Match Preview | Perth Thundersticks vs Brisbane Blaze

After being on the receiving end of tough losses in front of a home crowd, all eyes will be on the Perth Thundersticks' last double header for the regular JDH Hockey One season.

Men's

This Sunday's trip to the Queensland State Hockey Centre is do or die as the Perth Thundersticks men's side look to scrape through to the JDH Hockey One Finals in Canberra.

After falling short of pulling off an upset victory over NSW Pride in the 2022 Grand Final rematch last weekend, the Thundersticks will go back to the drawing board.

With Brisbane Blaze currently sitting in second place on the ladder, guaranteed a spot in the finals, the upcoming task will not be easy for the Thundersticks.

Despite putting up a strong defensive front during the first half of their match against the Pride last weekend, once Flynn Ogilvie broke through to put the Pride in front, the Thundersticks struggled to get back on top.

Ahead of this weekend's match with the Blaze, Men's Head Coach Craig Wilson said the team's destiny is in their own hands.

"There's plenty of confident things coming from our last game so we now need to put them into action against Brisbane," he said.

"I think sides that have backed themselves into the finals are probably going to experiment either with their players or the way they play and do certain things.

"We will keep our eyes and ears peeled for different ways that they'll come."

The Brisbane Blaze have already punched their ticket to Canberra after holding off the Canberra Chill 6-4 last Friday.

The Thundersticks currently sit just outside the top four in fifth position on the ladder with 10 points, two points behind Tassie Tigers and Adelaide Fire, with Hockey Club Melbourne hot on their tail separated by goal difference.

In order to scrape through to the finals by the skin of their teeth, a number of factors will come into play for the Thundersticks from how they fare against the Blaze to the outcome of Adelaide's match against NSW Pride, and Hockey Club Melbourne's match against Canberra Chill.

The Thundersticks will at least need to be awarded two points from a shootout loss to the Blaze and hope the Pride tames the Fire, and Canberra Chill defeat HC Melbourne in order to secure a spot in the finals from fourth place.

Women's

Despite having their undefeated streak broken by the NSW Pride last weekend, the Perth Thundersticks women's side will be looking to secure pole position ahead of their 2023 JDH Hockey One finals berth.

The Thundersticks will be travelling to Queensland State Hockey Centre to go head to head with the Brisbane Blaze in their last match of the regular season on Sunday 19 November.

During last weekend's match against the Pride at Perth Hockey Stadium, the Thundersticks found themselves behind the eight-ball when Mariah Williams scored the match's first goal just 21 seconds in.

Although the Thundersticks threw everything at the Pride throughout the remainder of the match, it was not enough to keep their undefeated streak alive.

Ahead of this weekend's trip to Queensland, Women's head coach Phil Hulbert said the team will be looking to shake off what happened against NSW Pride and finish in the best possible position ahead of the finals series.

"It's just more important that we just keep improving as a team," he said.

Despite the 1-3 loss to NSW Pride last weekend, the Thundersticks remain on top of the women's ladder going in to Sunday's match and will be looking to make a fast start against Brisbane to maintain that position.

You can watch all the action from the Perth Thundersticks' double-header against Brisbane Blaze LIVE and FREE on 7Plus.