Hale & Suburban Lions reach the top of the Premier League mountain

Hale Hockey Club and Suburban Lions Hockey Club have reached the pinnacle of WA hockey, emerging as the big winners following an epic 2023 Hockey WA Premier League Grand Final Day, presented by Brightside Live.

In the midst of fierce contests with plenty of thrills and spills, hundreds flocked to the Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University on Saturday 16 September to celebrate the climax of the 2023 Premier League season.

An undisputed best on ground performance by six-time Eric Pearce Top Goal Scorer Liam Flynn has helped Hale break its 13-year Premier Division 1 Men's premiership drought in their third clean-sheet victory in as many weeks, defeating Melville City 5-0.

Hale were off to a flyer during the first half with Flynn scoring a hat-trick with a field goal late in the opening term, followed by a penalty corner conversion and a further field goal in the second period to lead 3-0 by the main break.

As Melville looked to fight back, they found themselves dismantled by Hale's defence, while Flynn continued to run riot and score his fourth and fifth goals to bookend the third term and lead 5-0.

Although Melville fought valiantly in trying to salvage their efforts, it was too little too late as Hale held on to claim victory for the first time since 2010.
Following the match, Flynn said it felt "surreal" to be part of Hale's second Premier Division 1 Men's team.

"We definitely didn't expect it to turn out the way it did," he said.

"I think that just comes down to hard work and it being another clean sheet makes it really hard to be beaten.

"It's huge, especially for the guys who tasted defeat in 2019.

"It's going to be a really sweet evening."

A hard fought contest that did not see any goals scored until the shootout resulted in the Suburban Lions clinching their maiden Premier Division 1 Women's premiership, defeating UWA 7-6.

In the midst of strong defence and fierce attacking from both teams, neither side gave each other any leeway for the entire 60 minutes, forcing the match into extra time.

Even after 10 minutes of extra time, neither UWA nor the Lions let up, forcing the contest into sudden-death shootouts.

Both sides matched each other shot for shot with the Lions racking up goals via Amy Lawton, Agueda Moroni and Georgina Dowd, while UWA made goals via Prada Herron, Lexie Pickering and Saysha Pillay.

After an impressive reverse shot by Dowd put the Lions in front by a single goal, goalkeeper Caitlin Cooper held off UWA's Jessie Reid in the nick of time to help the Lions clinch their first premiership.

Following the match, Lawton said being part of the Suburban Lions' first Division 1 Women's premiership was "absolutely huge".

"We've been building toward this over the last few years and there's so many girls that have been there from the start," she said.

"Now to get this premiership is absolutely huge and I'm just lucky to have been there for part of that journey."

Reid was named best on ground for her efforts for UWA.

Two first-quarter goals got the Victoria Park Xavier Panthers off to the best start, going on to hold off Melville City 3-1 to claim the Premier Division 2 Women's premiership, while Hale have pulled off the perfect season run, defeating UWA 2-1 to remain undefeated in 2023 and claim the Men's premiership.

Melville City endured intense contests to sweep the Premier Division 3 premierships, with its men's team edging out Curtin University 3-2 in extra time while the women's team defeated Whitford 3-2 in shootouts.

In the Junior 9/10 Division 1 grand finals, UWA defeated WASPS 3-1 to claim the Boys premiership, while Westside Wolves defeated Reds 1-0 in extra time to claim the Girls premiership.

An intense shoot-out saw Westside Wolves pip YMCC 4-3 to claim the Junior 7/8 Division 1 Girls premiership, while UWA held off Hale 3-1 to win the Boys premiership.

Along with plenty of elite hockey action on the fields, an abundance of free activities and fun vendors were on offer throughout the day, including Healthway’s Fuel to Go & Play Fun Zone, sprinting challenges and on-field stick skills workshops.

Bravo Apples and Tucker Fresh IGA were also on hand to enrich hockey fans’ days – and their stomachs – with Bravo Apples handing out their signature Apple Slinkys while Tucker Fresh IGA offered Finals Fever Grazing Boxes prior to the big day.
 

Results
Premier Division 1 Men's - Hale d Melville City 5-0
Premier Division 1 Women's - Suburban Lions d UWA 7-6 (shootout)
Premier Division 2 Men's - Hale d UWA 2-1
Premier Division 2 Women's - Victoria Park Xavier d Melville City 3-1
Premier Division 3 Men's - Melville City d Curtin University 3-2 (extra time)
Premier Division 3 Women's - Melville City d Whitford 3-2 (shootout)
Junior 9/10 Division 1 Boys - UWA d WASPS 3-1
Junior 9/10 Division 1 Girls - Westside Wolves d Reds 1-0 (extra time)
Junior 7/8 Division 1 Boys - UWA d Hale 3-1
Junior 7/8 Division 1 Girls - Westside Wolves d YMCC 4-3 (shootout)