It was said to be a show of high quality and Saturday certainly was with Brand Me Mudgee taking on Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre (CHWC) in the Mudgee Hockey mixed senior grand final.
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Nick Seis started of the scoring 15 minutes after the whistle, taking what would be Brand Me's one and only point.
CHWC answered soon after with a goal from Shane Ah Sam, set up by Laura Smede and Kate Elder, that would see the half-time score sit at 1-all.
Despite multiple attempts from both sides to desperately take the lead, it was in the final 10 minutes of the game Ah Sam fired another goal in the back of the net to give the navy and white outfit a 2-1 lead.
Minutes later Christian Caligari and Ryan Hislop each scored to gift their side a 4-1 victory and the 2019 grand final crown.
Mudgee District Hockey Association president, Ryan Hislop says while his side walked away with a dominant victory, it was only with minutes left on the clock was he confident a win was on the table.
"The final score did not reflect how close the game was," he said.
I honestly felt we had run out of gas with 20 minutes to go in the second half.
- Mudgee District Hockey Association president, Ryan Hislop
"I thought it was only a matter of time until Brand Me would roll over us and put a few more goals on the board but thankfully they were probably feeling the same way, and a few big efforts from our forwards managed to seal the victory."
Hislop adds that it was a change in tactics that ultimately lead to the victory.
"Getting first to the ball and playing it wide were the top two distinguishing factors that turned the tide of the match," he said.
"A few of Brand Me Mudgee's strongest players were in the centre of the field so we made a strategic decision to keep the ball wide away from them, playing it up to the wings before bringing it back in to attack.
Their team played well together and put us under pressure many times with several shots on goals that were skillfully saved by our goal keeper Andrew Hawthorn.
"It was our first premiership in the Mudgee Hockey League, so it couldn't have ended better."
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
