Premier League Round 11 – Match of the Round Preview

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Round 11 – Match of the Round Preview

Forestville Hockey Club v Port Adelaide District Hockey Club 

Preview by Bevan Jones

Premier League Men

It will be a tough challenge this Saturday afternoon at Mate Stadium at 2pm for the 7th placed Forestville side with a record so far this season of two wins, one draw and seven losses when they battle with last year’s premiers Port Adelaide who sit 3rd on the ladder with five wins, two draws and three losses in 2023.

Forestville will be looking for a better performance this week after they suffered a tough 7-1 road loss last Friday night against the Adelaide Hockey Club, whilst Port Adelaide are coming off a solid 4-1 victory over North East last Thursday night.

Last time the two sides met in round four it was a tight clash with Port Adelaide getting the victory 2-1.

Forestville men’s Coach, Michael Lubcke, said it would be a good challenge to take on one of the competition’s heavyweights.

“It’s a big game for the team this week as it is our FHC Club Day and our team is looking forward to challenging Port in front of all our members so hopefully we can get a big crowd out to watch an exciting and competitive game,” Lubcke said.

“We’re looking to play with more consistency and determination to take it to Port and capitalise on our opportunities around the goal.

“We have had great improvement and growth as a group so far this season and now need to string it all together and play the hockey we know we are able to.

“It was a tough game last time against Port and our boys showed we can match it with them.  

“This will give us confidence heading into the game and look to bring a four-quarter effort to get the job done.”

Port Adelaide Coach, Mark Victory, said keeping their shape consistently would be the key to getting the win.

“I'd say that from our last encounter we learned that they are very organised defensively with some fast counter attacking players,” Victory explained.

“We will need to be connected with the ball when it's in our possession and keep our supporting shape consistently for four quarters.”

This is a must win game for Port Adelaide if they want to put themselves in a good position to go back-to-back this year and they have too much to play for. Port Adelaide to win 3-1.

Premier League Women

It is another important game for last year’s runners up Port Adelaide who take on Forestville at Mate Stadium, this Saturday at 3:30pm.

Port Adelaide currently sit 2nd with a 7-2 record whilst Forestville are 7th with a 1-9 record.

Port Adelaide is coming off a 3-0-win last Thursday night against North East whilst Forestville had a tight 2-1 loss against the Adelaide Hockey Club last Friday night.

Port Adelaide and Forestville met earlier in round four with Port Adelaide proving too strong with an 8-0 win, however Port Adelaide Coach Paul Finnie knows that his team can’t underestimate their opponents.

“Despite a decent win last time round, we recognise that Forestville have a fast and skilful team and present dangers particularly in fast break situations, we'll be looking at countering this aspect of their play,” Finnie said.

“They've been improving steadily and present their own unique challenges; we won't be taking them lightly.”

Forestville Coach, Damien Christensen, said they were looking forward to taking on one of the premiership contenders.

“It’s a big game this weekend against the competition benchmark in Port,” he said.

“You always like to play the best sides to not only test yourself, but for the players to see what it takes to be at that level.  

“The keys to beating any top team are to match their intensity and energy around the park, and to stay in every contest. If we can stay patient with and without the ball and look to win some individual contests, then we have to believe we can match any team on the day.  

“The girls are always up for these games, so I won’t have any issue motivating them on Saturday!”

I think this game will be closer than last time however Port Adelaide should still be too strong, and I am tipping a 4-1 win.
 

This week’s Matches of the Round are LIVE on LiveHockey - https://livehockey.com.au
Men @ 2:00pm | Women @ 3:30pm