Hockey finals are back.
After two years of COVID-19 interruptions Goulburn Valley Hockey Association has returned to post-season action this year.
This Saturday will mark grand final day for the organisation’s three junior leagues, while Sunday will have the senior divisions battle it out for a place in the grand final.
Association president Cameron Druitt said it felt like a big achievement to have finals back.
“Given the last two years and the work that has gone into getting the season up it’s been a lot of work from us and clubs to get to this point I feel,” Druitt said.
“Last year was cut short and we awarded minor premierships only.”
Druitt said it was shaping up to be a big weekend of hockey, with plenty of action on and off the turf.
He said the canteen would be open, with premiership and best-and-fairest presentations after each grand final alongside the awarding of junior country championship MVPs.
“Also we’ve got some awards that require nomination and judging to be done after the under-17 grand final,” he said.
“There’s junior sportsperson awards, a junior umpire award and also two memorial trophies to be awarded recognising juniors efforts on and off the pitch.”
Across the weekend semi-finals were played in the junior competition, with teams earning their way into the grand final.
In the under-17s, Echuca-Moama set up a meeting with Strikers-SYC in the big dance by downing Mooroopna-Benalla 4-0, while under-14 side Goulburn Valley Grammar School (GVGS) lost to the Strikers via a penalty shoot-out to book a match against SYC.
Earlier on Saturday the Strikers’ under-12 side defeated GVGS 8-3, with the side now set to take on SYC in the grand final.
All three junior finals will be played at Shepparton Regional Hockey Complex on Saturday, with the under-12s at 10am, under-14s at 11.30am and the under-17s at 1.15pm.
If one day of action is not enough to satisfy your hockey itch, all three senior divisions will be in action in semi-finals on Sunday.
The headline game of the day will be the A-grade men’s match-up between SYC and Echuca-Moama at 1.45pm, while in the B-grade women’s competition the Strikers are set to battle with Benalla-SYC at noon.
The B-grade men’s competition will end the weekend’s proceedings with the action between SYC and Strikers beginning at 3.30pm.