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Match Reports

Redcliffe Leagues' Peter Dillon moves in on Bulimba's Adam Gill.

Bulimba fullback Luke Paine on the ball.

Redcliffe Leagues defender Nick Budd throws an overhead pass.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE - ROUND 18

QUT 1 (Mark Masefield) defeated Labrador 0 at Keith Hunt Park, Labrador.

Wooden spooners QUT pulled off arguably the biggest upset in Brisbane men’s hockey this decade when they sank finals bound Labrador at the Gold Coast.  Desperate to avert a winless season, QUT saved their best performance of the season for last against the third-placed Tigerstix, who thrashed the Ibis 11-3 in their previous meeting.  A Mark Masefield goal proved the difference, as QUT won for the first time in 23 matches.  The New Zealand born forward, whose only other goal this year came in his side’s 5-3 loss to Bulimba back in Round 2, scored from a deflection three minutes before halftime.  Centre half Justin Truscott controlled the game for QUT, while goalkeeper Chris Grew kept his first clean sheet in two years.  Despite missing four players through injury, Labrador could have won the game but couldn’t convert their scoring chances.  QUT’s win is probably the biggest upset since bottom placed Norths beat league leaders and eventual premiers Easts 2-1 at QEII Stadium in 1995.  Coincidently, current Labrador goalkeeper Tyrone Melrose played in goals for Norths that day.

Bulimba 3 (Dean Butler 2, Liam Brown) defeated Redcliffe Leagues 1 (Kent Harle) at Mary Nairn Fields, Redcliffe.

Bulimba head into their knockout semi final against Redcliffe Leagues with a psychological advantage after the Bulls beat the peninsula side on their home turf.  Bulimba scored first after 25 minutes from Dean Butler’s penalty corner hit, before diving Redcliffe Leagues fullback Nick Budd saved Liam Brown’s goal bound shot moments later.  Playing his 367th top grade game, and possibly his last match at home, Redcliffe Leagues’ Kent Harle scored to tie the game with 18 minutes left.  The left wing scored from a second effort after his initial shot ricocheted off the pads of Bulimba goalkeeper Cameron Wickbold.  But two minutes later Butler scored a goal following a penalty corner breakdown that was disputed by Redcliffe Leagues defenders and goalkeeper Daniel Pink.  Brown sealed Bulimba’s hard fought win when he expertly volleyed in a rebound off Pink’s pads with five minutes left.  The next Bulimba-Redcliffe Leagues clash is the fourth time since 2004 the sides have met in a sudden death semi final.  Redcliffe Leagues has not beaten Bulimba since knocking them out of the 2004 playoffs.

Easts 4 (Jason Wilson 2, Todd Watson, Treva Mills) defeated Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 1 (Ryan Gibbs) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Easts shattered Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths’ finals dreams, and got their own season back on track, with a solid three-goal win.  After their unblemished season was ruined by a loss to Redcliffe Leagues the previous week, the Tigers were keen to deny the Saints a victory that would see them make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.  Easts led 2-0 at halftime, as young star Jason Wilson continued his harassment of opposition defences.  The Queensland Blades ace scored twice to bring his season tally to 26 goals - five clear of Labrador’s Brad Puleosi - while Todd Watson and Treva Mills also scored either side of halftime for Easts.  While they missed the finals, former cellar dwellers Saints can take consolation out of the fact they beat Bulimba for the first time in three seasons, broke an even lengthier losing run against Redcliffe Leagues and recorded their best goals for and goals against tallies since 2000.  Easts enter the finals looking to break the club’s minor premiers curse.  The Tigers’ last four table-topping sides - in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 - couldn’t go on to win the grand final.

Valley 3 (Tobias Figura, Duncan Stewart, Andrew McGucken) defeated United 2 (Matt Freeman, Adam McClelland) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Valley ended a disappointing season as they started it - with a 3-2 victory - after edging past United.  Valley, who started the year with a victory against eventual semi finalists Redcliffe Leagues, lost 13 of their next 15 matches to ensure their promising 2007 season seemed a distant memory.  But the Diehards finished 2008 on a high by beating QUT and United in consecutive weeks.  Valley led from the front against United, with Tobias Figura scoring his 17th goal of the season 10 minutes out from halftime.  United’s top goal scorer Matt Freeman equalised for his side, before Valley’s Duncan Stewart found the back of the net one minute shy of the break.  The game looked destined to end in a 2-2 draw after Adam McClelland scored to tie to the game for the second time.  But Valley’s Andrew McGucken, who had earlier missed an open goal following a two-on-one opportunity against the United goalkeeper, was the hero for his team.  McGucken’s first goal of the year, scored with five minutes left, proved to be the match winner, and helped erased memories of a 4-1 loss to the Kedron Wavell-South West United entity earlier in the year.

Commercial 6 (Kye Hawgood 3, Jacob Burns 2, Jason Greene) defeated University of Queensland 1 (Graham Ashburner) at Mary Nairn Fields, Redcliffe.

Commercial warmed up for the finals with a five-goal win against University in a sometimes scrappy affair.  Kye Hawgood continued his recent scoring run, recording a hat-trick of goals as Commercial found the back of the net three times in each half.  Hawgood has scored seven goals from his past four games for Commercial, who blew University away in the opening stages of their clash.  The ruthless Cobras amassed a 3-0 lead within seven minutes, with a goal to Hawgood followed by two scores in as many minutes from Jacob Burns.  But Commercial’s slick attack soon started to look rusty, with the Cobras unable to score for another 40 minutes.  Hawgood’s second and third goals were broken up by a slick individual goal to Jason Greene, who flicked the ball past University goalkeeper Adam Dinsdale after bursting into the circle.  Led by halfback Shane Quinnell and forward Greg Collins, University toiled well in the second half and were rewarded late in the contest.  Graham Ashburner and Craig McIntosh showed the value of simple one-two passing down the sideline, with Ashburner finishing off a neat length-of-the-field movement.
 

POINTS:

Easts 51, Commercial 46, Labrador 32, Bulimba 31, Redcliffe Leagues 28, Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 27, United 18, Valley 15, University of Queensland 11, QUT 5.

LEADING GOAL SCORERS:

26  -  Jason Wilson (Easts)
21  -  Brad Puleosi (Labrador)
18  -  David Brain (Commercial)
17  -  Tobias Figura (Valley)
16  -  James McAlpine (Redcliffe Leagues)
15  -  Jacob Burns (Commercial)
14  -  Cale Cramer (Commercial)
13  -  Hamish Baron (University of Queensland)
      -  Kye Hawgood (Commercial)
      -  Luke Paine (Bulimba)
12  -  Matt Freeman (United)
      -  Mark Harris (Labrador)
      -  Shane Kenny (Redcliffe Leagues)
      -  Adam McClelland (United)
11  -  Adam Barry (Commercial)
      -  Jarrod Black (Easts)
      -  Liam Brown (Bulimba)
      -  Duncan Mahony (Bulimba)
      -  Ian Schulz (Redcliffe Leagues)

LEADING GOAL SCORERS (BY CLUB):

BULIMBA

Luke Paine  - 13
Liam Brown - 11
Duncan Mahoney - 11

COMMERCIAL

David Brain - 18
Jacob Burns - 15
Cale Cramer - 14

EASTS

Jason Wilson - 26
Jarrod Black - 11
Tim Bates - 10
Darran Bisley - 10

LABRADOR

Brad Puleosi - 21
Mark Harris - 12
Tom Kavanagh - 5

PINE RIVERS ST ANDREWS-NORTHS

Ryan Kilpatrick - 9
Brent Garske - 8
Craig Smith - 8

QUT

Kieran Dunning - 6
Justin Truscott - 5
Andre Pohl - 3

REDCLIFFE LEAGUES

James McAlpine - 16
Shane Kenny - 12
Ian Schulz - 11

UNITED

Matt Freeman - 12
Adam McClelland - 12
Brendan Merry - 3
Ash Randall - 3
Ryan Schulte - 3

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Hamish Baron - 13
Timbi Poon - 8
Greg Collins - 6

VALLEY

Tobias Figura - 17
Duncan Stewart - 5
Brayden O’Callaghan - 3

Commercial's Jacob Burns tries to evade University's Damien Quiesser.

University goalkeeper Adam Dinsdale makes a spectacular save.

Commercial's Paul Nichols hits into the circle.

Commercial's Wayne Barry pursued by University's Anthony Kirk.

Compiled by Lee Oliver.