Port Macquarie-Hastings Hockey Association: All Stars test themselves against the best

They have been around for many years, went into remission and then came back – the story of the club in the Women’s Premier League is one that is a little different.

Club president Leane Harwood said the team was made up of masters players who have been competing against some of the younger teams in the competition.

Many of them are the other side of 50 years of age and also have quite a few state and Australian representatives in their team.

“It’s a combination of the Kempsey and Port Macquarie girls who used to play for Rovers,” Harwood said.

One of their Australian masters players is Lyn Dockrill who was selected for the Australian masters team last year before she was again selected this year.

Harwood said this season had been a challenge for the team after both the A and B-grade Port Macquarie competitions had to merge.

“They were hoping they would have enough numbers to have a finals series, but that didn’t work,” she said.

“We’ve always had a team in the Port Macquarie competition which is around the last 20 or so years, but we’re more playing for fitness and to have a bit of fun.

“The majority of our players are in the masters division.”

Harwood said the team suffered their first heavy defeat in a 7-2 loss to Tacking Point Thunder Omni on Saturday.

The Omni team possessed names such as Annika Toohey along with half a dozen or so players who also played for Port Macquarie at the under-15 state titles.

“In the last few years we’ve been the B-grade competition premiers or minor premiers and haven’t really been flogged until yesterday,” Harwood said.

“But they’re a really young team who have a lot of their players that play in the Taree competition.”