Saturday’s women’s Premier League Hockey clash against Lithgow Panthers is undeniably the biggest in the Confederates club’s history and, as such, the return of Australian Hockey League star Rach Divall is a very, very welcome one.
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Divall has missed the last few games as she was overseas, but the NSW ace landed back on Australian shores on Tuesday and Feds coach Fiona Reith said she’s “pumped” to take the field in Saturday’s must-win final regular season round.
She brings a wealth of experience back into the youthful Feds line-up as the Orange side goes in search of its maiden semi-finals berth.
Locked on competition points with cross-city rivals Ex-Services but boasting a significant goal difference advantage, Feds pretty much only need to beat Panthers to seal fourth spot.
“Having Rach come back in is huge. I wasn’t sure if she’d back but she is and she’s pumped to get out there,” Reith said.
“We’ve never been in this situation before as a side, so it’s encouraging to see our hard work from previous years paying off.
“But I also think because of that the significance of the game isn’t really in the girls’ minds, there’s certainly no nerves, they’re just excited to get our there, play our game and have a real crack.”
Beating the reigning champions is no small feat for any side, but especially so for Confederates. The red and blues have never bested the Lithgow powerhouse.
But as Reith said, stranger things have happened. With a good performance and a bit of luck, anything’s possible.
“When we went down to Lithgow they only beat us 2-1, but they were missing a couple,” Reith said, highlighting attacking phenom Abby Wilson in particular.
“I’m not sure if Abby is playing this time around, but with or without her Panthers have experience, youth and a lot of skill.
“I’m actually not sure they’ve got a weakness, certainly not one I’ve seen anyway.
“Look, we’ll need a lot of luck and we’ll need to play really well but we’ve got a full-strength squad, we’re keen and I don’t think there’s any pressure on us. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
Adding an incentive for Confederates, Saturday’s game is skipper Annabelle Tierney’s last before she jets off to the USA to play.
“That might give the girls some extra drive,” Reith said.
“I know Annabelle is really, really keen and excited for this one and she’s been amazing all year, so if she fires and everyone else does, maybe it’ll all fall into place for us.”
There’s plenty of motivation for Panthers too though. If Parkes United upsets Bathurst City, the Lithgow side can claim the minor title with a win.
Saturday’s blockbuster kicks off at 1.55pm at Orange Hockey Centre.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
