who have now chosen to play in the Sydney league due to family commitments.
The game started at a cracking pace when Kieran Govers put Sutherland ahead in the 15th minute when he scored from a penalty corner.
Moorebank equalled the scores 10 minutes later when Nathan Stewart replied with a penalty corner but Sutherland took the score to 2-1 at the break when Matty Bennett scored.
In the second half, the Liverpool team came back to level the scores through Stewart before Bennett sealed the game with his second goal for a final 3-2 scoreline.
Jack Hayes said the game was a see-saw battle with not many opportunities due to great scrambling defences of both teams.
Moorebank's Illawarra player Tristan White said it was a shattering loss for his team, having won it last year.
“We were in a good position early in the second half and had chances to seal the game, which we didn't capitalise on,” White said.
“Sutherland then fought back well and took the win in the end.
“If you want to win big games you need to take and execute in the key moments,” White said.
The tide turned this year with University losing their Illawarra hockey title and Moorebank losing their Sydney title. Kieran Govers was the hero of Albion Park when he scored five goals in the club's 7-1 grand final win over Wests.
White was last week named the Sydney hockey player of the year for the second year running, winning the Brian Booth medal at the Sydney hockey Association awards.
White together with Govers and Hayes travel with the NSW Blues team to Perth for the Australian national league that starts this Thursday.
