Perth Thundersticks men storm into Hockey One Grand Final

The Perth Thundersticks men have booked their place in the 2022 Sultana Bran Hockey One League Grand Final on Sunday 20 November after sending our powerful statement in a 6-3 win over the Canberra Chill.

The Thundersticks started in red-hot fashion, resulting in six unanswered goals heading into the final term of action, with Tom Wickham the hat-trick-scoring star, alongside goals from Will Battistessa, Brodee Foster and Cambell Geddes.

Player of the Match Tom Wickham was ecstatic with his side’s victory, particularly after an interesting path towards finals.

“It is always nice to win, especially with the path we have taken to finals,” Wickham said.

“It is a great testament to the quality of Australian hockey that we had to rely on some other results to go our way in such a tight competition towards the end, but overall we are stoked to book our spot in the Grand Final.”

The Thundersticks started off strong but the conversion factor played a role towards the end of the match, a factor that Wickham says his side cannot get complacent over.

“What we learnt from today and across the season is that you have to ensure you play the full 60 minutes,” Wickham said.

“Being able to add to your score from conversions really gives teams the opportunity to fight back which was showcased towards the end there – it gave us a bit of a lesson on ensuring we focus for the full match.”

The Perth Thundersticks men will now face off against a talent-laden NSW Pride on Sunday in a blockbuster clash for this year’s Hockey One Grand Final.

The Perth Thundersticks women put in a valiant effort in their semi-final against the NSW Pride, but narrowly fell short with a lone goal to Pride’s Abi Wilson the difference.

Perth Thundersticks women’s captain Kyra White was pleased with her side’s ability to give their all until the dying moments of the match.

“We threw everything at the Pride today and Jocelyn Bartram was outstanding in goal for them, it was just unfortunate that the many chances we had could not be put away in goal,” White said.

“There is a lot to take away from this match as it is the first time we have made finals in a number of years, which is really positive for WA hockey.”

White said although the loss will disappoint the group, the positivity will remain high as they look toward their bronze medal match against HC Melbourne on Sunday.

“Over this year, we have exposed some great young talent and it has really helped drive a fantastic culture within the group,” White said.

“It is always tricky to head out on the field again so closely after a loss, but we will regroup, watch the film and get around each other to ensure the vibe is great as we look toward tomorrow’s match.”

The Perth Thundersticks women will face HC Melbourne in the women’s bronze medal match at 7:35am AWST, Sunday 20 November, with the men to follow as they face the NSW Pride in the Grand Final at 1:15pm AWST.
 
FULL SCORES
Perth Thundersticks Men 6 defeat Canberra Chill 3
Goals:
Perth Thundersticks – Will Battistessa (4’), Brodee Foster (11’), Cambell Geddes (20’), Tom Wickham (24’) (37’) (37’)
Canberra Chill – Ben Craig (54’) (54’), Aiden Dooley (57’)
 
Perth Thundersticks Women 0 defeated by NSW Pride 1
Goals:
NSW Pride – Abigail Wilson (41’)
 
Hockey One Grand Final Day – Sunday 20 November
7:35am AWST – Perth Thundersticks Women v HC Melbourne
1:15pm AWST – Perth Thundersticks Men v NSW Pride

All the action from the men's Grand Final will be streamed live on Kayo Sports and Fox Sports Australia