2023 Season Round Up

As with previous years, the team is made up of the usual 'old' suspects, ably assisted by the middle-aged hockey wizards. This sets a foundation for the introduction of the next generation of hockey talent coming through the ranks. This group of developing players is what this team is really about. Providing them the experience and encouragement to play a different style of hockey from their school teams and develop as players. It is so rewarding to watch our premier 1, 2 and 3 squads play and know that so many of them have been part of our squad over the last few years.

With the promotion of last year's rookies we saw the introduction of our youngest group to date. There were times during the season that I had to remind myself how young they actually were. To watch these young men grow in confidence through the season is fantastic. To see them become crucial members of the team and watch them change the result of a game is amazing.

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As with every season we had games we should have won but didn't, games we dominated but couldn't score, games we were lucky to come away with the points and most importantly games in which we worked hard as a team and got the results we deserved. Through it all was our ability to dig deep and play a full game. We won plenty of game in the last quarter which was a credit to our resilience and persistence. The team culture continued to be positive and we enjoyed our hockey. When you get down to the nuts and bolts of this grade and this team, that is what it's all about. Enjoying this game we all love. A positive culture on and off the field. Working hard on and off the ball.

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The 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed teams last year were the 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams this year. We saw a newly entered ECB team stacked with ex. blacksticks take out the title.  The recently promoted Warkworth team continue to grow in strength to finish in the top 4. Taka and NSU who have been underperforming clubs in this grade the last few years decided to get competitive and enter some very strong teams. They leapfrogged us into podium spots. We finished the season in 6th place but took out the plate final on the last day.

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The positive part of this grade for us as a club is that both of our Div 1 men's sides are competitive and playing some fantastic hockey. We enter 2 equally skilled teams rather than an 'A' and 'B' teams. Our div 1 yellow side in particular has some of the youngest players in a grade dominated by mid 20-year-old players. It continues to be a pleasure to be involved with all of these players and I look forward to continuing our journey next year. As my son wrote in my Fathers Day card  "...I know you're miffed that you only got to play for 15 minutes with me this year, but that quarter was the best in the season..." Clearly, he gets his sarcasm from his father.!

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Coach: Darren Joyce.   Assistant Coach: Mark Dempster.     Manager: Judith Quinlan

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The showmen up front:

Clint Meumann, Steve Laming, Craig Wallis, Connor Brady, Zac Simmons, Matt Beneka and Conor Langdon.

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In the engine room:

Luke Kearney, Jayme Saunders, Oscar Worrall, Bayden Ahsam, Steve McCracken, Mark Dempster and Paul McGoon.

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The solid platform:

Mark Taylor, Tony Carlyle, Ethan Joyce, Craig Bishop, Dwayne Carroll, Chris Hawkins and Ben Holt.

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Thanks also to everyone who stepped up to play for us throughout the year. I know we have a roster of 22 players, but you would be amazed at the number of different people who helped us out over the season. You guys were great and made sure we had subs for our old boys week to week.

DJ

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2022 Season Round Up

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It is not often that you get the opportunity to play with your mates, help young players grow with their hockey, not train and still make the final.. Each year we look at who from Dad’s Army should step down and who from the young brigade will come up.

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 This year we carried a squad of 21 and still we called up players from below. Each week players would be away, working, injured or having a bout of covid. We would still field a team to compete with any of the opposition put up against us. One week we played the top NSU team to decide the championship. We had 14 players, Ben in goal was 20, Leo was 17 and the next youngest was Steve at 41 which left us with an average age of 47. We drew that day, other days the team was much younger and we probably drew that too or was that the Black team.. I’m pretty sure they drew more games than us!!

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 Apart from the obvious family connections and experience that dated back to ABC’s first year in 1990, our team was about giving opportunity to the young. Eddie grew into the position of freeman, Leo had played there but proved just as effective at Wing Half. Toby was outstanding and grew in confidence every game. He was never in a rush which is a sign of an accomplished player. In goal we had Ben who often kept us in the game. He really matured and was a rock for us at the back. Liam’s season was interrupted with concussion but he progressed well up front and also enjoyed his time in the mid-field.. Another developing talent was Steve in his new role as a striker, we look forward to him progressing further next year and adding to his goal tally.

 A real strength of the team was to compete whoever we had on the card each week. When asked to decide on the best TEAM Member a number of players got a vote; Steve, Tony, GB, Vauts, Woz and Craig epitomise what makes for a successful team.. they share the ball, give 100% and are always in the fight. They put the team first and provide the glue that holds the team together.

Although the team couldn’t quite win the one that counted most, the season was an enjoyable and successful one. It is rewarding seeing players in higher grades playing well and knowing they have come through this team. The strength of the club continues to grow as we see more players stepping up and showing they too are ready to move on.. And maybe these old legs aren’t ready just yet to step down!!

Mark Dempster

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2021 Season Round Up

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ABC Yellow finished the season as champions after the round robin.  A full season report will follow.

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2019 Season Round Up

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Through the season our team tried to play short passing constructive hockey. There was a huge contrast between young and old and at times that was our undoing. Playing teams with ages between ours and bodies in their peak condition meant we struggled at times. There was always plenty of endeavours and we often had as much, if not more, possession than our opposition.

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Players worked hard for the team, tried to do what the coaches wanted and made progress through the season. It was a competitive grade with Takapuna, Warkworth and our other ABC team dominating.

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We finished the main part of the competition in 5th place but after the play-offs, we managed to climb up to 3rd. When we had the full quota of players, we were able to rotate the team and get the best out of everyone. This was especially the case later in the season and reflected our improved performances.

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Upfront the wise heads of Steve and DA controlled play with the hard running of Kees and Tim taking defences on as well as back tackling plenty to support ours. An added bonus was the addition of both Tom and James who are natural strikers who love the sniff of a goal. On the right, Oscar dominated most left halves with his jinking runs and gained in confidence as the season progressed.

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Again, the midfield was a mix of young and old with Mike, Dave and Taine providing the link within the team. Taine did a lot of running supporting both the defence and the attack. At the back, there were more old legs with Charlie, Dale and Vincent covering their inability to run!! Charlie was outstanding and established himself as a fullback. As a centre back he marked well, stepped in front of his marker and made telling passes out of defence.

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Two other huge contributors were Craig and Paula. Craig was Mr consistent all season, he was played as a striker, covered in the midfield and then as the season progressed, he slipped into the wing-halves where he felt most comfortable. Paula was outstanding on the side-line rotating players in and out and keeping us focused on the task at hand. Thanks also to Wozza for his wise words before the game and his timely substitutions to add value on the field as well as off it.

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Our 2 big games were basically quarter and semi-finals where we matched up against the two higher-ranked Takapuna teams. In the earlier game, we scored 2 first-half goals through an upright reverse from Steve and a deflection goal by Dale at a corner. Finally, all that corner training had paid off with a goal when it counted most!! Taka Green did manage to claw back a couple of goals to make it 2 all at full time. At the back, Matt had his best game in goal and showed composure in the shoot outs. The shoot-out was exciting, and the young boys brought the team through to face Taka Black in the semi.

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The first half was very even and keenly contested. ABC attacked a lot through the right with DA and Craig controlling the play. Upfront all the strikers ran hard and at times got the better of their opponents. We forced a number of corners but could not convert. The team kept working hard but we weren’t quite good enough against a team that would go on to win the final.

Third place was satisfying considering some of the games we played early in the season and the strength of the teams in this grade. The progress made by the young boys was encouraging and to have the old boys battling on at the end was positive too. The club is in a good place going forward with the depth of players displayed this year.