Gippsland Regional Sports Complex is hosting the 2023 East Gippsland Hockey Association Grand Finals tomorrow.
Sale and Maffra are preparing for the big dance in the women’s Grand Final.
Sale will be vying for its fourth back-to-back title when they take on Maffra.
Maffra Hockey Club will be out for blood, having lost to Sale 5-0 in last year’s Grand Final.
Sale defeated Maffra 3-2 in the women’s semi-final to secure a spot in the 2023 Grand Final.
Sale controlled the game through the midfield, scoring goals in the first, second and third quarters through Prue McNaughton and twice through Caitlin Frisina.
Maffra trailed 3-0 ahead of the fourth quarter.
League-leading goal scorer Jo Buckler and Maffra’s Peta Crawford ebbed Sale’s lead in the dying embers through set-piece play.
The game’s closing minutes intensified, with Maffra having scored goals from a penalty stroke and a short corner, but Sale retained their advantage until the final whistle sounded.
Maffra turned to their next match, their second chance to secure a Grand Final position in the preliminary final.
Maffra met a determined Swans Reach at the WORLD Hockey Field in Bairnsdale last Saturday.
Early goals from Ainsley Butcher and Buckler gave Maffra an early lead, but Swan Reach equalised before the first quarter break with goals from Ruby Podubinski and Hayley Pruscino.
Following a goalless second quarter, scores remained level as Maffra and Swan Reach entered the third quarter, looking to gain some momentum.
Swan Reach took the lead with an early quarter goal from Sarah Grixti.
Maffra regained the lead in the final quarter with goals from Butcher and Buckler.
Peta Crawford converted a penalty stroke in the closing minutes, sealing Maffra’s 5-3 women’s preliminary final win over Swan Reach.
With Maffra defeating Sale in Round 4, teams drawing in Round 9, Sale defeating Maffra in Round 14, and the semi-final, tomorrow’s local derby for the hockey flag promises to be a killer showdown.
Sale will take on minor premier Swan Reach in the under 15s Grand Final.
Swan Reach scraped a direct ticket to the Grand Final after defeating Sale 5-4 in a nail-biting under 15s semi-final.
Sale kept their finals campaign alive, defeating Nagle/Bairnsdale 6-0 in the under 15s preliminary final last Saturday.
Sale will take on Maffra in tomorrow’s EGHA under 13s Grand Final.
A Dillon Meredith goal sealed Sale’s 1-0 semi-final win over Maffra and their spot in the Grand Final.
Maffra fronted Nagle/Bairnsdale in a must-win preliminary final, with a goal from Tara Lambert keeping Maffra in the running for the premiership title.
Will the 2023 minor premier Sale overpower Maffra for the EGHA under 13s flag, or will the continuously improving underdogs Maffra upset the pacesetters?
In other games, Swan Reach will take on Orbost in the EGHA under 18s Grand Final, while Swan Reach will play Nagle/Bairnsdale in the EGHA Open Grand Final.
