The women of the Melton Hockey Club can see light at the end of the tunnel after a tough season in Hockey Victoria’s winter Vic League competitions.
The Mustangs have had an unbelievably hard year after losing a heap of players, with the senior and reserves sides going through this year without a win.
On Saturday, the Melton teams faced Werribee in Vic League 2 and Vic League 2 reserves, with the Mustangs copping 14-0 defeats in both matches. Werribee sealed the minor premiership in both divisions.
The Mustangs’ top side ended the season conceding 168 goals and scoring three.
But despite those grim statistics, co-coach Jason Knight said the side had been improving every week.
“The numbers are up at training and on game day,” he said. “The women have really bonded which is what we wanted. A lot of players have done an incredible job playing at this level.”
He said the focus during the season had been on getting a better outcome when they played sides a second time.
“We’ve done that all but once,” he said. “We have earned a lot of respect from opposition teams and coaches for our perseverance and positive attitude.”
Knight said this season a number of younger players were given opportunities to step up in the senior sides and the coaches had been thrilled with how they had taken on the challenge.
He said Charlotte Fraser, Jemma Rigby, Kiara and Kayla Ive, Alannah Spence and Abbey Knight, who are all playing under-12s or under-14s, were enjoying playing senior hockey.
Another young gun, Chloe Schwarze, missed a big chunk of the season after doing an ACL, which meant a reshuffle for the senior team.
Knight, who is planning on coaching again next season, said what division they would be in was unknown, with Hockey Victoria restructuring its premier league competitions.
“While a tough year on the scoreboard, the women’s team has attracted a number of additional players and is already looking forward to a solid pre-season leading up to Christmas,” he said. “Further growth and development are anticipated in 2018 as more players join the group.”
The Mustangs men’s senior side is out of finals contention with a 5-0 loss to Croydon Ranges. The reserves, which will play finals, lost 3-0, while the metro team lost 7-3.
The club’s junior program is going from strength to strength, with its under-14s and under-16 finishing minor premiers and the under-12s finishing second on the ladder.
The under-14 team is looking for back-to-back premierships.
