Commercial players celebrate their fifth straight grand final victory, the best premiership
winning streak since the 1940s. Photo by John Beale.

Commercial goalkeeper David Reid closes in on Easts forward Michael Bates.
Photo by John Beale.

Easts fullback Matthew Pembroke keeps pace with Daniel Beale. Photo by John Beale.

Commercial's two-goal hero Kye Hawgood dives for the ball ahead of Tigers defender
Robert Bell. Photo by John Beale.

Wayne Barry slips up trying to stop Tigers striker Jarrod Black. Photo by John Beale.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE - Division 1 grand final

Commercial 3 (Kye Hawgood 2, Adam Barry) defeated Easts 2 (Jacob Webber, Dale Gohdes) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Commercial put the exclamation point on a near flawless season by beating Easts in the premiership decider for the third time in the past years.  The Cobras, who only lost one match all season, toppled the Tigers to become the first team since the 1940s to win five straight first-grade titles. Commercial entered the match without their top goal scorer Cale Cramer, who joined Cobras teammate Kris Glass at Belgian club Royal Herakles earlier in the week. While Easts had more attacking chances early, it was the Cobras who found the back of the net first. In the ninth minute Commercial forward Chris Beale split the defence of Matthew Pembroke and Dale Gohdes in centre field, then sent a pass to brother Daniel who delivered a ball to winger Kye Hawgood to score. Easts suffered a major blow midway through the first half when key striker Michael Bates exited the game with facial fractures after being struck by the ball.  Despite the setback the Tigers started to control the match, with Jake Whetton shooting over the top of the net before quick thinking Commercial goalkeeper David Reid sprinted off his line to smother Dylan Wotherspoon’s attack.  After more sustained pressure trom Easts the Cobras’ defence finally cracked, with Jacob Webber beating Reid with a drag flick from a penalty corner four minutes out from halftime.  Five minutes after the break Commercial regained the lead when fullback Adam Barry, awarded the Hec Cormie Medal as player of the final, converted a penalty stroke after Daniel Beale was fouled in the circle. Hawgood found the back of the net again soon after, this time from a penalty corner play, to extend the Cobras’ lead with 20 minutes left on the clock.  Commercial’s back-to-back goals, frustration with the umpires and missed scoring chances from Webber, Wotherspoon and Whetton appeared to deflate the spirits of the young Tigers side as they tried desperately to reel in the two-goal deficit.  A goal to captain Gohdes with 50 seconds left came too late for Easts, whose consolation on the day was claiming the Division 2 and Division 3 titles as well as the Merv Harris Memorial Shield, awarded to the senior club champions of the Brisbane competition – Lee Oliver.

Commercial's Kye Hawgood tries to keep Easts striker Jake Whetton at bay.

Daniel Beale slides to keep the ball away from Tigers tackler Ben McCarthy.

Chris Beale splits the defence of Matthew Pembroke and Dale Gohdes on a breakaway
that led to Commercial's first goal of the grand final.

Commercial fullback Adam Barry puts the squeeze on Michael Bates.

Cobras captain-coach Blair Brown looks for open space as Dylan Wotherspoon gets
ready to make a challenge.

The ball is the prize for Matthew Pembroke and Chris Beale.

Compiled by Lee Oliver.

   Commercial  v  Eastern Suburbs 
4:00pm, 18 September 2010
at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie, Brisbane.

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