Premier League Round 7 – Match of the Round Preview

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Round 7 – Match of the Round Previews

Adelaide University Hockey Club v Adelaide Hockey Club (Women)
Seacliff Hockey Club v Port Adelaide District Hockey Club (Men)

Preview by Bevan Jones

Premier League Women

It will be a hot contest on Tuesday night when the 3rd placed Adelaide University Hockey Club with a 4-2 record, hosts the 4th placed Adelaide Hockey Club who have a record of two wins, two draws and two losses so far. 

Adelaide University Coach, Darren Neimke, was remaining positive despite his side going down 6-0 to Port Adelaide Hockey Club last Tuesday night. 

“I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made this season. Although we were disappointed by last week's loss against Port, the effort and intensity displayed by our team were exceptional,” Neimke said. 

“The game served as a valuable learning experience for us. 

“It's a challenging turnaround with back-to-back midweek games, but our focus shifted quickly to prepare for this next game. We've identified areas for improvement and will continue building on our strengths. 

“Adelaide is a strong team, and we respect their ability.  

“Getting ahead in our matchups and capitalising on key moments is the key. From there, you're always in the game.” 

Adelaide Hockey Club drew last Wednesday night with Burnside Hockey Club and Coach Brodie Gleeson was also full of positives for his side, particularly with the tough draw they have had in the season so far. 

“It would be easy to look at our results so far and panic, however, we have had a tough draw to start the season (playing Port twice, Seacliff and North East once in our first 5 games - all teams were top four last year),” Gleeson reflected. 

“I believe our results don't entirely reflect the level of effort and quality we've shown, while we haven't been able to convert a lot of our opportunities into goals, it's important to remember that scoring can sometimes be the most challenging aspect of the game and we are creating enough scoring opportunities.  

“Our focus for this next month is fine-tuning our finishing skills and increasing our attacking effectiveness. 

“I have complete confidence in our players' abilities that we will be able to improve on our decision-making, and composure in front of the goal.  

“Adelaide University have started the year well, with Darren Neimke bringing structure and a disciplined game plan since taking over as Head Coach.  

“I am expecting a physical and hotly contested game, and we are looking forward to the challenge of taking on Uni at Uni as both teams will be looking to bounce back after last week’s games.” 

This should be a terrific battle and I am tipping a 2-2 draw.

Premier League Men

The 2nd placed Seacliff, who have a 3-3 record so far in 2023 host last year’s premiers and 3rd placed Port Adelaide with a record of three wins, two losses and a draw in what promises to be a superb encounter on Wednesday night. 

Port Adelaide are full of confidence after a 9-1 thrashing of Adelaide University last Wednesday night with Dylan Holland in red hot form with four goals to take his tally to eight for the season so far in 2023. 

Coach Mark Victory said it would be a good test for his side to see where they are at this season. 

“We are looking forward to testing ourselves against the Seacliff team,” Victory said. 

“They have a very strong attacking group which has been scoring heavily and regularly judging by results to date.” 

Seacliff’s last game ended up being a 3-3 draw with North East last Tuesday night. Seacliff’s Hassan Singh has been in some great form so far this year and has scored nine goals. 

Coach Matt Morton said, “We're looking forward to playing the reigning premiers on Wednesday night. It's always a tough contest between us and something we mark on our calendars. They've got some threats in all lines, so it'll be about us trying to nullify them, whilst maximising our opportunities. 

“We're still progressing our way of play and improving week in week out, and another mid-week game provides an opportunity to test ourselves mentally as these haven't been a regular feat in previous seasons. Tomorrow will be great to see if we can execute our style of play against one of the top contenders in 2023”.

This game is deservedly the match of the round as it should be an enthralling encounter. 

Seacliff at home are tough to beat, but Port Adelaide will be full of confidence after their big win against Adelaide University. So I am tipping them to win 3-2.

This week’s Matches of the Round are LIVE on LiveHockey - https://livehockey.com.au

Tuesday night - Women @ 8:30pm
Wednesday night - Men @ 8:30pm