Bulimba's Luke Paine pushes a ball past Easts' Michael Bates.

Bulimba's Sean Quinn clears the ball out of defence as the Easts chasers arrive.

Easts defender Ben McCarthy shadows Bulimba's Kyle Richardson.

Queensland teammates Dean Butler and Jason Wilson get pushy.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE - ROUND 6

United 6 (Miebaka Dede 2, Adam McClelland 2, Matt Freeman, Michael Pembroke) defeated Valley 1 (Andrew McGuckin) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

United secured their second win of the season forcing local rivals Valley into ninth spot with a solid come-from-behind victory.  Andrew McGuckin helped the Diehards claim the early lead when he swooped on a rebound from a penalty corner play in the sixth minute.  However, when Miebaka Dede did the same for United 12 minutes in, Valley struggled to regain their composure.  Adam McClelland fired the ball past Valley goalkeeper David Watts to put his team in front, before Dede found the top of the net to bag his double minutes later.  A miscalculation by Watts just before half time allowed Matt Freeman to give his team a 4-1 halftime lead.  After the break McClelland secured his second goal of the match for the third straight week with a well-placed drag flick from a penalty corner.  The Diehards built some momentum late in the second half but lost hope after they were disallowed a goal in the 67th minute. United’s Michael Pembroke worsened the blow when he produced an outstanding goal merely seconds before full time. The win marks United’s biggest victory against Valley since the Kedron Wavell-South West United joint venture entered the competition in 2007.

- Rebecca Kirchner

Redcliffe Leagues 3 (James McAlpine 2, Andrew Newman) defeated Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 1 (Michael Stokes) at Mary Nairn Fields, Redcliffe.

Redcliffe Leagues survived a scare from Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.  The peninsula side enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, pressuring the Saints’ backs.  However, the momentum quickly changed as the Saints began to control the midfield, making inroads into the Redcliffe Leagues defence.  Saints strikers Craig Smith and Ryan Gibbs were proving hard to handle, but the side was unable to establish any advantage, squandering numerous scoring opportunities.  After the break both teams traded attacking raids, and it wasn’t until the 43rd minute that a James McAlpine drag flick broke the deadlock.  The Saints wasted little time regrouping, with Michael Stokes tying the game up one minute later.  Having drawn level the Saints had chances to move ahead, but were again denied by poor shooting and Redcliffe Leagues keeper Daniel Pink.  The home side took the lead through a second penalty corner goal to McAlpine, before Andrew Newman scored a runaway goal on the siren after the Saints pressed forward in a desperate bid to earn a draw.  

- Nick Bolton

Labrador 4 (Joe Reardon 2, Mark Harris, Kane Hancock) defeated University of Queensland 0 at Keith Hunt Park, Labrador.

Labrador got its stalling season back on track with a solid win against the visiting University side on the Gold Coast.  After dropping points against Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths and United and losing a winable match against Redcliffe Leagues, the Tigerstix clicked into gear to lead the visitors by three goals at halftime.  Joe Reardon opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour, with Kane Hancock doubling Labrador’s lead by converting a penalty stroke.  Despite the efforts of standout players Adam Dinsdale, Greg Collins and Damien Queisser, University couldn’t repeat the form that saw them narrowly lose to the Tigerstix during their last trip south.  The students were made to pay for their missed scoring chances, with Reardon scoring in the shadows of halftime and Mark Harris sealing the win midway through the second period.  The result sees University at the top end of a log-jam of teams in the middle of the ladder, in which only two competition points separates third-placed Easts and eighth-placed Bulimba.

- Lee Oliver

Easts 7 (Matt Gohdes 3, Jacob Whetton, Jason Wilson, Jarrod Black, Tim Bates) defeated Bulimba 1 (Ben Flemming) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Easts showed why its all-Australian forward line is the envy of their rivals as the Tigers left Bulimba stunned with a dazzling second half goal blitz.  Despite fielding its strongest line-up this year, Bulimba couldn’t contain Easts’ Australian Under-21 stars Jacob Whetton, Matt Gohdes, Tim Bates and Michael Bates and Kookaburras rookie Jason Wilson.  Whetton opened the scoring after ten minutes when he skilfully lobbed the ball over Bulimba goalkeeper Michael Harris.  Ben Flemming equalised for the Bulls, sending a rocket shot past Easts goalkeeper Nick Edds to finish off a slick attacking move that started with defender Blake Wallis and also involved Todd Gill and Liam Brown.  Easts took a lead into halftime courtesy of a penalty corner goal to Wilson, with the Tigers’ momentum rising after the break.  Gohdes scored three goals in eight minutes to give Easts an unassailable 5-1 lead, before Jarrod Black and Tim Bates scored in the final ten minutes to complete the Tigers’ biggest win against the Bulls in five years.

- Lee Oliver

Commercial 7 (Tom Brough 2, Daniel Biase-McInally 2, Kye Hawgood, Wayne Barry, Adam Barry) defeated QUT 0 at Mary Nairn Fields, Redcliffe.

Commercial has opened up a sizeable gap on the chasing pack of teams after scoring a comfortable win over QUT.  In the battle of the champions and wooden spooners from the past two seasons, winless QUT held their highly fancied rivals at bay for a quarter of an hour.  But a clinical display netting six unanswered goals in the remainder of the first half was enough for the Cobras to fend off the challenge of the winless Ibis, with Queensland midfielder Tom Brough and young striker Daniel Biase-McInally both scoring twice.  Led by Adam Rankin, Aaron Biase-McInally and substitute goalkeeper Luke Gruieff, brought on for Anders Kinsella, QUT showed renewed enthusiasm in the second half, restricting the three-time defending champions to a single goal after the break.  Wayne Barry, Kye Hawgood and Adam Barry also scored for in the 7-0 result, the first time the Cobras haven’t registered a double digit scoreline against the Ibis.  The second-placed Cobras are now seven points clear of Easts and University.

- Lee Oliver

POINTS:

Redcliffe Leagues 18, Commercial 16, Easts 9, University of Queensland 9, Labrador 8, Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 8, United 7, Bulimba 7, Valley 4, QUT 0.

LEADING GOAL SCORERS:

11  -  Shane Kenny (Redcliffe Leagues)
  8  -  Adam McClelland (United)
  7  -  Chris Beale (Commercial)
      -  Cale Cramer (Commercial)
      -  David Halliday (Redcliffe Leagues)
  6  -  Jarrod Black (Easts)
      -  Andrew Newman (Redcliffe Leagues)
      -  Luke Paine (Bulimba)
  5  -  Dale Gohdes (Easts)
      -  Jason Wilson (Easts)

QUT's Shaun Lu chased by Commercial's Matt Lagerroth (photo by John Beale).

QUT's Alex Krzensk and Commercial rival Paul Nichols in a tangle (photo by John Beale).

Andrew McGuckin lines up his scoring shot for the first goal of the Valley-United game.

Valley's Tobias Figura prepares to pounce on United fullback Lachlan Brown.

Compiled by Lee Oliver.