Goulburn Valley Hockey Association's under-18s finished runner-up at the Junior Country Championships.
Photo by
Andrew Wiseman
Goulburn Valley Hockey Association gave Junior Country Championship glory a fair shake at the weekend, with two representative sides making it to grand finals.
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The under-18 girls, under-16 boys and two under-14 teams made the trip to Melbourne for the 2026 edition of the representative hockey showcase and the top-age maroons made a fierce grab for the title.
After an early stumble to eventual gold medal match opponent Geelong, the Rachelle Collins-coached under-18s won four games on the spin, pipping North Central (1-0), Hamilton (2-1), Ballarat (1-0) and Wimmera (6-0).
Emme Cole (three goals) and Abigail Vaivars (two) spurred the GVHA in attack and onwards to a rematch against Geelong, but it was the south-west rival at Parkville that took gold with a 1-0 win.
The under-14 girls also landed a spot in the decider, lining up against Hockey Central Victoria.
Milly Higgins’ strike was cancelled out by two goals from Central Victoria, but a runner-up finish capped a successful showing that saw the GV go through the group stages – and a 1-0 semi-final win against Geelong – unbeaten.
The under-16 boys narrowly missed out on a medal in a playoff defeat to Central Victoria, while the under-14 boys settled in fifth after defeating Ballarat 5-0.
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