Hockey Semi Final

It was a nervous Gordon team that took to the field at 8 am this morning. A few changes to the lineup and only 1 sub to the opposition’s 3. Our long weekend was on the line - a win and we’re straight through to the Grand Final on September 16. A loss and we’d be cancelling our long weekends away for APEC to face the other semi-final looser.

Mirrabooka, one of only two teams to ever beats us, won the toss and the game was kicked off with a strong break from them before the Gordon team settled into our rhythm and played our game, dominating the first half, setting up a handful of goals but failing to convert. Until the first thud into the back of the Mirrabooka goal. Gordon finally turned our lead into the first goal of the game.

Mirrabooka’s half time pep talk must have been sensational because after changing ends, they came out harder and more determined than before. The game started getting messy as both teams reverted to directionless whacks that saw free hit after free hit swapping from one team to the other. Gordon worked hard in the fray of the fresh Mirrabooka faces circulating onto the turf but after a bungle by the Gordon back, a sudden break saw us on the back foot and our goalie, Gracie, was no match for the three players that saw the first Mirrobooka goal scored half way through the first half.

From there, the game belonged to Mirrabooka. They were pumped, they had a crowd of vocal supporters on the sideline and still had three fresh subs. We shut down break after break and cringed at a half dozen short corner penalties awarded against us but our defence held out. That was until our Centre Half got smacked in the arm (by our own back) and had to go off. The panic in our coaches voices could only be detected by us as they ran our only sub on into wing, shuffled a wing into inner, inner into half, half into back and another back to cover the new Centre Half hole in our lineup.

We were scared. We could see our long-weekend melting away before our eyes. Mirrabooka seemed to grow in height and bulk, started making smug comments and reeled in any usual gestures of a friendly game. When we won free hits, the Mirra girls close to the ball refused to pass it back to us and made Gordon players run over to get it so we could line up to take the free hit. They showed no signs of lagging and their supporters were bellowing from the sideline. Our confusion continued as our coaches made more changes to our positions from the sideline. No subs now and we ALL needed a breather.

And then a change blew through. A sudden break from Gordon, the Mirrabooka goalie came out to kick it but a quick pass off saw a Gordon player with the ball, a clear 2 m shot at the goal, and took it! The Mirra girls could hardly believe it and pounded back to the half way, ready for revenge. They started with the ball and were just setting up their usual V formation down to the Gordon goal. We were pulled back, ready to defend our 1 goal lead by any means possible when…

WHISTLE! Full time and a Gordon win! The Mirrobooka supporters fell silent for the first time. Our coaches were shaking, the injured player was almost beside herself on the sideline, the waning Gordon players struggling to believe how their luck had changed! The Mirrobooka girls bitterly shook our hands and threatened to meet us in the Grands in two weeks time…