Queensland defeats Tasmania 5-1 to earn fifth position in Australian Hockey League – Hockey Update
Jason Wilson scored a couple of goals and had an assist, as the Men’s hockey squad of Queensland marked a 5-1 victory over Tasmania in the playoff game at Sydney Olympic Park and earned the fifth position in the Australian Hockey League (AHL).
Matt Wells, Queensland’s Coach while speaking to the media expressed disappointment stating that their squad missed numerous opportunities in final week of the league. He was of the view that these were quite different sentiments as compared to the last
year whether it was done owing to inured players and format of the league. He said, “Highlights of our week included our defeat of ACT earlier this week. But that wasn’t enough to carry us through. We were beaten by SA and NSW and our fortunes could have been
so much more positive with even just one more win.”
It is worth mentioning that the team from Queensland lost the classification match at the hands of New South Wales (NSW) where they had an opportunity to book a place in the title-claiming match.
Tasmania’s Coach Glenn Freeman did not hesitate to accept the failure of his team saying that they had not secured lower place as compared to the previous edition of the AHL. It is vital to mention here that the Tasmanian line-up suffered many setbacks due
to injuries. The trainer stated, “Eddie Ockenden continues to provide great leadership and inspiration to the players through his aggressive and positive approach to games. We all lift when he keeps on trying, no matter what the score line.”
He further stated that they had a team comprised of very young players who contested the major tournament for the first time. The only point what they get from the event is to start working on grey areas, he added.
Both the Queensland and Tasmania teams opened up the action in quite aggressive way, as it was Queensland that drew first blood in the hands of Jason Wilson. He converted a penalty corner in the 7th minute to establish dominance for his team.
In the later time, Brent Garske scored a goal from the field and doubled the tally before going into the second period.
In the second half of play, Queensland continued their action and obtained three more goals while holding Tasmania only for solitary effort. Wilson added another goal in the 42nd minute which was countered by a goal from Geoff c**k through a penalty
stroke in the 44th minute. Tim Bates and his team-mate Daniel Beale notched one each respectively in the 64th and 65th minutes to seal the victory as well as the fifth position in the 2011 AHL season.
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