Shepparton Strikers Blue's Gurbhej Singh passes to a teammate.
Photo by
Jazzy Johal
The Goulburn Valley Hockey Association Men’s League premiership battle continues to be hotly contested, as Shepparton Youth Club’s Yellow contingent reinforced its title credentials with victory in round 10.
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Coming into the clash with Mooroopna Hockey Club on July 25, the current standings leaders had gone two weeks without a win following on from stalemates against Goulburn Valley Grammar and Echuca-Moama.
However, it was clear from the outset that the Yellows were in no mood to allow their relative downturn in fortunes to stretch into a third week as they got back to triumphant ways down at Shepparton Regional Hockey Complex.
Neighbours Mooroopna fell to a defeat against the Yellows’ inter-club rivals, SYC Blue last time out and they proved no match for the current title pacesetters, as the table-toppers inflicted an emphatic 9-0 defeat.
That result meant that nearest challengers, the Shepparton Strikers Red, were left with ground to make up on the Yellows in the fixture that followed in the round up against Echuca-Moama.
The River Rats stunned the Yellows seven days prior, holding them to a 2-2 draw, but they were unable to produce another shock result in week 10, as the Strikers Red clinched a resounding 3-0 win.
In the final game of the round, Goulburn Valley Grammar arguably produced the performance of the week, as they edged out a 2-1 mid-table thriller versus the Strikers Blue to emerge with all three points.
With SYC’s Blue side resting up during its bye week, the current table has their Yellow rivals top of the division on 23 points, leaving them playing catch-up in third spot on 18 points.
They are separated from the Strikers Red in second place on account of an inferior goal difference, with both teams neck-and-neck in terms of win ratio, having both played eight games so far this term.
Four rounds are left to play in the Men’s league before the semi-finals between this year’s best-placed four teams gets underway at the end of August.
The battle is now on between Mooroopna, Echuca-Moama and Goulburn Valley Grammar for the last qualification spot, while bottom-placed Mooroopna still also remains mathematically within the conversation.
Elsewhere in the Women’s league, Mooroopna registered a 2-1 win over Echuca-Moama to remain unbeaten at the summit, while the Shepparton Strikers claimed a 4-0 victory against SYC.
Taking in the action from the Men’s division was News photographer Jazzy Johal, who snapped pictures from the GVGS versus Strikers Blue fixture.
