A David and Goliath battle and a clash of powerhouses headlines the 2020 Hockey WA Premier Division 1 Grand Finals

(Hale's Maddona Blyth, left, and Victoria Park's Rachel Frusher, right, will go head to head to claim their club's first Women's Premier Division Grand Final win)

Western Australia’s best male and female Hockey stars will battle for silverware and Hockey WA’s greatest prize of being crowned the Premier Division 1 champions this Saturday, 17^th October at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University.

The Women’s Grand Final will see the team to beat all season long, Victoria Park Xavier Hockey Club, and the underdogs Hale Hockey Club, fighting for their first Hockey WA Women’s Premier Division wins in each respective club’s history.

Australia’s most capped Hockeyroo of all time, Hale’s Madonna Blyth, said WA Hockey’s 2020 Grand Final Day will be one to remember.

“Six great grand finals, for just a gold coin donation for entry, mean there’s a whole lot of entertainment for all the family across one great day on Saturday,” Blyth said.

“Grand Final day at Perth Hockey Stadium is such a great spectacle, people come and sit on the hill and watch both the men’s and women’s games; it’s such a great day and to be out in the middle of it, rather than watching from the side is a bonus.”

Commenting on the pressures of being the team to beat for the season, last year’s Charlesworth Medallist and Victoria Park captain Rachel Frusher said, “Finals is a different game, you need to give everything you’ve got and that’s all that matters to us.”

Hale will be looking to make a statement, with the pain of a narrow 1-0 loss to Westside Wolves in last year’s Grand Final sparking a desire to claim the ultimate redemption this season, against a side that in the eyes of many already have one hand on the trophy.

In the Men’s, a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash is pencilled in, with UWA Hockey Club to face undefeated Reds Hockey Club after a strong 6-2 preliminary final win over Victoria Park Xavier Hockey Club.

Speaking on Reds fortunes of having a wealth of Kookaburra players, captain Daniel Robertson said, “It’s been really great for the group to have players like Aran Zalewski, Blake Govers and Jeremy Hayward; there’s any number of wisdom that they can pass on to the guys, which you don’t see on the pitch, they’re exceptional leaders.”

The two sides have been the in-form teams of the Men’s competition, with UWA looking the most likely suitor to challenge Reds for the bragging rights this season, making this match a star-studded must-watch.

Speaking on their red hot form coming off a 6-2 win over Victoria Park, UWA captain Daniel Timms said, “We’re not getting too ahead of ourselves, we know Reds are going to be a tough game regardless of if the week off for them plays a factor.”

The Hockey WA Grand Finals take place at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University, Saturday the 17^th of October.

Gates open and the carnival atmosphere begins at 11:00am with games starting at 12:00pm, with a gold coin donation upon entry.

The Women’s Premier Division Grand Final between Victoria Park Xavier Hockey Club and Hale Hockey Club begins at 4:00pm, with the Men’s Premier Division Grand Final between Reds Hockey Club and UWA Hockey Club beginning at 5:45pm.

Live streams of the matches are available through the links below:

Victoria Park Xavier Hockey Club and Hale Hockey Club - 4pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7YFoOtjB_A&ab_channel=HockeyWA

Reds Hockey Club and UWA Hockey Club beginning at 5:45pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J48taVuW_us&ab_channel=HockeyWA

Grand Final Day Fixtures at Perth Hockey Stadium:

Premier Division 3 Women

Reds 2 v YMCC 2 - 1:30pm

Premier Division 3 Men

Rockingham v WASPS 2 - 3:15pm

Premier Division 2 Women

UWA 2 v Reds - 12:00pm

Premier Division 2 Men

Hale 2 v Vic Park 2 - 1:45pm

Premier Division 1 Women

Vic Park v Hale - 4:00pm

Premier Division 1 Men

Reds v UWA - 5:45pm