Eagles fly into silver medal spot

TEN young Ballarat hockey players became silver medallists over the school holidays.

As members of the under 14 South West Country Eagles team, the boys placed second in their division at the Junior State Hockey Championships in Melbourne.

Team manager Kevin Robillard said the squad only lost to one other team throughout the tournament.

“There were five teams in the pool we were in and it was quite an achievement to get to the medal rounds,” he said.

“We won our two games leading up to the grand final. The second game we played in the medal round was against the Red Devils, and it was a challenging game, but we won comfortably, five-three.

“That was a side that finished first in the other pool, and it was a moment where we thought we had a chance to not just show up as a country team, but to achieve more.

“We ended up playing the same team that we lost to in the pool round. We lost six-two in the pool round, but only lost one-nil in the final, so it was a really good game.”

Across all divisions, the group is only the second-ever South West Country Eagles team to medal, and with more than 60 per cent of the current under 14s based in Ballarat, Robillard said they have become close-knit.

“The players know each other and are building a core group coming through,” he said.

“A lot of them also played together in the Junior Country Championships as under 13s, and they didn’t lose a game, so there’s a closeness to the team.

“Since we’ve come back from the tournament, they’re wearing their state shirts to training, and a couple are trying to make a state team, so it’s great for Hockey Ballarat.

“They’re really wanting to push themselves.”

Robillard said he didn’t just credit the team’s success to the players’ talent, but also to the coaching team.

“Jason Hargreaves and Luke Pougnault have a lot of experience, and have really taken this core group under their wing,” he said.