Wolves take home victory over Fremantle Cockburn in high scoring thriller

The second round of 2023 Men’s Premier League action delivered hot contests as sides kick-start their year and path to finals, with thrilling results across the board.

Westside Wolves and Fremantle Cockburn competed in a tight contest at Bateau Turf, with Wolves running out eventual 5-4 winners to see them sit in second place.

Wolves scored the first three goals in the contest, but Fremantle Cockburn’s Ehren Hazell kick-started a comeback, scoring four goals in the process with his side just falling short at the final buzzer.

Whitford Hockey Club sit at the top of the ladder, backing up their win against YMCC in the opening round with a 4-0 win over Curtin University.

Whitford, who finished second from the bottom last year, has started off strongly in 2023, with import Fraser Heigh potent in attack and scoring two in their victory over Curtin to take his tally to three for the season.

Hale responded after their round one defeat to Melville with a 3-2 win over YMCC at Lemnos Field.

Sam McCulloch, Ian Grobbelaar and Liam Flynn all scored in the victory over an emerging YMCC outfit, with Flynn continuing his goal scoring form after claiming his fifth Eric Pearce Top Goal Scorer Award in 2022.

Melville have continued to put runs on the board, securing a 3-1 victory over WASPs with the side looking set to challenge again in 2023, with eyes on completing the three-peat.

Penalty Corners continue to be Melville’s strength, with James Day scoring a hat-trick in the side’s win.

After competing in a tight 3-3 draw with WASPs in the previous round, UWA have responded strongly, winning 2-1 over last year’s Grand Finalists in Reds.

Fresh off the Hockey Australia Under-21s National Championships, UWA’s Cam Geddes and Reds’ Brodee Foster both scored in the match, while UWA’s Frank Main opened the scoring right after half-time in the 33^rd minute.

Victoria Park and Old Guildfordians Mundaring finished off the round with a 3-3 draw in a tight contest with a thrilling finish.

Ben Taylor starred for the Panthers, scoring a hat-trick, with his final score falling in the 60^th minute to snatch the draw and points for his side.

View the full scores from round two of the Men’s Premier League