2014 - Men's Country Championships Preview
Men's Victorian Country Championships 2014
Saturday 7, Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June 2014
PREVIEW
The Wimmera Hockey Association are sending two teams to the Men’s/Open Victorian Country Championships which are to be held at the Footscray Hockey Centre next weekend.
The Association has entered two teams in Division Two, and whilst they have sent more than one team in the past, this will be the first occasion that both teams have contested the same division. Other opponents will include North Central, who defeated an undermanned Wimmera side by two goals to one in an inter-association game at St Arnaud on May 24th along with East Gippsland and Latrobe Valley and seconds teams from Warrnambool and Central Victoria (Bendigo).
Each team will participate in six games spread over the three days of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, with the provisional draw scheduling the all Wimmera clash at midday on Monday, with the Division Two final, should one or both teams qualify, to be played later in the day at 4.00pm.
Five of the six local clubs are represented in the squad which will also be supplemented with a number of expatriate players who still retain a connection with their old clubs from the Wimmera. The teams are to be led by coach Jarrod Knoop and team manager Simon King.
The two teams will be chosen from the preliminary squad which as of last weekend included the following 26 players;Brydon Tischler, Caleb Halsall, Aaron Carter and Ellie Woods from Dimboola, Stuart Hoffman and James Terry from Horsham, Jordan and Braden Clark from Kaniva, Jarrod Knoop, Paul Slater, Todd Krahe, Jordan Williamson, Marcus Williamson, Simon King, Darius Cosgrave, Tiffany Bull, Alistair Croser, Ethan Schilling, Barry Schilling and Hamish Wagenknecht from Warracknabeal, Brad Alexander from Yanac and former local players Joel Wilkosz, Kyle Creek, Tristan Knoop, Leigh McKenzie and Stuart Owen.
The remaining places in the squad will be finalised after a training session at the Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre on Monday evening (2 June).
- Simon King, Men's Country Week Coordinator