HOCKEY
PHOEBE Litchfield and Pip Mannix are Orange’s latest hockey national champions, but they didn’t get there without causing a few headaches along the way.
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NSW State side was the stand-out team at the 2015 Under 13 Girls’ National Championship in Sydney last weekend, cruising to nine wins in 10 games before requiring a simple draw or another win to ensure they claimed the first-past-the-post national crown in style in their final game.
And against NSW Blue - a team generally considering a NSW second side - the assignment was supposed to be an easy one.
Instead, Litchfield and Mannix and their NSW teammates made the all-Orange coaching team of Kate Pulbrook and former Hockeyroo Jade Warrender sweat in a nail-biting 1-all draw in the final round robin contest.
In her first state coaching gig, it was a heart-stopping finale for Pulbrook.
“I really did enjoy it, apart from that last game,” Pulbrook laughed looking back at the tournament.
“That was a bit stressful. That was a really nerve-racking game.
“Everyone was cheering on the other NSW side, they had nothing to lose and we had the championship to lose.”
In the end, NSW State’s vastly superior goal differential of plus-36 was more than enough to hand them the national crown, with Victoria Blue the next best side.
The Victorians ended the tournament also on 28 competition points, from the same record of nine wins, one draw and one loss, but their goal differential of plus-24 wasn’t enough.
Pulbrook said Mannix was a star for the NSW State side, controlling the midfield in virtually all of her team’s 11 games.
While Litchfield brought an air of unpredictability to her side’s attack and defence, a trait Pulbrook was thrilled to have in her line-up.
“Phoebe’s very good at cricket, and a few of her goals were cricket shots and she pulled off a cracking save from a short corner with what I would call a cricket block. She was great,” the coach added.
Litchfield scored five goals throughout the tournament.
Pulbrook said her side’s ability to find the back of the goal was the difference.
“Absolutely. It was a bit of a goal-fest in some games. The girls hit five goals in one half in some games, and that’s 20 minute halves,” she said.
“We knew goals would be important, but we didn’t know it’d make or break us.”
Also from Orange Heidi Townsend represented NSW in the Blue side on their way to five wins and three draws and a seventh-place finish at the Sydney-based national championships.
nick.mcgrath@fairfaxmedia.com.au
