The first ever Tasmanian State Titles held at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre on the 21st November were a great success with every competition going right down to the wire.
14's and Under -
In this competition there were several players who had represented their state in previous years. At the start of the competition it was the North West outfit Heroes and the leaders of the southern competition Southern Fury who went in as favorites while there was the idea that Knights would be a strong competitor with recruits Jackson Nugent and Harrison Thomas set to lead the charge. As it turned out Southern Fury were without star man Cameron Rogers for the day and this could well have been the turning point for this competition. The first game of the the day saw Alpine Express under the pump from what looked to be a well oiled Knights team. As the game wore on with Knights in front 1-0 they failed to take many of their chances and in an instant Alpine Express pounced to take the game 2-1. Fury easily accounted for New Town Eagles. The rest of the day saw some great games with Heroes winning all the way through and also Southern Fury and Alpine Express continuing their successful day. It came down to the game between them which was ultimately to decide a spot in the final against Heroes. Fury had the better of possession but they lacked a cutting edge against their much more physical opponents and in this contest the Alpine Express came through in a polished display 4-2 to book a spot in the final.
In the Final it was all about Brodie Denehey from the Heroes as he fired in 4 of the 5 goals that won them the game 5-1. The game was a fiery encounter and the better team came out on top after a grueling day of battle.
Winners - Heroes (Burnie)
Runner Up - Alpine Express (Hobart)
All Star Team -
Ali Mohammed (Alpine Express)
Alexander Gaggin (Heroes)
Brodie Denehey (Heroes)
Yosef Kolele (Knights)
Josh Dingjan (Southern Fury)
12's and Under -
In the 12 year old competition it was a 2 horse race with favourites University Roar and Derwent Storm going along well throughout the day. The outside chance was the North West Dynamite side who had several state reps in their side. As the day wore on it ended up with teams such as Southern Samurai's pushing their more fancied opponents but coming up short. It ended with the Roar and the Storm entering their last group game together looking for a psychological edge as they had both already reached the final. Roar won the final group game comfortably 9-4 and looked set to go on and win the competition in a canter although Derwent Storm had other ideas. With Darcy Hall and Dean Watkins who had been consistent all day starting to tire it looked early like the individual skill levels had evened out as Storm introduced Lucas Targett back from injury. This played into Storm's hands as they had throughout the match a superior structure. With several academy players in both squads the quality of Futsal was very strong and as the game wore on it was the structure and discipline of Derwent Storm which took them to victory along with some outstanding goalkeeping from the tournaments stand out Goal Keeper Jonah Rabone.
Winners - Derwent Storm (Hobart)
Runners Up - University Roar (Hobart)
All Star Team -
Jonah Rabone (Derwent Storm)
Darcy Hall (University Roar)
Dean Watkins (University Roar)
Sam Rigby (Derwent Storm)
Alex Walter (University Roar)
11's and under -
The 11 year old age group was one of the closer fought age groups and some fine individual performances were seen throughout the day but once again it was the strength of team shape and structure that won out in the end. At the start of the day Zebras FC were looked at as favourites with their arch nemesis Boss looking to topple them while a strong showing was expected from North West Dynamite. All of the other sides in the competition have younger players and were expected to not push for the title but show some fine individual skills at times. As it turns out the surprise packet of the day was Nelson Utd who started well and had a big draw against Zebras early on while they went about beating most of the sides until finally succumbing in the end to Boss who went through the day undefeated. The favourites Zebras limped through with the draw against Nelson Utd and a loss to Boss but still did the job to get through to the final. Stuart Carnaby from Nelson Utd confirmed he is one to watch with some scintillating performances on the day. In the final it was the two old foes Boss (unbeaten) and Zebras who battled it out. Zebras got two early goals to shoot to an early lead and from that moment on they held tight with structure to control the game. As the end drew near a couple of quick goals from Boss pushed them all the way but once again the Zebras outfit had the goods in the final match to produce a 5-4 win.
Winners - Zebras FC
Runner Up - Boss
All Star Team -
Rueben Witte (Nelson Utd)
Stuart Carnaby (Nelson Utd)
Kobe Kemp (Boss)
Chris Howard (Boss)
Nicholas Fader (Zebras)
10's and under -
In what was probably the closest of all of the age groups the 10's did not stop entertaining from the outset. With every single team having a genuine shot until their last game the day was fun for all and showcased the future of Tasmanian Futsal. If this is our future, than what a bright future it is! Favourites early were the rep. side North West Dynamite who had been involved together for a while and made the trip from Burnie but it was the local club sides that held all the aces. Early on Bend it Like Beckham's who are 9 year old's gave the favourites an early loss with Harry Joyce the destroyer in this match while Star Screamers got an easy victory against Sacred Heart Firebolts. Then there were Zebras who had some impressive wins throughout the day in the mix. After the first game Sacred Heart Firebolts never looked back and showed they are a team to watch in the future by winning their way into the final against an tough Star Screamers outfit. The final started with a flurry and it quickly became a battle between star man Marky Ortmann who was a stand out all day and the Screamers defense. Sacred Heart had a 3-2 lead at half time through an Ortmann hatrick and that set them on their way but when state reps Baxter Norton and Conor Barling combined to bring the game equal the tide turned. Eventually the Screamers won out but Ortmann continued all game to try and stop that happening and grabbed his fourth in a 6-4 loss.
Winners - Star Screamers
Runner Up - Sacred Heart Firebolts
All Star Team -
Jake Barrett (Star Screamers)
Harry Joyce (Bend it Like Beckhams)
Baxter Norton (Star Screamers)
Mark Ortmann (Sacred Heart Firebolts)
Eduardo Castaneda (Zebras FC)
For more information on the club titles please click HERE
Last updated: Wednesday December 16, 2009 11:52AM
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