Premier League Round 6 – Match of the Round Preview

Published Tue 16 May 2023

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Round 6 – Match of the Round Preview

North East Hockey Club v Seacliff Hockey Club

Preview by Bevan Jones

Premier League Men

It should be a terrific Tuesday night clash when 3rd placed North East host top of the table Seacliff.

Seacliff currently have three wins and two draws from their five games so far and they had a high scoring 5-5 draw with Grange Royals last Saturday.

North East have won three and lost two this year but will be full of confidence after a 6-0 win over Burnside last Sunday.

North East Coach, Jordan Glover, said playing as a team would be the key against Seacliff.

“The North East men are really looking forward to playing in front of our home crowd mid-week,” Glover said.

“Our facilities are excellent and provide the best opportunities to showcase South Australian hockey.

“We expect another team first approach as we back up our short turnaround from Sunday.

“Congratulations to forward Brock Wise who will play his 50th Premier League game tonight.”

Seacliff Coach, Matt Morton, said they were looking forward to another test on the road against North East.

“Round six presents another test for both groups as we face a tough opponent in North East,” Morton said.

“With the mid-week, later time slot and short turnaround, we’ll be once again looking to continue progressing our way of play and focusing on our processes.”

This should be a cracking contest that could go either way, but North East have the home ground advantage and are coming off a big win in round five. So I am tipping them to win in a thriller 3-2.

Premier League Women

It will be a tough challenge for 6th placed North East when they host 1st placed Seacliff this Wednesday night.

Seacliff have a 5-0 record so far in 2023 and are coming off a 6-0 thrashing of Grange Royals in round five on Saturday, and North East have a 2-3 record so far and will be looking to bounce back after a narrow 1-0 loss to Burnside last Sunday.

Seacliff Coach, Matt Morton, said his team were expecting a close game with North East being difficult to beat at their home ground in the past.

North East Coach, Holly Evans, said they were confident they can cause an upset and will be looking to bounce back from Sunday’s loss to Burnside.

“The loss on Sunday was frustrating as we had some really good chances and we weren’t playing that badly against Burnside,” Evans said.

“Against Seacliff, we just need to make sure the basics are strong and ensure that we come out firing to show the competition what we have to offer.

“In the past against Seacliff, we haven’t backed ourselves, but this year’s group has an underlying belief in what we are doing and we can be a force to be reckoned with.

“I think the loss against Burnside will spur us on to show what we are capable of rather than our heads dropping.”

This will be a tight contest but it’s a tough ask for North East to cause a boil over against Seacliff, as last year’s premiers are in some red-hot form at the moment.

I am tipping Seacliff to win 3-2.