Match Details
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1st October 2023
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15:00
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Perth Hockey Stadium
Uniform
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Blue
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Blue
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Green
Sundry
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13:30
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Left
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Won
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Left to Right
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Overcast 19C
Officials
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Adrian Cross
Kristen Schenk -
Caroline Schomberg
Player's Player
Streaming
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No
Starting Lineup
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Alex Jones -
Anthony Caton -
Ben Howey
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Brett Giffin
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Dean Cunningham
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James Maltman
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Lee Brady
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Lee Cormack
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Matt Burton
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Stuart Fletcher
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Tristan Hunt
Substitutes
Did Not Play
Off-Field Team
Match Report
These two teams had already met in their first pool match, and although NSW had enjoyed a 5-1 victory, WA had upped their game throughout the tournament, and a tussle beckoned for both teams to find the victor.
The match was delayed slightly owing to a shoot-out in the previous final and the subsequent medal presentation. Once underway, both teams settled into their rhythm early. It was NSW that settled quickest, and Brett Giffin poked home a field goal early in the quarter to give NSW a slight advantage at quarter time.
WA came out hard in the second quarter and exerted huge pressure on the NSW defense, but as they had all tournament, the NSW defense held strong, defending several penalty corners to deny WA. Midway through the quarter, Lee Brady received at the top of the attacking circle, turned onto his reverse and slammed home a trademark tomahawk to give NSW a 2 goal buffer at half time.
The third quarter was a classic battle. WA threw wave after wave of attacks at NSW and it was only a superb stick save from the NSW goalkeeper, Matt Burton, that denied WA a goal. This save was a momentum changer, as NSW dropped back into their favoured structure and started to assert dominance again. Stuart Fletcher was awarded a green card during the quarter but WA were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage.
Just after the three quarter time break, Alex Jones fired home one of his penalty corner thunderbolts to extend the NSW lead to 3 goals. In a desperate move, WA pulled their keeper with 5 minutes to go. NSW denied all attacking efforts, and moved the ball down the pitch in the final minute for Anthony Caton to score his first goal of the championships to seal victory and the Australian title for NSW.
Back-to-back Australian titles for the NSW 40/1's!